This blog was originally written in April 2023 and was updated in March 2024 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Criminal defense lawyers can use social media marketing on channels like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and others to attract new clients and advertise their services. Knowing how to do it well is a problem for many attorneys.
You know how to represent clients and protect their constitutional rights, but do you know the best way to reach potential clients online? Utilizing social media well can drive client intake for your practice. With more clients comes more revenue for you and your firm.
You can increase the effectiveness of your social media and marketing by following these five social media tips for criminal defense lawyers.
What Social Media Channels Should You Be On?
Your criminal defense firm should be on multiple social media channels so you can reach a broad client base with criminal defense marketing. You want to know where your potential clients visit most and how to reach them on each of these social media websites. Some of the best social media platforms to use include:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Snapchat
Which sites you use will depend on multiple factors. You can determine where to focus your attention by knowing where your potential clients use social media and which sites will display the criminal defense representation you offer.
Tips for Using Social Media for Criminal Defense Attorneys
By following these tips, you can simultaneously attract the clients you want and build your practice.
Tip #1: Investigate Which Social Media Sites Your Potential Clients Use
You first want to determine which social media sites are most popular with your client base. Social media preferences may depend on a person's age, their technical abilities, and even what is popular in their geographical area. It may also depend on the type of criminal defense work you do. For example, LinkedIn is a great way to attract white-collar crime clients. For other practice areas, this social media website may be less relevant.
If you want to handle social media yourself, make sure you pick a site you are comfortable with. If you would rather outsource your social media marketing so you can focus on your clients, you can utilize the expertise of a law firm marketing company to manage your social media presence.
Tip #2: Know Your Professional Conduct Rules
Each jurisdiction has distinct rules about what you can advertise and post online, and this will affect your social media presence. You want to ensure that your criminal defense social media strategy follows these guidelines. Violating your ethical obligations can affect your firm's success, but knowing the proper protocol and having a professional team by your side can protect you.
Tip #3: Create Effective SEO Content
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your digital visibility for search engines like Microsoft Bing, Google, and many others. You can improve SEO by using the right keywords for your criminal defense practice, optimizing your posts, and tracking the success of your posts online.
SEO is not an easy thing to learn on your own. There are many nuances to its practice that are better left in the hands of law firm marketing professionals. SEO strategies continually change as the internet evolves. Recently, artificial intelligence has made major waves in search algorithms that could change the way your firm appears online.
Tip #4: Customize Posts for Your Clients
Criminal defense lawyers need to direct their posts to the clients they want. To attract criminal defense clients, your social media messaging should be tailored to them.
It is also best practice to tailor your posts for each practice area. As a criminal defense attorney, you may represent those accused of violent crimes, DUIs, traffic offenses, and much more.
To attract those accused of a DUI, your post could say, "At the Blueacre Law Firm, we have decades of experience handling DUI cases just like yours. Put our experience to work for you. #DUILawyer".
Customized posts like this capture attention better and drive action by the potential client. If they know you represent clients just like them, they are more likely to choose your firm over others.
Tip #5: Add Social Media Sites to Your Website and Business Cards
Your social media handles should be included on your website and if you hand out business cards, it might be wise to include them there too. Clients and potential clients want to know how to reach you. They want to see that you have a digital presence they can reach if they have inquiries or comments.
Adding your social media sites to these areas also encourages followers and shares. A happy client may share a comment and tag your firm, and this engagement can increase traffic to your website and help you attract even more leads.
Our AI Chat solution helps convert website visitors into leads and schedule appointments with potential customers 24/7. Scorpion clients using AI Chat have already seen tremendous growth and a 29.5% increase in conversion rates. Learn more about our award-winning solution.
Criminal Defense Law Social Media Strategy
The social media strategy for your criminal defense firm should consider essential questions such as:
- What social media sites should I use?
- In what areas of criminal defense law do I want to attract the most clients?
- What social media posts have worked best in the past?
- Can I effectively handle social media strategy on my own, or should I utilize a professional?
Your social media strategy should also work with your other marketing strategies. Criminal defense attorneys face intense competition, and you need to stand out above the rest. The right strategy can make that happen for your criminal defense law firm.
Use Scorpion for Your Criminal Defense Social Media
Our legal marketing team knows how busy you are in your criminal defense practice. We also know how to manage your criminal defense social media presence best. With our help, you can optimize your posts, reach your target audience, and increase the number of clients you represent.
With our effective social media strategies, you can increase your client base and revenue for your criminal defense firm. Contact us today to get started.
