Ten tips for building your personal brand on social media as an early-career legal professional
Winning clients and building a trustworthy personal brand as an early career legal professional is hard. Trying to do this whilst navigating a global pandemic is even harder. As the world shut down in March last year, opportunities to meet clients face-to-face disappeared, making it difficult to build trust, make connections, and create a sense of rapport.
As the ability to 'shop around' in person became redundant, many of us turned to social media to do our research. The Future of Legal Marketing stated back in 2017 that "Potential clients for law firms spend on average 16 minutes per hour on various social media platforms." That number has significantly risen over the last year.
So how do you create a strong, consistent personal brand on social media as a young lawyer or legal professional? I share my top ten tips below....
1. Find where your audience are online and show up:
There's no point investing time in building a following on TikTok when you work specifically with the over 60's. Spend some time thinking about where your ideal client spends their time online, and show up there regularly. Use key words, hashtags and location tags to make sure you appear in relevant searches. You don't need to be on every platform. It's much better to show up on one or two platforms exceptionally well rather than spread yourself too thinly.
2. Consistency is key:
The most important part about building a strong personal brand on social media is that you look and sound the same everywhere. Choose a tone of voice that reflects how you would talk to your clients in person, and consistently use that tone everywhere. Stick to a set colour palette and font with your branding so that the content you create is instantly recognisable as yours. Show up consistently when your audience are most likely to be online (check your insights!) so that people know when to expect content from you.
3. Think about your end goal
Is it to find new clients? Tell us about the services you offer and where your expertise lies. Share case studies and testimonials from past clients to build social proof.
Is it to become a thought leader in your specialism? Write articles sharing your thoughts and opinions on your specialism often, and comment on other's posts with relevant, helpful information.
Is it to network with other professionals? Join online networking groups, make connections on LinkedIn with an interesting personal note attached, and offer help wherever you can. Always have your end goal in mind when creating content and engaging with others online.
4. Always include a call to action
Tell your audience explicitly what you want them to do on every post you create (eg visit my website/sign up to my newsletter/book a discovery meeting etc). Having a clear, singular call to action removes the friction of the reader not knowing where to go next. We humans like instructions and order and willingly follow. Keep control of the conversation by guiding the reader to the next step you'd like them to take.
5. It's called social media for a reason
Engage with your target audience and industry peers to build your following. 'Like' their content, start meaningful conversations about what they've shared, share relevant opportunities within your network, be generous with your insight and expertise. Relationships aren't built by posting and ghosting; take time to reply to all of your comments and messages.
6. Keep it simple, but significant
Whilst we are all very impressed by the technical jargon you use to discuss your specialism, not a lot of us know what it is you actually mean. Keep language simple, impactful and empathetic. Explain everything clearly and spread dense amounts of information across several pages on a carousel post or through infographics. Experiment with different mediums such as video or long-form articles. Ask your audience questions and for their opinion. Bring them into the conversation too.
7. Don't be afraid to show your human side
Building trust and rapport with your audience means letting down your guard slightly in order for your audience to feel like they can relate to you. Talk openly about your hobbies and interests outside of work (but keep it professional!).
I have one client who loves plants and gardening, so we regularly talk about that alongside her executive coaching work. I have another client who is a Reiki practitioner when she isn't running a global change consultancy, so we bring that spiritual element into her content. I have an executive coach and leadership development client who loves fashion, so we share her outfits from time to time.
These little details help to humanise them, make them memorable and encourage others to strike up a conversation with them that isn't 'strictly business', but still comes across as professional and 'on brand'.
8. Only create content that is useful for your audience
Before you post anything online, always ask yourself:
Does this help my clients?
Have I provided value here?
Will my audience leave knowing more than they did when they arrived?
Invest in your audience by sharing useful tips and info that position you as an expert. Inspirational quotes, pro tips, basic legal information and industry updates all work well. Be generous with your knowledge and expertise in order to empower your audience.
9. Build your social credibility
It's one thing telling everyone how brilliant you are, but having ten different people also shout about it through glowing reviews will rocket-charge your personal brand. Make it a regular practice to ask clients and colleagues for recommendations and testimonials after working together. Share those kind words often.
10. Finally, remember the three P's:
Position yourself as the expert within your specialism. Re-introduce yourself often as your following grows to maintain familiarity.
Problem-Solve for your audience, answer their questions and pre-empt what they will be looking for. Make sure everything is easy for them to find and all of their questions are answered.
Promote your services. Often. Not everybody will see every post you put out, so keep at it.
Creating a consistent and memorable personal brand as a legal professional takes time, but start showing up now, and you will reap the benefits down the line. You never know who's watching...
Hi, I’m Sam!
I'm a social media marketer based in Wolverhampton with an eagle eye for scroll-stopping visuals and a knack for creating really engaging content. I work with coaches, founders and service-based businesses to help them shine online.
