Winning at #LawTok: How Lawyers Can Use TikTok for Lead Generation
TikTok, launched by Beijing-based ByteDance in 2016, started as a simple video-sharing app but quickly grew into one of the world's most popular social media platforms. TikTok currently has over 800 million active users worldwide, with over 2 billion total downloads on Google Play and Apple's App Store to date.
While it predominantly caters to users dabbling in entertainment on social media, the app has also grown to accommodate those seeking to grow their brand. As such, #LawTok has become a reality in the legal industry, grounded in a premise summed up by the phrase “TikTok for lawyers.” Attorneys can use the hashtag to upload what are essentially lawyer commercials that promote law-related information and developments on the platform.
Attorney commercials and humorous legal ads on TikTok might be unconventional, but they provide valuable opportunities for law firms to expand their reach and engage with potential clients. In fact, from early 2023 to 2024, total views for #LawTok content grew from 2.1 billion to 3.8 billion, shedding light on how many people actively engage with videos related to the hashtag.
Why Should Lawyers Consider TikTok?
Lawyers can view TikTok as a source of potential engagement outside of standard online marketing options. While traditional video marketing for law firms is still viable, it tends to be more technical or formal. On the other hand, legal video marketing on TikTok helps a lawyer have a more relaxed and direct engagement with users who can potentially become clients.
Power of Social Media in Law Practice
Through the years, social media has allowed people to communicate, upload content, and access online features in a wholly different way. Unsurprisingly, it did not take long before businesses and entrepreneurs saw the potential of establishing a marketing foothold on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
Law firms are just one of the many business entities today that seek to expand their client base on social media. By sharing content and engaging with users, they can cater to a wider audience and build their brand simultaneously. This can result in improved SEO efforts, allowing their websites to stand out on search engines.
Social media engagement allows attorneys to communicate casually with people by participating in discussions and responding to comments. This alleviates part of what makes the field of law intimidating to many since having a social media presence can help a lawyer convince others that they can be approachable and that their assistance is always available and accessible.
TikTok’s Creative Features for Lawyers
If you decide to use TikTok for legal marketing and engagement, the platform offers various features you can leverage, including:
The Stitch feature, where you show another user’s video before presenting your own video as a response or reaction.
The Duet feature, where you can react to another user’s video in a split-screen format, with both of your videos playing simultaneously.
TikTok Stories, where you can create a short content post or “story” that followers can view within the next 24 hours.
The comment reply feature, which lets you create video responses to user comments.
You can use these features for various purposes, like reacting to legal industry news or offering additional insights on another attorney's discussion. This helps you keep followers engaged and up to date with legal topics on the platform.
How Can Lawyers Start a TikTok Campaign for Lead Generation?
Lawyers or law firms can start a TikTok campaign through the app’s Ads Manager. This enables them to create advertisements that can supplement their lead-generation initiatives on the platform.
When creating a campaign, you can customize your allotted budget for it. This will help you match your planned advertising efforts with how much you are willing to spend daily. You can also set your budget by ad group level.
Unsure how to use TikTok for marketing your legal practice? Follow these steps:
Step 1: Define your niche and target audience.
Start by identifying the target demographics for your content. Focusing on a specific audience allows lawyers to concentrate their resources on the groups most likely to engage with their content and need their services. For instance, if your practice involves family law, it would be advantageous for you to direct your law TikTok content to couples and families.
Focusing on a specific niche will help you create content that demonstrates your knowledge and experience in your area of law. If your practice involves multiple fields, you can cover each of them.
Step 2: Decide on your content types.
In relation to your chosen niche, you must determine the type of content you wish to create for your followers. This will help your material stand out and attract potential clients. The following content strategies will provide examples of how you can diversify your content.
Create educational videos.
This is one of the most common but effective ways to inform followers about legal topics and procedures. You can also explain these matters without the extensive use of legal jargon to make them easier to understand. Similarly, you can create a video summary of a popular case or legal incident and how it impacted the industry.
Participate in TikTok trends.
At times, certain trends prevail on TikTok in the form of hashtags, audio, challenges, and video formats. Many users engage with videos that highlight them, so business entities often use them as opportunities for engagement. Even as a lawyer, you can utilize these trends, whether by using hashtags or following specific video formats.
However, keep in mind that your content must still be connected to your goals and field. As such, it would be counterproductive for you to participate in trends without establishing their relevance to the legal industry. You should also be mindful of how trends change so that you can change or adjust your content if necessary.
Provide a “behind-the-scenes” look.
You can give followers a casual look into the legal industry by creating “behind-the-scenes” videos. These can highlight how lawyers work on cases or how legal processes are handled. Alternatively, you can provide users a glimpse of the work culture of lawyers and law firms in general, helping negate some of the mystery surrounding the legal industry for those unfamiliar with it.
Collaborate with other professionals.
If possible, you can reach out to educators and lawyers on TikTok for a collaboration. Together, you can create joint commentaries on specific topics or foster a discussion where users can comment and engage actively. This benefits you and the other creator since it will help you grow your respective following and brand among an even wider audience.
