The brief
A quick overview on the firm: Shoosmiths is a top 20 law firm, supporting clients across the UK and internationally.
1,500+ members of staff, 14 offices… it’s a big business. But it was a business that had yet to employ a dedicated social media specialist.
That’s where I came in.
Hired in February 2021 as social media lead, the brief was to raise the profile of the firm through the strategic use of social media, as part of the business development team, with a focus on LinkedIn.
The business had previously focused its external efforts on PR and communications, producing news stories and blog posts for its website and then using LinkedIn to point to them using stock imagery – a common approach for many B2B organisations and law firms specifically.
It’s an approach that had seen the firm pick up a respectable 22,000 followers on LinkedIn. But the potential was there for more. A lot more.
Success at a glance
The work
One of the first things that stood out when joining the firm was the desire for social media content.
But it needed a strategy, not a scattergun. So, that was first – understanding what we were trying to achieve, what we wanted to be known for, and who we were trying to speak to.
The content plan looked at what content we had the capability of producing, what content would resonate with our target audience, how we wanted the firm to look and feel on social, and how our employees could come to life as advocates.
Then it was time for action, delivering organic social media management, covering:
- Strategy
- Content creation
- Day-to-day management
- Employee advocacy programme
- Comment and inbox management
- Monthly, quarterly, yearly analysis
Quality over quantity
More content doesn’t equal more views or engagements – my guidance for LinkedIn is one post a day, max.
The firm had been posting two, three, sometimes even four times per day.
So, to reduce the output, we defined what the business’ social media content was, and came up with a framework that every post went through before it was published.
This meant the firm would position itself as the law firm it wanted to be, controlling the narrative on social media, and producing social content that our audience cared about.
It also meant we were able to focus on quality over quantity, maximising the potential of all content that was created by giving it time to breath and do its thing.
↳ The result: A decrease in posts by 43% to ~400 per year, while increasing followers, views, and engagements.
Social-first content
Remember the blogs and press releases? You know, that common B2B approach to social media → link back to website, always!
Well, that approach shifted. Those blogs and press releases were still published – but the way they were distributed was transformed.
They became branded carousels on LinkedIn, with key quotes and images; podcasts, bitesize videos, long-form text posts…
The content was repurposed from the website and came alive on social media.
↳ The result: A branded, social-first feed which picked up an average of ~15k engagements and clicks every month.
The diversification of content also meant we could expand seamlessly from LinkedIn onto Instagram – a visually led platform.
And so, the firm’s Instagram channel was launched.
Employee advocacy
A business’ employees are the vehicles on LinkedIn that can drive eyes and ears to the company page.
Think about it: People follow brands on LinkedIn, but they engage with the people behind those brands.
And the firm had 1,200 employees ready to be activated.
That’s where the employee advocacy programme came into play – which is, put simply, empowering your employees to be active on social media.
A social media policy, training and guidelines, bespoke content production for your employees to publish. And more.
I wrote a detailed blog about how to introduce an employee advocacy programme → click here to read it.
As part of the programme, I held 50+ presentations, workshops and drop-ins to support 300+ employees with making the most out of LinkedIn.
↳ The result: The firm reached a high of seventh in the world for the most active legal professionals on LinkedIn, with 21.1% of employees posting per month (industry average: 11%).
"The impact Ryan had on the firm's social media has been transformative. Put simply; he is a magician at work - not only in the way he reuses content in a slick and digestible social format but also in the way he is proactive about creating new content, with strategy in mind, always. Aside from the content creation, posting and inevitable soaring engagement, Ryan is also a master at de-bunking social myths and training up all those who require it in a way that leaves those learning wanting to engage. Ryan is also totally on top of changes in the social media environment such as algorithm changes."
Kara Shadbolt
Senior PR & Communications Manager
Shoosmiths
