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Good2bSocial today published the results of the 2019 Social Law Firm Index, which examines how Am Law 200 firms adopt and apply digital marketing in terms of outreach, engagement and business development.
The Social Law Firm Index analyzes each firm’s presence on the internet and across social media and evaluates their social usage to extend thought leadership messages and otherwise engage with clients and constituents. These factors are reduced to numerical measures, weighted and incorporated into an algorithm to develop each firm’s rank on the Index.
Since conducting the first study in 2013, there has been a rapid increase in the use of digital technology. Most large firms practicing in the United States now have an understanding of the value and necessity of digital marketing to their operations.
“Paid social is continuing to grow in importance as law firms get smarter about micro-targeting their audiences,” said Guy Alvarez, CEO of Good2bSocial. “This is especially true on LinkedIn where we saw more than 30 percent of law firms now incorporating LinkedIn Ads in their social media spend. Another area where we saw exponential growth is in the use of audio and video on social media posts and websites. More firms than ever are using video or launching podcasts in order to enhance their engagement with their target audience.”
Among the key findings in the 2019 Social Law Firm Index are:
Rise in Paid Social and especially LinkedIn: Prospects can immediately research you or your firm, browse your network, content, endorsements and easily connect. We found that 30 percent of the Am Law firms use paid LinkedIn, which is a significant increase from only 10 percent just a year ago. LinkedIn is the most popular and successful choice when it comes to firms investing in sponsored content on social.
Decrease in the use of Facebook; increase in the use of Instagram: The Infinite Dial study from Edison showed that among Americans ages 12 to 34, usage of Facebook declined sharply between 2017 and 2018, but Instagram steadily grew in that same timeframe. Facebook is still a giant, but Instagram is turning into a better social network. If that continues, it’s likely that Instagram will surpass Facebook in popularity in the United States by 2020.
More video and more podcasts: To stay competitive on social media, video is now a required platform. An optimized video increases the chance of your brand making front page of a Google search result by 53 times. Nearly 25 percent of Americans listen to podcasts weekly. Podcasts offer a hyper-focused audience that chooses to listen to your content and listeners have been shown to be the most loyal and engaged audience of any digital medium.
Continued investment on marketing automation: With marketing automation, your law firm can utilize various tools save time, free up bandwidth and ultimately improve ROI. Time-consuming processes can be replaced by a system that can automatically send out emails based on an email response or website visit. When firms combine content with marketing automation, they can analyze what their clients engage with and how. By knowing more about your client, you can deliver better customer service.
The 2019 Social Law Firm Index Best Performing Firms:
The Overall Top Five Firms demonstrated the greatest comprehensive adoption, integration and use of digital marketing, social media and thought leadership content to market and grow their practice. The firms topping the list are:
“Social media is integral to how we communicate our values, culture, capabilities and brand to the market,” said Erin Stone Dimry, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at DLA Piper. “It’s very gratifying to be recognized for it, particularly as it pertains to the quality and authenticity of the content we work so hard to create, disseminate and amplify.”
The 2019 Social Law Firm Index rankings are based on a proprietary methodology developed to assess the effectiveness of each firm’s use of social media and digital marketing. The full report, including overall and individual channel rankings, along with feature stories on the top ranking firms in each category, is available here for download.
About Good2bSocial
Good2bSocial works with law firms, legal marketers, companies and associations in the legal industry to help them understand and leverage the power of digital marketing. By combining our unmatched industry experience with the latest technology we are able to deliver and execute measurable marketing and business development strategies. Good2bSocial offers a full suite of digital marketing services including high-impact content marketing, PPC, SEO, paid social, email marketing, marketing automation, website/microsite development, social media management and training.
