Being one of the biggest social media platforms, you can find almost anything you search for on Facebook. It offers many features, from photo and video sharing to advertising services.
Advertising on Facebook is becoming the norm for many existing and starting firms. The service is easy to use, affordable, and, with the proper planning, can take your ad game to the next level.
However, considering the gravity of legal services, is Facebook advertising for lawyers an appropriate investment or a waste of time?
We’ll give you a detailed answer in this post. If you want to know more, please contact Romain Berg to schedule a free strategy call.
Is Facebook Advertising Worth It for Lawyers?
According to Statista, Facebook has over 2.9 billion active users as of 2023. In 2022, Facebook managed to generate $116 billion in total, 97.5% of which came from ads. That’s over $113 billion in revenue from ads alone.
So, it’s safe to say that the advertising game on Facebook works. The question is, as a lawyer, will it work for you?
The short answer is yes. Facebook may be generally used for entertainment, but business advertising on the platform still significantly impacts many individuals and businesses as long as it is executed correctly.
Facebook advertising goes beyond simply paying for your ad to run. There are numerous aspects that we will delve into more deeply. But first, let’s understand the types and formats of Facebook ads that you can use.
Facebook Ads: How Do They Look?
To date, there are two formats of Facebook ads. The first format shows you the ad on the right side of the screen as you scroll down your homepage. These ads have the benefit of being fixed in place for some time, but your eyes occasionally miss them.
In the other format, the ad appears inside your feed with the word “sponsored” written next to it. Typically, it’s a page or a business that you don’t follow, but the owner paid for the ad to reach you among the target audience.
Both ad formats can come in many types, and lawyers can utilize almost all of them in their campaigns:
1. Boosted Posts
Boosting a post is an easy method to drive traffic toward your page. You select a particular post on your page and then pay an amount of money for that post to appear to people who are not following that page.
The simplicity of this method makes it one of the most popular forms of ads on Facebook, as it can help you expand your following much faster.
2. Photo and Video Ads
It’s much easier to catch people’s attention with photos and videos than with written text.
Since you can make your media appear directly on people’s newsfeeds, you can use this option to direct awareness toward your legal services.
3. Event Ads
Event ads appear on people’s feeds as an invitation to participate in certain affairs and occasions. They’re usually accompanied by a CTA (call to action) button like “Learn More” and “Call Now.”
As a lawyer, you can use these ads to call attention to an event you’re preparing for.
4. Offer Ads
Offer ads work similarly to event ads regarding the CTA aspect. The difference is that instead of promoting an event, you’re offering people service with offers (e.g., a limited-time discount).
You can also use offer ads to expand your list of clients.
5. Retargeting Ads
People who interacted with your posts but did not complete the conversion will be subjected to retargeting ads.
Anyone who may be interested in the legal services you have to offer will have clicked on one or two of your ads. The Facebook algorithm would pick that up, and you’ll have the option to retarget these people with new ads.
The Benefits of Facebook Advertising for Lawyers
Now that you understand the types of ads, how can they allow you to provide your legal services to more clients?
1. Target Audience
With millions of people using Facebook every day, you don’t want to waste your money and time targeting the wrong audience. A well-made campaign will mean nothing to a 9-year-old child, even if it keeps popping up in his feed.
To make the most out of your budget, Facebook allows you to choose your target audience based on their activities, like pages they like, ads they click on, and related legal topics they view.
The whole process is powered by the Facebook algorithm, which is why you’ll suddenly get increased ads about a product or service you are interested in. In this case, your Facebook ads are highly likely to reach people who may need legal assistance.
2. Mobile Users Optimization
Did you know that the average American spends around seven hours a day looking at a screen? Almost half of those hours are spent in front of the phone screen. Despite that, countless websites are still not optimized for a seamless user experience through the phone.
On the other hand, Facebook isn’t just optimized for the phone but also has its dedicated, fully-fledged mobile application.
This allows your ad to clearly show up on the screen, with all the important details, like CTAs, clearly visible.
3. Dedicated Business Suite
Using Meta Business Suite, a dedicated application for Facebook ads, you can track, customize, and follow up with your ads as needed.
As a lawyer, you need to understand which of your ad campaigns are driving enough traffic and which aren’t performing as they should be.
Through this feature, you can assess the elements that made a certain ad successful and save some money by taking down or halting underperforming ads.
The business suite also acts as a separate chat platform you can use to respond to whoever directly messages your page. You can earn great credibility if you quickly respond to queries, and the notifications from the suite can help you do just that.
Also, the suite allows you to manage your Instagram page, if you have one, and link it to your Facebook page.
