Nobody likes lazy social media profiles – let’s refine a few things

Most law firms have at least one social media profile, and some have multiple. Australian law firms are commonly using both Facebook and LinkedIn and some are also using Twitter and Instagram, amongst some others.

In today’s blog, we’re going to look at refining your profile to deliver a better customer experience.

Customer or user experience is often overlooked when building social profiles. With over 15 million Australians using Facebook at an individual level, and pulling that experience to pieces on a daily basis, it’s incredible to then see those same issues replicated on their business pages.

When referencing metrics and data for social media, we’re only going to reference Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Here we go.

Your profile image

Unbelievably, some firms don’t even publish a profile picture.

It’s not difficult and for the sake of brevity, we’re going to suggest at the very least, just upload your logo.

BUT… make sure it’s the right size first. It’s not a particularly pleasant experience seeing half a logo.

In 2019, your profile image sizes are:

• LinkedIn: 300 x 300
• Facebook: 180 x 180
• Twitter: 150 x 150

Make sure you use a DPI of no less than 72.

Tip: Create your LinkedIn one, then crop (evenly) for Facebook and Twitter – too easy!

Your cover image

Your cover image is the banner at the top of your social network page.

Not quite as simple as adding the firm logo but still not too difficult to simply ignore either.

You can use the same image for all your social platforms. This defines your brand and drives visual recognition and recall.

Your cover image should reflect your firm, its values and/or culture and/or people. It could be:

• the type of law you practice;
• your staff;
• a recent community event;
• a seasonal image (for example, Christmas or holiday time)
• an image that evokes emotion.

We recommend updating your cover image from time to time. For our clients, we look to update the images about every 8 weeks. This keeps the platform fresh for your returning visitors and it also creates a new post, each time you change your cover.

To reinforce your brand or a specific message, you can include text overlay on your images also.

In 2019, your cover image sizes are:

• LinkedIn: 1536 x 768
• Facebook: 851 x 315
• Twitter: 1500 x 500

Again, make sure you use a DPI of no less than 72.

Sadly, no shortcuts for creating these images. They are such different sizes that you’ll have to create them all from scratch. But you can still use the same primary image.

Naming your social pages

Wherever possible, you should try and keep the same name across all platforms.

If you’re coming a little late to the platform, your chosen name (also known as your handle) may not be available. You need to remember that social media page names are unique across the globe. So, you’re ‘competing’ for names right around the world. If your desired name is taken, you should try and create a name as close as possible to your other handles.

How might that look?

• Let’s assume your firm name is Charleston Family Law.
• You created a LinkedIn page years ago and called it CharlestonFamilyLaw
• You created a Twitter page years ago and called it CharelstonFamilyLaw also
• You didn’t create a Facebook page but want to now; CharelstonFamilyLaw is already taken
• You might consider CharelstonFamilyLawAus or CharelstonFamilyLawyers
• You may then also wish to consider changing the LinkedIn and Twitter handles. But check first, that your new name is available.

Complete every field in the page setup process

The more you complete your profile, not only will you provide a better user experience but you’ll also be more ‘searchable’ for what you do. You’ll have the opportunity to add more keywords and keyword phrases.

Tip: Write in sentences, not just hashtags. Sure, hashtags have their place but not in your business description of services, who you are, what you stand for and how you can help.

Remember to review your profile sections from time to time. A lot of it won’t change very often, so it’s as simple as having a quick read of your pages; say a couple of times a year. Obviously, if something substantial changes at your firm, you should ensure you update your social pages.

Finally, social media platforms add fields from time to time and, surprise, they don’t always tell you. But if you’re hopping into your firm’s profile from time to time, you’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments.

Check your work

When you add new content to your social profiles, check your work. Spelling and grammar checks are paramount. You should also check any links you entered are working.

Most social profiles will have a word or character limit per field. If you’re using the same field content across all your social media pages, check the word/character limit on each occasion.

You may, for example, have 750 characters on Facebook for one field. So, you write your content and enter it. You then cut and paste the same content to LinkedIn but it only allows 550 characters for that field. Your text will be ‘cut off’ at the end. That’s not a good user experience.

When adding your images, check they are displaying well – nobody wants their head cut off!

Reviews and recommendations

Although not something you actually enter yourself, it is something you can drive.

Having good reviews and recommendations on your social pages is good for business. People trust the experiences of other people.

On this point, you may want to read our articles:

• Help your employees become advocates for your law firm, using social media
• Why should I develop a plan to drive Google reviews for my law firm?
• Why is a Google My Business Page important for my law firm?
• Can I remove a bad Facebook review on my company page?

The trick here: don’t be afraid to ask.

There is a small number of people who will give you a positive review without being asked. But the truth is, most will not give it any thought. However, when asked, you’ll be surprised how many of your clients are more than willing to help. Remember, nobody ever died from asking for a review.