Is TikTok a Viable Marketing Option for Law Firms in 2022? (Full Guide + Cases)
Is Tik Tok a Viable Marketing Option for Law Firms in 2022? (Full Guide + Cases)
TikTok is a bizarre subject to talk about, especially to people from a serious industry such as the legal sector for, well, obvious reasons. Most of us find it hard to take a social network that’s all about weird dancing seriously.
I’d be in the same boat with you… if I didn’t do the numbers. Here’s the thing: we all know that TikTok is big. Few of us truly realize how big it actually is.
The social media platform has seen more than 1 Billion active users in 2021. To put things into perspective, more people opened TikTok than Google this year. And yes, this includes all Google services like search, maps, and calendar combined.
Surely there’s at least some fish in an ocean as vast, right?
TikTok in a nutshell
After reading this some of you may be wondering: What on earth is a TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform that’s designed around the concept of sharing short, easily consumable videos. Usually they are around 60 seconds or less.
Yes, 41% of the platform’s audience is composed of kids and young adults aged 16-24. Nonetheless, many businesses – especially lawyers – can find a plethora of opportunities in this newly found market.
And just like with any other social media platform there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
- For starters, you can go for the most intuitive approach and start generating engaging content to attract an audience around your brand.
- Alternatively, you can collaborate with established TikTok influencers and promote your services to their audience.
- Or you can use the platform for plain old digital advertising.
- Lastly, you can use a combination of the above mentioned options.
Let’s talk results
Let’s talk about the lawyers who have already seen great success on tikTok before diving into the nitty-gritty of setting up the platform to fit your firm’s needs. These examples should shed some light on whether or not you’ll want to invest your time and resources into TikTok in the first place.
Alex Su (@legaltechbro) – 65.5K followers
Alex is Ironclad’s head of community development and a TikTok influencer. He has made his career on the social media platform through clever and creative videos that throw a few comedic jabs at the realities of practicing law in a BigLaw company.
Lisbette Baltazar (@lisbette_attorney) – 12.9K followers
Lisbette is a practicing bankruptcy attorney from California. Her content revolves around practical tips and know-how for legal consumers on bankruptcy. Her TikTok channel serves as a great media boost while also establishing Lisbette’s domain expertise.
Kelly Chang (@lawyerkelly) – 396.9K followers
Kelly is a divorce attorney from California who manages to combine witty humor and educational content in her TikTok shorts. This open approach has built a huge following around her and her services.
Adam S. Juratovac (@adamjthelawye) – 538.6K followers
Again, a practicing lawyer who focuses on educational content hits the top on TikTok. Adam’s tips and tricks can become an invaluable asset to his followers who are interested in employment law and his channel is an excellent show of skill, experience, and understanding of the niche.
Paige Sparks (@lawyerpaige) – 148.1K followers
Paige takes educational content on all things employment law, trusts and estates, or criminal defence and gives it a unique spin. For her, a TikTok channel is a brilliant way of displaying her own personality and charisma while also offering real value in an entertaining manner.
A very TikTok strategy
Now that we’ve seen TikTok in action, there’s no arguing that the results are definitely there. That said, you’ll need a reliable strategy to compete with the lawyers who have already established their presence on the platform.
Step 1: ROI
I’d suggest you start with clear and quantitative goals for your law firm’s TikTok account. Sure, enjoying some likes and views is a great boost for self-esteem, but there’s really no business benefit to an entertained audience… Unless they click on your link. That’s why ROI-oriented metrics should be the primary objective at this stage of designing a viable TikTok strategy.
Here are some metrics you can start with:
- Brand awareness
- Website traffic
- New leads
- Conversion rates from lead to client
Step 2: An audience
Given the number of users on TikTok, putting your finger on your audience’s pulse is as vital as air for two primary reasons: 1) you want to attract the correct people, and 2) you don’t want to attract the wrong ones. Yes, there’s a huge difference between the two.
I’d suggest finding several great examples of lawyers on TikTok who are offering similar services to the ones your firm specializes in. Check out their content, but more importantly, investigate their audience: who are they, why are they engaging with a lawyer, how are they doing so, etc.
Step 3: Start pushing your content
Now that you have an understanding of the platform, and you are familiar with what you expect from it, what’s stopping you from publishing your first video? Just remember to:
- Keep it short and sweet (no longer than 15 seconds)
- Make it engaging
- Offer real, practical value
Extra tips for a smoother start on TikTok
- Post frequently: If you are serious about TikTok, you’ll need to post at least one video per day. This is integral as the frequency of content is the primary metric the platform’s algorithms pay attention to. Yes, engagement is also important, but you will not gain the traction necessary to generate it without the frequency of publications.
- Be mindful of hashtags: yes, TikTok uses hashtags, but their system is quite different from Twitter or Instagram. The most obvious difference is that you can’t afford to use as many if you wish to be seen by anyone. Pick one to three hashtags for your video and go with them. That said, make them count.
- Connect with influencers: When TikTok first started, growing was considerably simpler. This is not the case anymore as the sheer numbers of creators have skyrocketed over the past year or so. Getting a little bit of help from someone with a following is a great boost for a channel that’s only kicking itself off the ground.
- Leverage trends: The “Discover page” is the primary source of organic traffic to channels. You need to pop up there at least once in a while if you wish to go viral. One of the greatest tips here would be a bit counterintuitive for a serious business, but please, use a little bit of humor in your content. It will get you much further.
Lastly, here are some useful apps to help you understand TikTok a little bit better:
- TikLog – this app helps with profile analysis, identification of trends, and hashtag analytics.
- Exolyt – a great tool for TikTok analytics for companies who are serious about growing on this new platform. Cookie-cutter functionality is complemented with on-demand development of custom functionality you might need. Do note that the extra features come at a premium cost.
- Pentos – a handy tool for content and channel analytics.