When, in a historic ruling in 1986, the Law Society of England and Wales first permitted lawyers to advertise, no-one could have predicted the advent of social media and its impact on our lives. Today it barely seems imaginable that once there was a world without Facebook – and how would Donald Trump communicate without Twitter?
Although these and other platforms are widely used for purely social reasons, the business opportunities that they provide are now well established. As we’ve covered in a separate article ‘Can Facebook convert users into clients for Law Firms?’, the reach of social media platforms is enormous – and, used correctly, they should now be considered as pivotal elements of a marketing awareness strategy.
Let’s turn our attention to Twitter, where you have what might be described as a “profile” which is based upon your posts or “tweets” that are read by your followers. Therefore to get the most out of Twitter you need to maximise not just the quantity but the quality of the followers that you have. Tweets can contain a maximum of 140 characters, which forces you to be brief, impactful, and to the point. You can use photos and images, and also URL shorteners such as bit.ly and t.co to squeeze in more information.
So what is the reach of Twitter? Adweek reveals that the platform has around 320 million “Monthly Active Users” – not as many as the colossus that is Facebook, but not an inconsiderable number either. Furthermore, there are around 1 billion visits each month to websites with embedded tweets and 500 million tweets sent a day– so it seems to make absolute business sense to try and get in on the act.
66% of Twitter users have discovered a new business on the platform
94% plan to buy from one of those businesses
69% have already bought from a business because of Twitter
The key selling point of Twitter for solicitors and barristers is that you can, if you wish, have a very personal and “real time” dialogue with your clients and potential clients. It’s about building trust, which as we know is a “must have” for anyone offering legal services.
You begin by describing yourself and your specialism, remembering to adopt a “human face” that is approachable and engaging. On a continuing basis, you’ll tweet relevant and high-quality content so that you become known as an important source of legal information. This will drive additional followers, and if your content is considered sufficiently good then it will be “re-tweeted”, leading to even more followers.
Your goal is to be a “trusted advisor” on Twitter, where you are seen as one of the sources of information not to be missed. Your reputation will grow if you post regular high-quality tweets and if you’re responsive. You may wish to consider using Twitter Ads too. There’s a lot of intelligence behind what appears to be a very simple platform – the trick is to know how to harness it.
Twitter is an immensely powerful tool and will help you to:
- engage with your clients
- observe your competition
- stay in touch with your referral sources
- nurture relationships with the media and professional bodies
- enhance your reputation
- build your client base
The next step
I am currently offering a FREE 15-minute telephone consultation where I will review your current Twitter activity with you. Together, we will begin to identify ways that you can increase your professional visibility via this platform. More intensive consultation and advice, tailored to your individual needs, is available thereafter, in addition to my Social Media Management packages.
If you would like to discuss how we can help you with promotion and marketing ring us on 0118 380 5980, email us at enquiries@orionlegalmarketing.co.uk or fill in our CONTACT FORM. We’ll be happy to offer you an initial free consultation to discuss your needs and the strategy that would best suit your legal practice.
