Well, we called it! If you remember our Social Media trends you’ll actually want to implement in 2024 article from last year; you’ll see that we predicted that social media would change rapidly in 2024 but that the key themes in trends to prioritise will remain: share valuable and engaging content, foster your social media communities, build trust, and focus on your authenticity.
But has this changed how the marketing landscape for law firms works? At Conscious, we know that social media is volatile, and the best way to make the most of social media marketing for law firms is to stay conscious of the changes.
By looking back and reflecting on how 2024 unfolded and the major changes in social media for law, Conscious has stayed contemporary with our strategies for Social Media for Law Firms. But what are the four main changes, and how did they impact how law firms can market themselves?
Change 1: AI
It’ll surprise no one that AI has been the biggest change in social media marketing for lawyers. Not only is the impact of social media on the legal profession as a whole a highly debated topic, but AI has reshaped social media through automation, personalisation, and changing the game of how audiences are targeted.
AI is not something that you can really shy away from any longer. As of 2024, it is analysing user data for the competition to help them find, categorise, and target their demographic in their frequented online hubs with curated creation, social listening, and predictive analysis.
Furthermore, automated chat boxes can provide instantaneous customer service and replies on social platforms, enhanced advertising and ad placement, and influencer metric analysis—we could go on. In 2024, AI became a core part of effectively using social media for law firms.
Change 2: Trendy Content as Communication
In 2024, engaging in online trends proved to be a fruitful means of connecting with your audience and proving yourself to be communicative and willing to make the extra effort to be funny and entertaining.
Whilst professionalism remains a sought-after quality for law firms, now more than ever, avoiding legal jargon and being ‘Edutaining’ is key! This has been labelled a recent return on Investment (ROI) trend because the more effort you put into providing the kind of content your clients want, the more likely you will get a returned investment. So, whilst this change is not the introduction of a new kind of marketing, it establishes the expectation to meet the frequent changes in trends as they come.
Change 3: Shifting Platforms
2024 saw a few major changes in the leading social media platforms that affected how law firms can market themselves and where it’s best to do so. To mention a few:
- X/ Twitter: Whilst more content possibilities were released, some major features of X got set behind a paywall this year, and the platform faced a drop in Ad Revenue, leading lots of brands to focus their efforts on other platforms such as Instagram.
- Meta Platforms: Including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, took on more Ad Revenue in their format of text and image-based media, using customised Ads determined by an AI algorithm.
- TikTok: Whilst TikTok’s USP used to be its short form content, TikTok, over 2024, has been testing longer video formats and new ways of keeping its user face engaged.
- Community-Centric Platforms: Community-centric platforms such as Discord have expanded beyond their original UPSs, and some major brands have been using it to cultivate tight-knit communities. Law Firms can use these platforms to let their clients communicate and stay in touch after completing their work.
Change 4: Podcasts
Whilst the pure form podcast isn’t necessarily a form of social media, with the way they’re typically handled, they’re certainly media and certainly social. The podcast industry is expected to grow in both national and global markets, and law firms can use them as an opportunity to have a more thorough conversation with their clientele, as well as establishing themselves as knowledgeable though leaders in their specialist law spaces.
The mode of listener engagement on podcasts is quite unique, as the host can decide how they’ll reply to their listeners—they can collect questions beforehand and plan lengthy responses, or they can invite their listeners to call into their discussions and have conversations with them. Either way, it’s an opportunity for law firms to show off the personality and expertise of their staff.
Need help with your law firm’s social media strategy in 2025?
As we said last year, social media will change rapidly in the upcoming year, with the key themes and trends surviving: keep your content valuable and engaging, spend time with your online community, and build up trust with your authenticity and reliability. If you need help with your law firm's social media in 2025, please get in contact with the team at sales@conscious.co.uk or call 0117 325 0200.