On Social Media, “Justice” is the 2018 Word of the Year

Sometimes public discourse and the media hand law firms a marketing opportunity. This is one of those times.

According to CNN, U.S. publishing company Merriam-Webster just announced that “justice” is the 2018 Word of the Year, after the word experienced a 74 percent spike in online lookups compared with 2017.

“Justice” was among the most-consulted words on the Merriam-Webster website throughout the year, the company said, and saw jumps in search volume in the wake of numerous news stories.

“The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice,” Merriam-Webster said when explaining its choice. “In any conversation about these topics, the question of just what exactly we mean when we use the term justice is relevant, and part of the discussion.”

“Justice” is high in the minds of U.S. citizens, which means they are thinking about laws and attorneys and potentially you.  Everything from the Robert Mueller Russia investigation to the debate over the constitutionality of Obamacare to the fall from grace of high-profile sexual harassers has citizens looking up information and trying to learn more about the U.S. justice system and how laws and courtrooms work.

While “justice” is topping the collective consciousness of U.S. citizens, it may make sense to write a law firm blog about “justice” or host a coffee house chat for students and teachers to discuss what “justice” means in today’s society.  Sometimes the best marketing opportunities are those that offer you the chance to lead conversations and answer other people’s questions about the judicial system.

Also, why not call the local television and radio stations, as well as local newspapers, and offer yourself as an available subject-matter expert about “justice” should they ever need to interview an attorney about legal events in the news.  They may even invite you onto a broadcast program or podcast to discuss justice and current events.

Keep in mind that sometimes journalists not only need answers, but they may need help formulating the questions about a particular news topic, and this is where a trusted subject-matter expert becomes valuable.

While participating in such interviews or podcasts may not directly attract clients needing your particular legal services, it does raise your firm’s visibility and brand equity among readers, viewers and listeners.

So go ahead, put yourself out there and if you’re ready to take a bigger marketing step, Gladiator is here to help.