Well, it’s all about TikTok, isn’t it?!
“No!” I hear you cry, that’s for kids and daft dances… Actually over 70% of TikTok users are over 18!
A recent article in LegalCheek highlighted the success of Irish solicitor, Richard Grogan, who uses the platform to talk about employment and personal injury law in an easy to understand way. While he doesn’t (and can’t and shouldn’t, of course) give legal advice in his posts, he highlights common issues based on questions asked by his followers or real case examples (anonymised). He also uses humour to keep his audience engaged - “that’s the law and that’s a fact!”. Check him out!
First steps?
Before you all rush to perfect the latest #TikTokChallenge, why not spend some time looking at how your clients have changed over the past couple of years – are they still using the same platforms they were before the pandemic? Has how they interact with your business changed? What do they want from you as a business?
Remember, as with all marketing activities, the focus of social media marketing should be on your clients’ needs or pain points and how you can help, rather than just shouting about how great your business is.
A while back, we wrote a beginner’s guide to social media platforms, much of which is still relevant and a good place to start.
Facebook continues to work well when you have an engaged audience and use a mix of organic and paid posts (adverts). What you post can include images, videos, testimonials, links to your website, events and offers. Adverts are becoming increasingly expensive, since changes to Apple’s privacy settings affected who you could target. Use adverts to reach a new audience (such as sharing a blog, an educational video, an event or an introductory offer), to engage with your existing audience (get likes and comments from a post that asks ‘which is better, A or B?’ or ‘A/B/C/D – which do you prefer?’) or to build credibility (share a magazine feature, interview or award win). Both adverts and organic posts can be set to appear on Instagram too, so you can post on two different platforms and reach a wider audience.
Instagram started as an image sharing app and still has a heavy focus on images and video. It is a great platform for showing the more personal side of your business – behind the scenes, meet the team, charity events and team building. We’ve seen a shift towards longer narrative on Instagram – an opportunity for great storytelling. And spend some time deciding if IGTV or Reels could work for longer form video content.
The professionals’ network. It’s a bit of everything at the minute, personal and professional, lead generation and selling, but is still firmly rooted in building networks and engaging on a personal level. We blogged recently on how to give social media marketing the human touch, which can work really well on LinkedIn. Advertising through ‘promoted posts’ can be successful too, for upcoming events or to share thought leadership content. Don’t forget LinkedIn Jobs – everyone starts with a free listing and there are paid options, which might be useful when you need to grow your team.
YouTube
If you produce regular video content, a YouTube Channel could work really well – remember YouTube is the second largest search engine, so a good Search Engine Optimisation strategy will be needed. Content is easily sharable on other platforms, enabling you to embed it on web pages and highlight on social media channels.
A lot of professionals use Twitter well. It’s still a great platform for engaging with the latest news stories, awareness days and trends. Hashtags will make it easier for people to discover your account and advertising could help reach new audiences.
And remember…
Don’t try and do it all! Just because a platform exists, doesn’t mean your business has to be on it.
Strategic approach
Whatever platforms you decide on, don’t forget that a well-planned social media strategy is key to success. What are you trying to say? Who are you trying to say it to? What do you want to get out of it? How are you going to measure ‘success’?
We’d love to hear what has worked for you (and what hasn’t)!
If you would like some inspiration to make your social media stand out, then get in touch and book a free consultation.
About the author
Alison O'Neill
Account Manager, Alison, is a former Forensic Scientist who moved into professional services marketing in 2008 and is a Chartered Marketer and Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM).
Marketing for Professional Services
Cal Partners
The go-to strategic marketing partner for ambitious professional services