As the legal market grows increasingly competitive and law firms vie to attract the best talent, a carefully crafted social image has become a powerful tool to promote, engage and stand out.

 

While LinkedIn has long been viewed as the holy grail of social media platforms, more recently, law firms have broadened their social media presences, and in some cases, begun outsourcing their marketing and PR efforts. The American Bar Association’s 2019 Marketing & Communication survey found that 80 percent of firms maintain presence on social media, with LinkedIn the most popular platform, followed by Facebook.

But firms’ online efforts to develop fully rounded social presences have not gone unnoticed. At the tail end of last year, law firm consultancy Good2bSocial released its social media scorecard, ranking DLA Piper in the top spot, with White & Case, Baker McKenzie, and Norton Rose Fulbright following just behind.

A spokesperson for consultancy FTI tells ALB that an integrated and well-rounded marketing and strategic communications approach should be viewed as an opportunity for the firm to stand out to prospects and clients.

“If done successfully, this can protect the reputation and contribute to positive growth of the firm,” they say. Additionally, with the legal market a competitive and crowded space, “establishing a unique position is of increasing importance for law firms in obtaining business and staying ahead of their competitors,” the consultancy advises.

“These efforts can help build and subsequently maintain a law firm’s reputation. This can be a firm’s strongest asset as when managed well, it can help to differentiate in a crowded marketplace and achieve competitive advantage.”

But law firms are unique clients naturally, says the spokesperson, given their inter-disciplinary expertise and depth of sector knowledge. “The structure of law firms is relatively unique as well, necessitating different go-to-market strategies across the firm which require carefully considered, tailored marketing and PR approaches for each practice group,” they say. “From the perspective of a communications advisor, it is essential to have a similar level of breadth and depth of knowledge across a broad range of industries.”

Some challenges come hand in hand with such in-depth knowledge. Among these are firms’ expectations that audiences possess the same level of aware-ness, which is seldom the case.

“Remembering that the audience they are addressing is not one of fellow lawyers can be the key to being under-stood by a broader group of stake-holders. For example, offering insight into the impact of a decision or a regulatory change helps an audience under-stand the significance of such developments,” the spokesperson says.

It’s also important to be selective. Firms should consider the types of media titles they engage with and should work on fostering and developing good relationships with these. “Consistency in communications is important given the multiple people representing the firm across platforms. Equally important is building an overarching positioning that neatly captures the firm’s diverse offerings. Together these can be effective differentiators from the crowd,” they advise.

“Given the proliferation of media in recent years and the sheer volume of content we face on even an hourly basis, it’s about understanding the critical challenges that clients are facing, the topics that are most impactful as well as the implications of market and/or regulatory developments on specific sectors,” they say.

 

To contact the editorial team, please email ALBEditor@thomsonreuters.com. 

Related Articles

Other News

Analysis: India’s proposed intermediary liability rules could transform the Internet as we know it

by Ranajit Dam |

What started as a simmering feud with Twitter over the farmer protests is now threatening to boil over, and technology companies might need to rethink what they’re doing in the kitchen. India turned up the heat last week after announcing the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, a legally enforceable set of rules that, among other things, tightens regulatory scrutiny of social media platforms that have five million users in the country. Critics have been quick to denounce it as anti-democratic and unconstitutional; and say they could pose a threat to freedom of expression. Reuters points out that it is part of a broader trend of tech scrutiny globally, while the rules could be emulated by other countries such as the US, the UK and Australia, according to the Economic Times.

Analysis: Farmer Protests feat. Rihanna – ‘Twitter in the crosshairs’

by Elizabeth Beattie |

Those who’ve been following the news even casually will be aware that for some months now, India has been experiencing protests from farmers, demanding the withdrawal of new agriculture laws that they say benefit private buyers at the expense of growers. As you read this, tens of thousands of farmers are still camped outside the capital of New Delhi, and there does not appear any end to the impasse.

Features

Facebook Experience Shows Risks for Social Media Firms in Emerging Markets

by Elizabeth Beattie |

For nearly every business, venturing into a new market comes with unforeseen complexities and uncertainty. For social media companies, which manage information flows and news, and can be somewhat broadly defined, the risks and challenges are continuing to evolve. In jurisdictions where market rules aren’t so clear cut, such challenges can trigger a variety of operational risks, making the situation incredibly complex.