7 Tips For Creating Social Content That Works

Over half of marketers think that creating content is the hardest part of their job duties. That's even more true for attorneys, who often try to juggle marketing responsibilities at small firms and don't necessarily know how to produce effective social content. In this guide, we'll go over some tips for making content that is interactive and projects a positive brand image. You'll learn what social media and networking are really for, and how to make social content that shows you “get” what going social is all about.

#1: Think From a New Point of View

Remember that the things that you as an attorney find interesting about the law are probably not what most potential clients think are interesting. Too many smaller law firms (and other small businesses) tend to post social content that is clearly all about what they find interesting. In reality, social networking is a relationship building tool, and when you're only talking about what you find interesting, you're not in a two-way relationship.

Try to think about what your potential clients are looking for before you make your social content. What are their concerns and misconceptions about the law? What are things most people get wrong or seem misinformed about? These are places where you have a chance to educate, inform, and generate discussion with potential clients on social media websites. Your social content will have a chance to really shine when you consider your clients' desires ahead of your own.

#2: Get Creative In Integrating Social and Mobile

Social and mobile marketing are two concepts that work best when they're implemented in tandem. Forward thinking law firms are already incorporating mobile marketing into their social content. For example, sponsoring stories on Facebook and other social media websites can be a great way to get new people looking at some of the content you're offering. Research shows that users of mobile Facebook apps are more likely than desktop users to click on this type of advertisement.

Making sure you have a presence on various web review sites is also a great way to ensure that you're integrating social content and mobile marketing. Review websites are often checked by mobile users before they contact someone to provide them with a service, including legal services. Asking satisfied clients to provide you with reviews on the websites where you're establishing a presence can significantly boost your rates of attracing new business.

#3: Show Yourself to the Social World

Too many companies make the mistake of thinking that they need to conform to some sort of marketing ideal rather than projecting a brand image that says something about who they really are. Your branding efforts should always be focused on presenting a real side of yourself, and your social content should consistently work toward that goal.

If you've been making your social media updates sound generic or like sales pitches, you're not doing yourself any favors. Instead, work on making your updates sound like your most friendly and professional self. Don't be afraid to use a bit of humor or to use different tones in different types of posts. Sounding too generic just makes it seem like you're only going through the motions of creating social content.

#4: Stay Updated About New Social Content Trends

The world of social media has been changing rapidly and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. 2012 brought us a new look for Facebook that caused a lot of complaints when it was first rolled out. However, those complaints have since died down, leaving marketers with new ways to place social content on the networking giant.

In order to get on board with the next big thing in social media, you'll need to keep up with news and information about social marketing. Social marketing blogs can help you stay on top of the scene and understand what types of social content are most likely to get results.

#5: Avoid Becoming an Annoyance

While it's great to advertise on social media, many people in surveys indicate that some businesses are being obnoxious with their social marketing campaigns. Try to avoid creating social content that will oversaturate the friends of your Facebook friends with advertisements for your company—this type of content is best used in small doses.

You should also make sure that you're not inundating everyone who is connected to you on social media with messages and new posts. Keep your post count lower, but create higher quality, higher value posts each time you do create one.

#6: Interact With People on Facebook

While typically only about 15 percent of people will be able to see any given Facebook Timeline post you make, there are two ways to make that number bigger. One is to “sponsor” your social content and pay for it to be put in front of all your friends and connections. However, the other way is to have your content reach the top of friends' feeds is to get a lively discussion going.

When a post receives more Facebook comments and likes on those comments, it becomes more likely to be seen by a larger number of people. This is why you're likely to have better results with social content that tries to ask some questions and open up discussion than content that doesn't leave much room for commentary.

#7: Don't Ignore the Value of Video

One of the things that some attorneys forget is that social content featuring video is really popular—and more likely than other types of content to go viral. Even if you're more used to blogging than Youtube, you should consider making some videos to augment your other forms of content.

Attorneys should make sure that any video they upload has reasonable production values and sound quality. You won't improve your brand image online by uploading videos that are shaky, out of focus, or full of unintentional pauses and hesitations.