With over 232 million users, if you haven’t gotten on the Twitter train you’re missing out! Twitter can be used in numerous ways for your personal and professional life. Start by creating a Twitter account for yourself and your law firm, start following people you know, other lawyers, industry leaders, authors and organizations you enjoy.
Once you’ve established your Twitter community, start participating in the action! Twitter is a great tool for gaining industry credibility and awareness. It will also help you build your professional network and increase your client base.
We’ve outlined a few tips to maximize your Twitter use:
1. What to Say
- Share what you know- Sharing short facts and pieces of information you have to offer is a great way to reach clients. Get them to view you as a credible source and wealth of information.
- Share what you are working on- Include speaking events, webinars you are hosting, conferences you are attending, and post links to recent blogs and articles.
- Share what others are saying- Start retweeting links from industry news sources and blogs of legal tips or articles that may be helpful to your target market. If you like what people are saying, favorite it, add your opinion, or quote them.
- Be a real person- Add some personality to your Twitter feed while remaining professional. Engage with followers on a more personal level by sharing a recipe, an event you plan to attend, or a picture of your weekend hike.
2. Use Hashtags
- Find out what’s trending– Research hashtags relevant to your law practice and target market and start using them. If you are a divorce lawyer look into tagging #divorcelaw regularly.
- Add the state you practice in– This will gain the attention of your local market, #utahdivorcelaw.
- Create your own- Create a catchy hashtag and use it regularly. If you create something people can stand behind, they will support it. You can also take advantage of Twitter ads to promote the hashtag.
3. Gather Information
- Start following- Follow industry leaders, publications, and organizations that you are interested in. This will give you timely updates on news and trends about what is happening in your industry.
- See what people are saying about you- Twitter is a great tool to see what others are saying about you and your firm. It also gives you the chance to reply and fix any mistake or miscommunication that may have taken place.
- Keep up with cases and controversies- Use Twitter as a tool to get live updates from cases and debates that are getting a lot of publicity and attention.
4. Join the conversation
- Connect with people- This will help you establish a strong online network that could potentially lead to business.
- Answer questions- If someone asks a question that you feel comfortable answering, take the opportunity to interact with that person through providing information.
- Gain clients- Don’t be afraid to take your online relationship to the next level. If it is appropriate, schedule a coffee or lunch date.
5. Use Lists
- Manage your Tweets- Utilize the list tool to create groups and manage how you look at your tweets. You can make public lists for people to follow or private lists of your own.
- Subscribe to lists- Subscribe to lists involved in your local government, industry, and area of practice. This will give you live feeds of what is happening.
For ways to manage your lists visit, https://support.twitter.com/articles/76460-using-twitter-lists
Legal Author Tim Baran (@tim_baran) asked a number of lawyers how they use Twitter daily in his blog How Lawyers Use Twitter. A common theme throughout the blog is the convenience Twitter provides on the go. The case studies included in the blog post are worth reviewing. And maybe get started by following the people featured? Yes, it really is that easy.
Use Twitter on the go, with your morning coffee, or when you have down time in court. Start making it a habit and you will increase public awareness of yourself and your firm. It is a tool that will help you expand your professional network and lead to clients.
