Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
Serve First, Sell Later Marketing
#44 Top Social Media Mistakes Professionals Make (And How to Fix Them)
In this episode of the Serve First, Sell Later Marketing podcast, host Sylvia Garibaldi dives into six critical mistakes legal and financial professionals make on social media and offers practical solutions to avoid them. Sylvia explains how social media can be a powerful tool for growing your practice—if used correctly. From inconsistent posting to overpromotion, she shares simple strategies to improve your online presence, engage your audience, and build trust with potential clients.
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Key Takeaways:
- Jumping into social media without a clear plan can hurt your practice.
- Consistency is key. Set up a regular posting schedule to stay visible and reliable.
- Avoid over promoting.
- Engagement is a two-way street.
- Track your analytics to understand what works and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Show your personality.
Episode Chapters:
- 01:33 Common social media mistakes and their fixes.
- 04:09 Diving into social media without a plan.
- 06:26 Inconsistent posting and how to fix it.
- 10:52 Overpromotion and why balance is key.
- 13:51 Ignoring engagement with your audience.
- 16:20 Neglecting analytics and the importance of tracking performance.
- 19:05 Using an overly formal or impersonal tone.
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00:00 - Sylvia (Host)
Hello everyone, and welcome back to episode 44 of the Serve First, sell Later marketing podcast.
01:33
Today, I want to talk about something really important for lawyers, mediators and divorce professionals, and that's what common mistakes you might be making on social media and how to avoid these mistakes. And, quite frankly, these are mistakes that I have made many times over and over the years, I have seen how professionals have made these mistakes as well, but how they continue to make these mistakes, and so there are six fundamental mistakes that I'm seeing with the professionals in the field, and so in this episode, I want to really tackle each of these social media issues and how you can avoid them, because we know that social media is a very key tool for professionals, and it's not just for sharing personal stories anymore. It's really a great way to build your brand and connect with potential clients. So think about this when someone needs your help, they usually start by searching you online. They may look at your social media profiles. Your social media profiles are often among the first things that they're looking at, and it sort of acts like a business card that's always available if that makes sense. So here's the catch Many professionals are making some common mistakes on social media that can actually hurt their practice, but the good news is that these mistakes can be fixed, and that's exactly what I want to focus in on in today's episode.
03:03
So we're going to look at some of the biggest social media blunders that professionals make every day, and we're going to talk about things like not posting regularly, which can make your profile look abandoned, and over promoting yourself, which can really turn people off. So we'll also talk about why it's important to engage with your followers and how to do it well. But I won't just point out what you should avoid For each mistake. I'm going to share simple solutions to help you improve your social media presence without making it feel too overwhelming. It's all about simplifying the process, and so my goal is to give you practical tips so that you can use social media to connect with clients and grow your practice, and I think by the end of our chat, you'll have a clear plan for making your social media work better for you, and you'll also learn how to engage with your audience, show off your expertise and really build that trust online. Show off your expertise and really build that trust online. So let's dive in.
04:09
So mistake number one, mistake number one is really just jumping into social media without a game plan. So it's almost like baking a cake but without a recipe, and you might end up with something, but it probably won't be what you wanted. So what is the key mistake here? And I think it's just diving into social media without a clear plan. Now you might be saying to yourself I'll just post when I have time or I'll share whatever comes to mind, and I think that that approach rarely works well, and so the way to fix it is to really develop a comprehensive social media strategy, and when I say comprehensive, I don't mean overcomplicating it, just keeping it simple. So where I would start first is define your goals and target audience. So you need to ask yourself what do you want to achieve with social media? Maybe you want to attract more clients, or perhaps you want to establish yourself as an expert in a specific area of expertise, and who are you trying to reach? So I want you to think about that.
05:13
Next, create a content calendar, and this is just a fancy way of saying a plan of when you're going to post and what you're going to post, and it really just helps you to stay consistent and ensures that you're covering all the important topics that you want to share. And I think the other important thing to do is to set measurable objectives, and this means deciding on specific achievable goals. So, for example, you might aim to gain 100 new followers in a month. Or you may say I want to increase engagement on my posts by 20%. So remember that your social media strategy doesn't have to be perfect from the get-go. The key is to have a plan. Have a plan that you stick to and just adjust it as you learn and as you go and see what works best for you and your audience. And by taking these steps, you'll transform your social media presence from some random posts to a really powerful tool for growing your practice and you'll be so much more focused, more consistent and more effective in reaching and engaging with potential clients, and more effective in reaching and engaging with potential clients.
06:26
So mistake number two that we see a lot is inconsistent posting, and this is like starting a conversation with someone and then just walking away mid-sentence. Not cool, right? So what's the mistake? It's when you update your social media sporadically or infrequently and maybe you post three times, or maybe you post nothing at all, or you share something whenever you remember, which might be once in a blue moon. So here is the problem with this this kind of irregular posting can make your followers forget about you. Even worse, it might make potential clients think you're not reliable or committed. So what's the best way to fix that? Well, the solution is to establish really just a consistent posting schedule. Think of it as setting up regular coffee dates with your social media audience. Right, think about it like I've got to show up, they're waiting, they're interested, so let me get my social media up there.
