His blog has won multiple awards and his Twitter feed has been called a “must-read” for Canadian lawyers. But Toronto lawyer Garry J. Wise says that he initially started blogging and posting on Twitter because he enjoyed it – not to market himself using social media.
Wise, the founder and senior lawyer at Wise Law Office in Toronto, has been using Twitter for more than seven years, and blogging for more than 10.
“I was using social media long before anyone talked about it being part of a marketing plan,” says Wise, who is the primary contributor to Wise Law Blog and the developer of WiseLii, a free iPhone app enabling users to research Canadian case law, statutes and regulations via CanLii.
Wise says that he decided to start blogging because he enjoys writing.
“My blog, particularly in the early years, was very much a place where I used my personal voice about political issues, legal issues and other current issues of interest,” he says. “At the time when I started my blog I didn’t have any conception – and nor did anybody else – that this would become a vital cog in what people 10 years later would be calling social media marketing. I was just a writer.”
But over time potential clients began to notice Wise’s blog and call in looking for legal advice.
“The Internet is now a significant contributor to our new client inquiries,” he says.
Wise has some advice for law firms looking to use social media as part of their marketing plan:
Post often
“Write good content and post regularly,” is Wise’s recommendation for law firms wanting to market their services on social media.
He says that consistency is particularly important. Bloggers, for example, should aim to post at least once a week.
“You can’t do a one-off every month or so,” says Wise. “To build your profile, you need to be publishing regularly. After a year or two you’ll have at least 100 posts. And that can be quite impressive.”
Wise has about 3,400 posts on his blog, boosting his profile on the Internet.
“If you have a lot of material out there, that means that your topic is going to come up on Google searches quite often. And when your name comes up on Google searches, people call in,” he says.
Andrew Feldstein, managing partner of Markham, Ont.-based Feldstein Family Law Group, has been called “Canada’s first YouTube-streaming family lawyer.” He regularly posts videos about family law issues to his website.
“I spend a lot of hours working on my site,” he says. “It’s a constant effort. It’s not one of those things where you say, ‘OK I did it. Now I’m done.’ I work on it almost every day.”
Posting regularly is key for social media marketing, says Scott McWalter, a marketing and social media expert based in Prince George, B.C.
“If you’re on Facebook just because everyone else is on Facebook but you’re not providing continuous content, people will recognize that and they will stop coming back to your page,” he says.
Ensure that you have resources available
McWalter says the first step to developing a social media marketing plan is to determine what resources you can dedicate to social media channels.
These resources can include you dedicating your time to promoting your law firm on social media, assigning staff members to post information on your behalf or hiring experts to assist you with marketing.
Feldstein says law firms have to be prepared to invest both time and money to promote themselves on social media.
“It’s not an easy thing to do,” he says. “I have the budget to hire good people to work on my social media and on my website. But it’s far from cheap.”
Wise agrees that social media marketing can be time-consuming.
“I have a staff person who handles some of the marketing chores like posting,” he says. “But the other lawyers in my firm and I do all the writing and I do all my own tweeting.”
Recognize your audience
It’s not just about having content – the content must be tailored to the intended audience, in terms of both subject matter and language.
“Recognize that there is a difference between the kind of paper that you deliver at a continuing education program and what you post when you’re speaking to the general public,” says Wise, who recommends using plain English in social media posts – no legal jargon or Latin phrases.
“I want to underline the importance of knowing your audience and writing in a voice that your audience is going to be able to enjoy and understand,” he says. “You’re not writing a law dictionary. You’re writing a communication to the public or to your specific target industry speaking their language.”
Use the 80-20 rule
Both Wise and Feldstein primarily use social media to disseminate information.
Wise regularly tweets about noteworthy court cases and news stories, while Feldstein posts about family law issues and answers questions such as how long it will take to get a divorce.
This approach appeals to potential clients, says McWalter, who recommends that law firms use what he calls the “80-20 rule.”
This means that only 20 per cent – or less – of your social media posts should be focused on soliciting business.
“For every one post to promote sales revenue, I would have at least four posts that are something completely different, like sharing some useful information,” says McWalter. “I recommend the 80-20 rule so people won’t be turned off and think that your reason for being on social media is just to promote yourself and boost your sales.”
Where to find them
Carolynne Burkholder-James is a former journalist and an associate lawyer at Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP based in Prince George, B.C.