Dec 27, 2022
5 mins read
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, having a website was unusual for immigration law firms. In today’s digital-first world, however, having a strong online presence for your immigration law firm is crucial. But is just having a website good enough going into 2023?
From a strong and trustworthy social media presence to audio and video content and more, law firms should go beyond their website and work on having a broader virtual presence. This article will dive into some of the more common ways you can build an online presence for your immigration law firm.
While there are many ways to establish an online presence outside of your website, we’ve outlined four of the most common ones below. A broader presence online as an immigration lawyer will allow you to communicate with your target audience in more ways, so let’s get into it.
Consistently creating content for and sharing it on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others is one of the best ways to build your online content portfolio. By sharing immigration information, client wins, behind-the-scenes clips, and more through social media, you show prospective clients multiple sides of you and your business, which garners trust and which may turn into opportunities and new business. Indeed, according to responses to the American Bar Association’s 2021 Website and Marketing survey, 88% of law firms surveyed have social media for professional purposes and, out of this number, 52% of which use social media for client development.
If you’re not using social media to reach out to your ideal clients yet, but you want to start, it’s actually easier to get started than you think. Don’t worry about creating perfect-looking content either - instead, focus on being as helpful as you can with what you’re sharing, with the end goal of helping as many people as possible. The rest will follow.
Hosting your podcast allows you to continue to establish yourself as an immigration law expert, expand your professional network, and share resources with your clients and network in general. For example, if you specialize in investor visas, you can interview former investor visa holders, immigration business plan experts, a guest lawyer to discuss applicable law with you, and more.
Because you are quite literally in your listener’s ear, it helps you become more relatable and trustworthy. When a listener hears you consistently sharing information, interviewing guests and so on, they become accustomed to your voice and begin to associate that voice with value and knowledge. It’s not a very long line from there to converting that listener into a client, colleague, partner or simply a referral source.
And if you haven't considered starting an immigration law podcast but would like to learn more, check out our articles on how to get started with a podcast and the tech tools you need to deliver a high-quality podcast.
Sharing video content with your online audience lets you break down more complex legal concepts, share relevant news with your audience, and present your personality in the most human way possible short of being in front of them in real life. Whether short-form video content such as TikTok posts, Instagram reels or YouTube Shorts or long-form video content like traditional YouTube and other videos, this kind of content can help you build trust with your audience. Indeed, because most social media platforms have some form of video sharing capabilities, once you decide what social media platform you want to use you can start creating and sharing videos there.
And while this article won’t go into how to create video content, rest assured that getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out some of our earlier blogs on how to create short-form videos or long-form videos, and remember, all you need is your smartphone to get started!
Being featured in traditional online media, like a mainstream online magazine or blog, on someone else’s podcast, in someone else’s blog, etc., can expand your scope of influence and put you in front of new potential clients. Whether you’re being quoted in a Forbes article after the passage of a new immigration regulation, answering questions about a family-based visa category on a podcast or guest-writing an immigration blog post, the goal of getting featured in someone else’s online media is to have someone else vouch for your knowledge and experience by featuring you and your content.
In a recent article about how to land speaking opportunities in conferences, podcasts, and more, we talked about how being interviewed, featured, or quoted in a media platform someone else hosts or owns is a way to establish credibility and become known outside of your network. See that blog to learn more!
Immigration lawyers are leaning more and more into creating digital content to build their brand and engage their ideal clients. As they grow that brand, and as their law firm grows with it, they’re turning to Docketwise, the most used immigration case management software in the market.
At Docketwise, we’ve built an immigration case management, forms management, and CRM platform that suits law firms of all shapes and sizes. We focus on building features for all client types and integrating Docketwise with as many platforms as possible to help you streamline your work.
If you’re new to Docketwise and want to see if it’s a good fit for your firm, schedule a demo on our website today.
If you’re an existing Docketwise client, thank you for preferring us for your immigration case management needs!