07:29
So for platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, really try to aim for three posts per week to start Now. That may be overwhelming for some of you and maybe the best place to start is just posting once a week regularly. Whatever you can commit to stick with that. First, I'm more concerned about consistency than how many times a week you're posting. Ideally, over time, you're going to want to build up to five posts a week, and that could take you a very long time to do if you're not consistently posting now. But that's okay. Start where you are now.
08:07
So I think this really keeps you visible without overwhelming your followers when you post consistently, and it's enough to stay on their radar, which is exactly what you want to be doing, but not so much that they're tired of reading your posts, and the posts have to be valuable. It's got to be something that they're interested in reading your posts, and the posts have to be valuable. It's got to be something that that they're interested in, that actually addresses their pain points. So you may be struggling with the thought that you're too busy. How can I find time to post regularly? And I think that's where some scheduling tools come in handy, and these are like your personal social media assistants. So some key options that you have is you know, for example, linkedin and Facebook and Instagram. They have built-in scheduling tools that you don't even need any other kind of social media scheduling tool. You can use exactly what's on the platform. If you want to keep it simple and I'm talking simple because there are other robust type of social media schedulers I'm not going to get into that in this particular episode.
09:06
So the key thing here is find whatever works for you and stick with it. Set aside same time each week to plan and to schedule your posts. So ideally, you want to be posting on the same day and at the same time every week, so that people come to expect when they will be able to learn from you, and this ensures a steady stream of content without having to think about it consistently or having to over obsess about what you're going to be talking about and when. So, remember, consistency is key in social media and it really just shows your audience that you're reliable, that you're engaged and that you're committed to providing value. And I think this is a really essential point that I've just made that when you can do this and you can post regularly, whether it's once a week or five times a week so when you are posting consistently, same time, same day every week, it shows your audience that you are reliable, that you are committed to providing value. Let that sink in for a moment. Plus, it also helps keep you top of mind when someone needs your professional services, and we help so many of our clients write their social media content strategy. We write their social media posts, and so if you're ever feeling too overwhelmed about writing your own social media, feel free to send us a message and we will get back to you and set up a time to chat further about what this social media strategy could look like for you, because we write specifically for lawyers, mediators and divorce professionals and some other related fields as well, but mainly in those areas.
10:52
All right, let's look at mistake number three, and this one is a common social media misstep, and that's overpromotion. So what do I mean by that? This is like being that person at a party who only talks about themselves. You know who I'm talking about, right? So what's the mistake? It's when you use your social media accounts for excessive self-promotion and advertising. And boy oh boy, do I see a lot of this when we do social media audits for professionals. So it's those kind of profiles that just talk about themselves and their service without addressing the pain points, and it totally screams hire me, check out my services, please. I'm the best professional out there. So, as you can imagine, that's a real turnoff for the reader, right? So here's the thing While it's important to promote your services, too much self-promotion can actually drive people away.
11:48
Your followers want to see value, not just advertisements for your services. Okay, I hope this is resonating with you. So what is the best way to fix this? And I think the solution is simple but powerful, and I don't want to overcomplicate this, but if you just think the solution is simple but powerful, and I don't want to overcomplicate this, but if you just think about the 80-20 rule and so this is how it works you aim for 80% of your content to be informative or educational and the other 20% to be promotional.
12:16
So let's break this down. What would this look like? So the 80% educational content you could be sharing tips and advice. You can explain recent changes in your industry and how it actually impacts your clients and maybe your referral partners as well. You can discuss interesting cases you know, without breaching confidentiality, of course, but sharing interesting cases and what you've learned from these cases. You can share helpful resources for your followers. So these are some examples For that other 20% content you can highlight a service that you offer or a solution that you provide.
12:53
You can share client success stories. These are really important. You can announce maybe a new team member. Perhaps you're speaking on a webinar. Maybe a new team member. Perhaps you're speaking on a webinar. Maybe you're speaking on a stage for a large group or association. Think about this how you can best promote you and your services, and I think the beauty of this approach is that it positions you as a helpful expert, not just someone who's trying to sell their services, and you're building trust and demonstrating your knowledge here, which really makes people more likely to turn to you when they need legal help. So social media is really about building relationships. So by providing valuable content, most of the time, you earn the right to promote yourself as well. Okay, so it's that balance that people are looking for. Okay, mistake number four Another big social media blunder is ignoring engagement.
13:51
So this is like inviting people to your party and then not talking to anyone who shows up Not really the right thing to do, right? So how do we correct this? So when you don't respond to comments or direct messages on your social media accounts, that's a mistake. You need to be posting regularly, but you also need to be interacting with your followers, because if you're not doing this, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. And why this matters is because social media is supposed to be social right. So when people reach out to you, they're looking for a connection.
