Law firms and TikTok, do they go together?
Well, already amassing 755 million active users, TikTok is going from strength to strength and attracting wider audiences than just Gen-Zers. So, can your firm be utilising TikTok?
TikTok started as an app for lip-syncing teens and viral dances, but the landscape and audience is changing. The minimum age for a TikTok account is 13, but 41.5% of the males on TikTok and 55.1% of females are over 18 years old. Depending on what services your firm specialises in, there are many audiences your firm could target these audiences for from education to conveyancing and wills.
We’re fans of not jumping on a trend as soon as it appears but making sure something is here for the long-term before we invest our time in it, so we’re just getting to grips with TikTok ourselves. In our opinion, TikTok is here to stay and there is definitely a market for law firms on TikTok. Research says that content being posted on TikTok is being viewed and shared significantly more than on other social platforms because their algorithm still favours organic reach. This means there is the potential to reach larger audiences organically than on other platforms.
However, TikTok is all about visual content, so it requires time, creativity and consistency to create content that stands out and grow your followers.
Still not convinced? Read on for the benefits of using TikTok for law firms…
What are the benefits of using TikTok?
Brand awareness
TikTok offers a great opportunity to grow brand awareness. As a law firm that might usually need to show the professionalism of the industry, it might be hard to get your personality across. TikTok allows you to be more humorous and creative.
As well as this, the TikTok algorithm takes into account the location of the user. That means that your videos are likely to be prioritised in the feed of people in the same area as you which can help you to connect with your local community. If a physical location was something you relied on pre-pandemic, TikTok might be one of the answers to showing up locally again.
You can experiment with content
The format and what the audience of TikTok is expecting mean you can show off your creative side in content that is light, authentic entertaining but also informative. Showing off this side of your law firm might help to position your firm as one that is approachable and easy to connect with so potential clients would feel more comfortable approaching you.
As well as this, 68% of people prefer to watch a video to learn about new services than reading articles, infographics, and presentations so it’s clear that adding video to your strategy in 2022 is key.
It’s not just for singers, songwriters and celebrities
It’s not just singers, songwriters and celebrities that are going viral and getting their content in front of audiences. In fact, there are already several lawyers in the UK and the US who have a large following, have gone viral or have significant numbers of views on TikTok:
- Deena Buchanan
- Mike Mandell
- Abdullah
- Chloë Rodway
- Terry Gorry
- Monica
- The Legal Northerner
- That Corporate Lawyer
You can repurpose your content
The content you create on TikTok can be repurposed for other platforms which saves time coming up with new ideas for all the platforms you use. If you’re answering a question, you can turn this into a quick FAQ for Instagram and bulk it out into a blog post for your website. If you’re showing what your team are up to and what office life at your firm is like, you can share the video on other social media platforms. TikTok offers the option to post videos directly to your Instagram story too.
Your content doesn’t need to be polished
TikTok allows for content that looks authentic, therefore you don’t need to spend hours editing and perfecting the style of the videos. However, it’s a good idea to keep things looking consistent to an extent. So, if you’re using filters, stick to one, and if you’re adding question and answer boxes, stick to the same style each time. This will help your brand to be more recognisable on TikTok.
There are lots of ad formats
From TopView ads to Brand Takeover ads and Branded Lenses, the ads on TikTok are varied and help your business to become more recognisable.
Is TikTok right for law firms?
You’re not the first firm to ask yourselves, or us, this. The question is would you rather give it a go and be surprised, or leave it too long and miss the chance to gain an engaged audience?
To determine whether your firm could succeed on TikTok, ask yourself the following questions…
Is your target audience on TikTok?
Although TikTok currently seems to be a Generation Z (those born between 1997 – 2021!) trend, most of the main social media platforms started off with a predominantly younger audience and as previously mentioned, the age ranges on TikTok is growing and there is more and more opportunity to reach potential clients.
Are there influencers you could collaborate with?
There are some major viral stars on TikTok and there are people out there that law firms could approach to collaborate with, and this will help to extend your reach.
TikTok Creator Marketplace is a great analytics tool to scope out influencers and brands to partner with. It lets you view influencers’ engagement, reach, demographics and views to help understand whether they are the right partner for you.
Can you create engaging content?
To do well on any social media platform, you need to be posting consistently. So, if your firm doesn’t have the time to be creating consistent, engaging content, then TikTok might not be for your firm right now.
One of the upsides of using TikTok is that videos don’t need to be super professional and can be done on a smartphone which makes things a little easier.
How can my law firm get started on TikTok?
If you are now convinced as to why your firm should have a platform on TikTok, your next question might be how you get started.
Well, we’ve put together a few top tips for you…
Determine Your Goals
The first thing you need to do when getting started with TikTok for business is to determine your goals and ensure they align with the rest of your marketing strategy. Do you want to grow brand awareness? Or target future employees? Or Increase clicks to your website? These questions will help to determine what types of content you’ll post on TikTok.
Influencers on TikTok
Influencers on TikTok might be a good place to start if you can. This creates less work for you as these influencers might create videos for you but reference your firm. It also means you can take advantage of their following. If you are a conveyancing firm, you could collaborate with someone who focuses content on DIY, house décor, tips for buying houses etc for example Get Woke Not Broke and rwn.home. If you are a family law firm you could collaborate with Mums and Dads who have a large following. If you are an education firm you could collaborate with law students and so on.
Useful Resources
There are loads of resources out there that can help you get started on TikTok. The TikTok blog is a great place to start to help you get the most out of your account.
Creating Videos on TikTok
Creating videos on TikTok might seem daunting at first, but there are tools out there that can help. We use Canva and they have a free TikTok video maker that might help to get you started. Make sure to have a play around with filters, stickers and songs to get the most out of your profile.
Be Consistent
From posting regularly to ensuring your content follows a theme, consistently really is key. You might not see the results you want straight away, but stick with it!
What content should my firm post on TikTok?
This is up to you, but it should be based on what your firm wants to get out of the platform.
We’ve put together some ideas below, but make sure to be authentic, creative, and engaging!
- A ‘day in the life’ as a solicitor
- Answer questions based on a specialism
- Use it as an educational tool for law students looking for training contracts/jobs etc
- Myth-busting content
- Top tips content e.g. top tips for a house move
- Blog posts into short digestible videos and then linking to the full post
- What it’s like to work within your firm – recruitment push
- Reaction to the latest legislation and what it means for your followers
Ready to get your law firm started on TikTok?
You should now understand why TikTok is a beneficial platform, how to identify whether it’s right for your firm and some ideas to get you started with your content creation.
If you need support auditing your social media platforms and developing a strategy, we can help! Contact sales@conscious.co.uk or give us a call on 0117 325 0200.