As of the third quarter of 2016, Facebook boasts 1.49 billion monthly active users and, during this time, 1.18 billion active users visited the social media network on a daily basis, according to Statista. Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, which means it should be an integral part of any law firm or solo practitioner’s advertising strategy, as it allows you to connect with clients or prospects in a way not seen with traditional advertising strategies.

Less Competition

Although there are 50 million active small business pages on Facebook, only five percent (2.5 million) of these businesses utilize their pages to actively advertise. Many businesses, including law firms and solo practitioners, have yet to tap into the advertising potential that Facebook has to offer. With less fish in the marketing pond, so to speak, law firms and solo practitioners have a greater potential to be noticed than if they were in the very competitive and concentrated local television advertising market.

Less Time

If you’ve ever run a local television ad, then you know what a time-consuming process it is from start to finish. It can take anywhere from weeks to months to write a script, research TV ad spots, shoot and edit the commercial and schedule the appropriate ad times. Facebook cuts this process down to days and enables your firm or practice to have your ad running within minutes upon approval. Even if a law firm chooses to run a video ad, including a 30- or 60-second commercial, it will still be a quicker process, as opposed to television. Facebook video ads automatically optimize for the device on which it is viewed (i.e. desktop, tablet or mobile phone), and Facebook also provides free closed captioning to your videos so viewers in a noisy or professional environment can watch it with the sound off and still receive your message.

More Control

Target Demographics

Unlike print or television advertising, Facebook allows you greater control of your ad’s target demographics. You can target your ad through the following ways:

• Age
• Gender
• Language
• Location – includes countries, states, provinces, cities, congressional districts, zip codes, or specific addresses
• Education – includes education level, fields of study, schools and the years in undergraduate school
• Interests – includes specific interests (such as elder law, criminal justice, immigration law, etc.)
• Behaviors – includes purchase behaviors or intents, device usage, etc.
• Connections – audience based on whether they are connected to your business page. You can target an audience based on a particular type of business page they have liked.

Call to Action

Facebook advertisers can input a call to action button below a video ad. That call to action can include a “learn more,” “sign up,” “download,” “apply now,” or “subscribe” button option. Upon clicking on this call to action, Facebook users can be directed anywhere on or off Facebook, such as your website, where someone can opt to fill in a contact form to request more information.

Set a Budget

Unlike TV ads, advertising on Facebook does not require you to sign any contracts besides accepting their own terms and conditions. Facebook advertisers can exercise more control over their daily, weekly, or monthly budgets by spending as little or as much as they want. Facebook advertisers also have the freedom to shut the ad on and off, or make certain creative adjustments as often as they’d like.

PR4Lawyers is a full-service public relations and marketing organization dedicated to helping law firms and lawyers target and connect with their potential and current clients and colleagues. Our New York advertising professionals specialize in the creation and sustainability of all forms of digital advertising, including social media and search engine advertising. For more information about how you can effectively advertise to grow your law practice, call 1-866-PR4Lawyers or fill out our contact form to request a direct call.