The numbers are staggering and the potential is great. TikTok has over a billion monthly users, all scrolling through short-form videos, and the app has quickly taken its place as a marketing giant with incredible earning potential for any industry. As TikTok continues to grow in popularity, more and more professionals are turning to the platform for a way to share information and increase brand awareness.
So how can you use TikTok to drive more leads to your website and benefit your small law firm? We break down the what, why, and how below.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform made up of short-form user videos that support a range of genres like dance, jokes, stunts, and other entertainment. TikTok was originally targeted to children and teens when released in 2016, but it quickly became the fastest-growing social media platform in 2020 as worldwide users relied on the app for entertainment and connection during the height of the pandemic. Today, TikTok hosts over a billion monthly users that vary in age and other demographics.
How do TikTok and Law Firms Fit Together?
A diverse roster of industries have used TikTok to gain popularity and are better able to connect with their audience due to recent updates allowing for longer video times that are better for communicating dense information. Still, lawyers may doubt their place on the platform amongst cats with sunglasses or shopping “haul” videos, but with a defined audience and informative and on-trend content, law firms can build brand awareness across an unlimited audience on the platform.
5 Tips for Lawyers on TikTok
The best way to get started using TikTok is to simply press record and create content. The more you use the platform, the more comfortable you will become and it will be easier for you to determine what type of content performs well with your audience based on likes, comments, reshares, and stitches*. You can also help to drive traffic back to your firm’s website by generating brand awareness with proper messaging through your content.
*Stitches are a TikTok feature that allows users to play videos alongside their original video as a way to perform commentary on the original video.
Define Your Audience
Before you get started creating content on TikTok, define your target audience. Your audience goals will influence the substance of your content and what trends you may follow. For lawyers, the target audience will generally be potential clients. Similar to how you may communicate with a potential client on your firm’s website, you will want to mirror this language on your TikTok videos. However, due to the visual nature of TikTok, you will want to avoid reciting from your website’s written content verbatim – this is a space to show more of your personality and venture into the entertainment aspect of information sharing!
Post Informative Content
Now that you’ve given some thought to your audience, it’s time to start producing content. Just as you brainstorm website content, think of common questions and topics that you discuss with your clients for potential video content. Your audience may be tuning into your TikTok to find answers to legal questions they have or they may be trying to understand who you serve a little better. Or, your audience may come across your videos by way of the For You Page** algorithm based on their demographics and interests.
Regardless of the audience’s origin, grab their attention by posting quick snippets of information about your practice areas or, for more dense information, start a video series that takes a deeper dive into a subject. For example, a quick video could answer the question “What is UM insurance?” and a video series could teach viewers everything they need to prepare for a divorce. From there, you can direct viewers back to your firm’s website to help expand on any questions they may have by linking out your website address on your TikTok profile.
For lawyers looking to grow their following on TikTok, it’s best to post frequently. Experiment with packaging information in varying ways that show off your personality and expertise while engaging your audience.
**The For You Page is the main feed of TikTok that allows users to scroll through videos from any creator, regardless of if they follow that account. The more you scroll, the stronger the algorithm grows to deliver content that is tailored to your demographics and interests.
Engage with Trends
TikTok circulates through “trends” that users imitate in an attempt to grow their following. Trends are often associated with a “sound” that users need to interact with. The best way to stay relevant to trends is to observe what other creators are posting and how those videos are performing. The benefit of using trending sounds is the increased likelihood of your video appearing more often on other users’ feeds, also called For You Pages.
It is useful to find other accounts with similar subject areas to yours to monitor what is performing well in likes, comments, and reshares. To engage with a trend, TikTok users are meant to observe a trend and then copy it with their own perspective or spin. These are often humorous or silly but tend to be easy to replicate for yourself. Of course, not all trends will be relevant or appropriate for your practice area. It’s best to find inspiration in other creators who are similar to your practice area and choose trends that will help your videos to be informative and professional to viewers.
Stay Connected and Active
Similar to other social media platforms, you will get the most out of your experience if you interact with other users. To do this, like and comment on other videos that pique your interest as a lawyer to signal that you are active and incentivize that user to return the favor. You also want to make sure you’re responding to any comments that are left on your videos with likes and comments to answer any simple, non-sensitive questions and show you’re engaged.
Using TikTok Content on Other Platforms
Your TikTok videos can also bring brand awareness across platforms. Quick, informative videos are an excellent way to connect with an audience regardless of the platform. Before posting a video to your TikTok feed, save it to your device to reuse on your other social media profiles. You can also post the videos to your firm’s website to diversify your content and engage your web visitors. This is a great way to maximize your video’s visibility across audiences and experiment with new ways to connect with potential clients.
Convert Your TikTok Audience Into Clients with LawLytics
TikTok, if used wisely, has the potential to build brand awareness for your firm, but it doesn’t stand alone. Potential leads from TikTok and other social media platforms need somewhere to land. That’s where your website comes in. Investing time and efforts into your website is the best way to guarantee a long-term ROI for generating new business. Continue to drive traffic back to your website by linking your firm’s web address in your TikTok profile and on other social media platforms if you haven’t done so already.
LawLytics offers our members individualized strategy sessions to help lawyers reach their marketing goals quickly and efficiently. We also offer support and resources to help you build website content that keeps potential clients engaged and converts more visitors into paying clients for your firm. To see how LawLytics can complement your other digital marketing efforts to effectively grow your business, schedule an interactive 20-minute demo.
