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Ever since the outbreak of COVID in 2019, social media usage, not surprisingly, has increased significantly. To stick to the safety protocols of COVID-19, many firms had to adapt to a more remote-based working environment, which resulted in a significant rise in digital marketing and social media usage. This held especially true for law firms, which created more content than ever in 2021. This change in trend was noted by Good2BSocial, an internet marketing consulting firm responsible for creating the Social Law Firm Index (SLFI). The trends within the findings and rankings of law firms remained somewhat consistent for the years 2020 and 2021, with one of the most notable trends being the increase in usage of podcasts and videos. While many law firms may have developed new tactics and taken alternative approaches to effectively increase their social media engagement, not all content proved to be effective; some issues occurred as a result of increased content generation.
An Abundance of Content:
Over the past two years, firms have generated content excessively. While some of it may have been useful, such as COVID-19 microsites which served as a valuable source of information to the public, others did not quite serve the same purpose. Within this glut of content, firms tended to forget the actual purpose that content should serve and publish content just for the sake of it. As a result, the true purpose of content somehow got lost in the process and does not serve either party. Neither clients nor the firm benefited from much from this hastily written content. At the rise of the pandemic, firms were generating substantial content, but as things simmered down, much of the content started losing its sustainability. Although quite a few firms used content for press releases, a few wise ones from the lot tried to put the data to better use and create opportunities for business development. Not only is excessive content a problem in itself, but since these platforms exist way past their abandonment, it leaves a very negative impression of the firms. According to David Brenton from BluShark Digital, “content should only remain on sites so long as it stays important, relevant, and can be a useful resource. If not, firms need to take it down.”
Use of Different Platforms:
Up until recent years, Facebook was one of the most used online platforms to reach any audience, but since last year, firms have shifted their focus to Instagram to promote different cultural news. Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been one of the most promoted one amongst all news. DEI efforts are initiatives taken in the workplace to ensure diversity. This has gained massive popularity in the news recently and most firms, whether big or small, have taken their influence on social media to support it in many cases. However, these firms should realize that their sole focus should not revolve around this, as it should be one aspect of their social media presence. For example, if they want to promote leadership and reach more clients, they should opt for a more business-related platform, such as Linkedin.
The Rise of Podcasts and Videos:
Videos and podcasts have a much greater impact in regard to social media channels and allow a firm to stand out from the others. This explains their drastic rise in recent years. With the technological advancements made in recent years, they have become incredibly cost-effective and do not even need an official shoot in many cases, but simply a good graphic designer or animator to do the job. Podcasts also have a similar impact if used effectively and are thus gaining much more recognition recently.
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