14:28
Try to engage actively with your audience. Think of it as having a friendly conversation at a networking event, and the best way to do this is to try to respond promptly to any comments or messages on your posts. You don't need to be glued to your screen, but try to check in regularly and reply within a couple of hours or sooner if you can. And if you can't manage that, try to respond within the day, and a quick thanks for your comment or a thoughtful response can go a really long way. And I think you also need to look at encouraging discussions and asking questions. So don't just post and run right. So try ending your posts with a question like what do you think about this or have you ever experienced something similar to this? And then you can ask questions. And I think questions like this they just invite your followers to share their thoughts and experiences.
15:21
So remember, engagement is a two-way street. When you interact with your followers, you're not just being polite, you're really starting to build a relationship, showing that you care about your audience, and you're really demonstrating your expertise strategies. Plus, the more you engage, the more likely your content is going to be seen by others, and social media algorithms absolutely love posts with lots of comments and interactions. That's why we encourage our clients all the time to make sure that they're active on there, that they're starting a conversation, because we know that the algorithms will favor that. In fact, you know that's super important and is something that a lot of professionals. They just kind of post and ghost, if you will, and I know it takes a little bit more time, but these relationships are important and it really helps you to build new clients, referrals and a stronger online presence.
16:20
So number five is a mistake that can really hold you back and that's neglecting analytics. So this is like really just trying to navigate a city without a map or a GPS, and you might get somewhere, but you're probably just taking the long way around it, right? So how do we improve this? And I think the mistake here, first off, is it's failing to track and analyze your social media performance. So you might be posting regularly and engaging with followers, but if you're not looking at the data behind your efforts, you're missing out on valuable insights. So here's why this really matters. I believe that analytics really tells you what's working and what's not working. So without them, you're just guessing about what your audience likes and what content is actually helping your practice. So how do we fix this? And I think the solution is to regularly review your analytics. Don't worry, you don't have to be a data scientist here, but just think of it as checking your social media report card, and here's the best way to do this.
17:25
You want to monitor your engagement rates, and this could be looking at likes, comments, shares, clicks on your posts, and so high engagement really just means your content is resonating with your audience, but there's so much more to just that. So keep an eye on your reach, keep an eye on your impressions. This really tells you how many people are seeing your posts, and if your reach is low, then it's time to adjust your posting strategy or the type of content that you're sharing. So I want you to track your follower growth Are you gaining new followers, are you losing them? And also look at how your actual posts are performing in terms of analytics. So you want to look at the overall strategy, and most social media platforms have these built-in analytics and you don't really have to look any further Facebook, instagram, Twitter they all have analytics. Linkedin has analytics, and these are really great places to start. But I think the crucial part here is use these analytics to adjust your strategy. We always want to tweak and change things as we go along, so if you see that your how-to posts get more engagement than your news updates, for example, then maybe focus on creating more of these how-to posts, which are your educational content posts. If your video posts reach more people than your text posts, then consider using more videos, right? So the goal here isn't just to collect data. I think that's the point I'm trying to make here. It's to use that data to improve your social media performance.
19:05
So let's talk about a mistake that can make your social media sound very dry or lacking personality, and this is social media mistake number six, and it is really common with legal and financial professionals. So it's really just using an overly formal or impersonal tone in your social media posts. You might think that sounding super professional is important all the time, but it can actually make your brand feel a bit cold and unapproachable. So here's why it matters. People want to connect with other people, not faceless corporations, so people are looking for professionals that they can relate to and trust, and so it's going to be really important to humanize your brand, and the best way to do that is you can start off by sharing some behind the scenes content, maybe giving your followers a peek into the day-to-day life at the office. Maybe it's a photo of you brainstorming or giving a talk about some of the key elements that people need to consider when going through a divorce. It's really just showing the human side of your practice.
20:14
But, more importantly, you need to make sure you're using conversational tone in your posts. You don't want to start using slang or emojis. Of course you want it to sound professional, but you also want it to sound conversational, like you're talking to a friend, and so it needs to be in plain language and no legal jargon. You've got to really simplify it. So remember, being professional doesn't mean being boring or impersonal. You can still maintain your expertise and authority, but you need to show your personality. So think of it this way If a potential client is choosing between two equally qualified lawyers, they're likely to go to the one that they feel they can connect with on a personal level. So think about how you can interact with your audience. That represents you authentically. It really speaks the language of your client.
21:06
So here's a final thought on the six common social media mistakes that we've discussed and that we see every day when we work with professionals. So I think it's super easy to fall into these traps. So I think it's super easy to fall into these traps, but with a little awareness and action, you can really turn things around. So remember, every post is an opportunity to connect, to engage and to really build trust with your audience. So avoid jumping in without a plan.
21:33
Keep your posting very consistent, balance promotion with valuable content and engage with your followers. Track your performance and, most importantly, let your personality shine through. And I think these small adjustments can make a huge difference. It just starts with taking step number one taking action. So the key takeaway here is social media isn't just another task on your to-do list. It's really a powerful tool for growth and I think by avoiding these mistakes, you're not just improving your online presence. You're actually positioning yourself as the leader in your field and you're attracting the right clients and you're showing them that you are a trusted professional that they need. So take this as your motivation to make the changes stay consistent and watch your online presence transform. You've got this, so thank you for tuning in today and I can't wait to see how you implement these strategies. Keep pushing forward and keep taking action.