4. Gradual Billing
Facebook provides some of the most flexible billing procedures. Thanks to Facebook’s gradual billing feature, new lawyers or firms who are just starting do not need to worry about huge marketing costs.
The platform requires you to charge credit to your account, which you can use as you please to run your ads.
Facebook will then deduct a specific amount of that credit (more on that soon) every 24 hours and a smaller amount every time someone interacts with your ad or messages your page.
The major advantage here is that the second you decide to stop funding your ad, the deduction from your balance stops, giving you a quick exit before you lose your funds.
How Can a Lawyer Effectively Use Facebook Advertising?
Here’s how you, as a lawyer, gain the most from Facebook ads:
1. Take Your Time Planning
Selecting the correct audience can mean the difference between a successful ad and a waste of money.
- Target the Proper Age Group: As a lawyer, you should start by selecting the appropriate age group for your audience. Minimize introducing your ads to people in their early teens and below, as they’re unlikely to be interested in your legal services. Instead, aim for 18 and higher.
- Target Your Local Area First: It is a good idea to keep your exposure to your locality and its surrounding areas. Being known locally is a good cornerstone to rely on once you’re trying to expand.
Facebook can either automate the process for you or ask you to choose a circle within a certain radius for your ads to reach.
2. Advertise Long Enough
There’s a concept in advertising known as “repetition advertising.” People tend to subconsciously believe that a certain establishment is credible if they see repeated ads coming from it.
You might have noticed how shady websites/ads show up once or twice in your feed and then completely disappear. On the other hand, quality services keep showing up again and again.
Credibility is of utmost importance for people who provide legal services like lawyers. This is why you should keep showing your ad to the same group of “correct” audience even if you don’t receive much success at first.
You should also aim for a minimum of four days per campaign. Facebook itself will hint at how ads that last more than four days are more successful.
3. Understand How Billing Works
Earlier, we mentioned credit deduction but didn’t discuss the details. Putting aside the interactive cost, which is the credit deduction whenever someone clicks on your ad or messages you, Facebook will charge you on a daily basis.
This charge will depend on your ad’s reach, duration, and frequency of appearance to the target market. You do want your ad to reach a lot of people, but you also don’t want to overspend. So, if you’re just starting, you might want to take this gradually.
Starting with $1 a day can be a decent way to get your content out there without disrupting your budget. As you start to get some feedback, you can gradually increase that amount until it becomes suitable to your current service requirements.
4. Use More Than One Ad Campaign
Many people invest all their time and money into one post/ad at a time. This isn’t a bad strategy by any means, but you can generate a lot more traffic by having at least three ads running at the same time.
Keep in mind that the point here isn’t to have three successful campaigns at the same time. While this could happen, it’s uncommon in the beginning. You’re doing this to track each of these campaigns and see which one is gaining more traction using the business suite.
That way, you can pinpoint the strategies/ideas you’ve used in that particular campaign and utilize them again for future ads.
As such, you should have different-looking campaigns when you run more than one simultaneously.
For example, you can include pictures in one and feature a video in another. You will need a different approach in the three campaigns to pinpoint what your audience likes, especially in law-related ads where getting a good hook is essential.
5. Include a CTA
Failing to include a CTA is one of the most common mistakes people make when they advertise on Facebook.
In a world where people are always looking for the easy way out, having a button to click instead of manually going through your page to utilize your services can make a huge difference.
Facebook allows you to use a “button” on your ads. This button could lead your audience to your Messenger, home page, Whatsapp, Instagram, email, and much more.
Always include a CTA to make it easier for your audience to reach you.
6. Be Creative
The playground for legal advertising is a tough one. Some lawyers choose a humorous, laid-back style in their ads, while others opt for professionally made ones.
Both paths have their audience. You can choose to do either or come up with your own idea. What’s important is that you pick a theme and stick to it.
7. Have a Catchphrase
What’s going on here? We’re lawyers with respectable careers and not some vendors trying to upsell. Why use a catchphrase?
While the word “catchphrase” often relates to phrases like “Better Call Saul,” you can always come up with a more sensible tagline that still catches people’s attention.
Having a brand phrase is a fantastic way to have people subconsciously connect your brand with a specific line. Find a phrase that is related to your legal service, and include it in your ads to have people connect your service with that phrase.
Amplify Your Legal Practice
Facebook advertising for lawyers can be a fantastic way to shed some light on your services and get noticed. As a lawyer, you can utilize Facebook’s business suite with all its tools to your advantage.
Just make sure to target the correct people in the proper circle around you. Keep the ads running to utilize repetition benefits, always include a CTA, and continue monitoring the progress of your ads to catch any room for improvement.
Please check out our blog for more information on digital marketing, and then schedule your free strategy call to get started.
