Twitter tips for law firms

Your presence on Twitter is essential for a comprehensive online marketing strategy. In this third post of Social Media series, I will give you some tips to utilise Twitter to generate business and to market your legal practice. If you are not already on Twitter, do not worry, it is never too late to start on any social media channel.

• Set up a profile picture. You are not a white egg on a solid coloured background. Twitter recommends a profile picture of 400x400pixels with a maximum size of 2MB.

• Adding relevant hashtags in Bio will increase the likelihood of your profile appearing in search results for relevant searches.

• Align your Twitter voice with the values of your firm. This is essential to build a consistent reputation across different channels.

• Share links to articles, blog posts and publications with catchy headlines. For example: If you have published a blog post on best practices for contract drafting. The headline – “Are you aware of all these best practices of contract drafting?” is much more likely to grab attention, than the headline- “Read our new post on best practices for contract drafting.”

• Just like all other social media platforms, visual content on Twitter can significantly increase the engagement. Tweet pictures on receiving a prestigious award or a picture with your team while attending an event or having lunch off-site.

• Use Twitter’s search functionality to keep abreast of the breaking news and latest developments in your core practice areas. Share opinion on the same, using relevant hashtags.

• We recommend a tweet frequency between 5- 10 tweets per day. You should tweet evenly throughout the day; multiple tweets at the same time look like spamming. Use applications such as HootSuite to schedule the tweets in advance and save time. However, engaging with your Followers in real time through Replies, Retweets and Likes cannot be substituted.

• Read the contents of a link in a tweet thoroughly before Retweeting.

• Use Like generously. However, do not use it to seek attention.You can also use Like as a bookmark-tool for interesting conversations.

• Participate in Twitter chats and discussions. Answer basic legal queries from followers. The best method to gain Followers is to contribute and engage regularly.

• Do not send a template tweet thanking every person for following you. Use a personalized tweet or a direct message to thank the important new followers.

• List is an excellent tool to organize your Twitter account. Create a List for your top clients by revenue. Similarly, create separate Lists for potential clients, staff members and thought leaders. Schedule a time each day to quickly review these Lists. The default setting for a List is set to public (anyone can subscribe or view the list). Do not forget to mark Lists as Private.

• Twitter is an excellent networking tool. A simple Mention can start a meaningful conversation. Utilize it to connect with thought leaders and take that conversation offline to establish a real world relationship.

• Use the official hashtag of a conference to interact with attendees and speakers before and after attending a conference.

• Do not use Twitter just as a broadcast channel for your law firm’s news or press releases. Utilize it as a channel to exhibit your human side.

• Request all the staff members to follow the firm’s handle through their personal profiles and ask them to Retweet important updates.

Did you find some helpful tips in this post?

Let me know in the comments.