Step 3: Optimize your TikTok profile.
In addition to tailored content, an optimized profile is a significant factor that helps attract followers and potential clients on TikTok. You can customize their profile to include a bio highlighting your law firm and areas of expertise.
From here, you can also mention the people you wish to cater to and provide a call to action for those seeking legal assistance. To make things easier for users, you can put a link to your firm’s website and your contact information on your bio.
To ensure that users are drawn to your profile, you may also incorporate popular keywords commonly part of their legal queries. For instance, if you are a personal injury attorney, you can draw the attention of car mishap victims by adding car accident attorney to your profile.
How Can Attorneys Measure Their Success on #LawTok?
Once your advertising endeavors on TikTok are underway, the next step is to measure the engagement and leads that you are getting. Like with other social media platforms, there are ways to monitor the success of your #LawTok efforts.
Step 1: Be familiar with TikTok’s key metrics.
Successful engagement on TikTok is measured through different key metrics, which include:
Total view count
Average viewing time
Total video comments
Total video shares
Overall click-through rate on links
Viewer demographics.
Step 2: Explore TikTok Analytics and other tools.
You can view the metrics above by proceeding to the “Analytics” option on your profile’s Creator Tools. Through this, you can see if your content is generating organic engagement. You can also view how many followers you have gained and where they generally come from.
TikTok Analytics can be accessed through the application and on the TikTok website. However, if you wish to download the data, you can only do so via desktop.
You can use other tools alongside TikTok Analytics to fully optimize and customize your present and future advertising plans. For example, Hootsuite and Countik allow users to view major or minor details about specific metrics within a particular time frame. Meanwhile, Sprout Social assists lawyers in viewing data and provides recommendations on the best time to post content.
Step 3: Conduct split testing.
You can use TikTok’s A/B or split testing tool in the Ads Manager to determine which of your advertisements would work best for your initiatives. Here, you can test two versions of your ads and decide which one would perform better on the platform through a hypothesis presented by the tool.
Split testing will also allow you to optimize your ad uploads for budget-related reasons based on which ones will most likely produce returns. If needed, you can specify which demographic will see a particular ad to smoothen your statistical inferences.
What Else Should Lawyers Do for Effective TikTok Marketing?
Beyond creating content and analyzing metrics, lawyers on TikTok can take additional steps to effectively develop their brand and promote their services. After all, content creation is not their sole option for attracting clients.
Maintain professionalism and client confidentiality.
Lawyers must maintain the same professional demeanor they typically show clients in person. If you are an attorney seeking to advertise on TikTok, remember that you are doing so to attract clients and not for personal gain or self-promotion. Moreover, since you represent your firm, remember to act with dignity and respect to preserve your firm’s image.
While you can talk about past cases as part of your content, you must refrain from revealing confidential information. This is particularly true for any cases they may have previously handled, regardless of how well-documented they were. If needed, you can just cite the nature of a specific case and give a general summary.
Avoid misrepresentation and misleading information.
There are occasions when misinformation is spread either willfully or mistakenly on social media platforms. When advertising and promoting on TikTok, remember that you are also presenting yourself as an expert in your field. Because of this, you must ensure that the information you share is accurate and updated.
Moreover, you must avoid generalizations when discussing laws, especially if you wish to apply them to hypothetical scenarios. Explain to users how statutes vary by jurisdiction and expound on essential details as needed.
In line with this, you must refrain from using sensationalized content and inflammatory language. These could negatively affect your credibility and thought leadership and may even lead to the misrepresentation of actual legal facts and processes.
Lastly, remember to tell viewers that your explanations should not be considered a substitute for legal advice. If they need legal assistance, advise them to contact a lawyer.
Be mindful of advertising and solicitation rules.
Lawyers must remember that local bar associations tend to restrict or prohibit solicitation in any form. In fact, according to the American Bar Association, a lawyer is banned from soliciting unless the person they are communicating with is:
Another lawyer;
Someone who has had a prior professional relationship with the lawyer or their firm;
Someone whose business routinely requires the services the lawyer offers;
A family member or close personal acquaintance.
Additionally, attorneys cannot solicit someone who has explicitly stated that they do not wish to be solicited. Solicitation is also prohibited if it involves any form of duress, coercion, or harassment.
You must remember that these provisions also apply to your interactions on TikTok. To work around this, focus on building trust with potential clients through authentic communication rather than overtly soliciting them to use your legal services. You can do this by:
Actively listening and responding to queries;
Suggesting solutions instead of forcing them onto the person;
Fostering discussions where they can offer their own insights;
Using concrete examples that they can relate to;
Presenting a call to action that fits their needs and schedule.
Boost Your #LawTok Campaign with Expertise
If you wish to join the #LawTok landscape, contact a digital marketing agency to help polish your advertising plans. Expertise’s directory includes firms that have experience with projects involving content production and social media marketing. It can also help lawyers connect with SEO teams and marketing advisors.
FAQs on TikTok for Lawyers
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