When it comes to social media, law firms tend to take a different approach to other industries. Most law firms have a Facebook page. Most will have some presence on LinkedIn. Some will have an Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest. However, Twitter for Law firms is an unexplored territory. Although some law firms will have an account, it will seldom be active compared to other channels. With Twitter often regarded as a ‘less professional’ and more personal social media platform, it’s perhaps not a surprise that some law firms don’t dip their feet in.
However, there is a strong argument to suggest they should at least explore it. Twitter for law firms forms a useful connection to break down the traditional barriers of law. The character limits mean that detailed jargon must be condensed into short bursts. The more personal feeling of the platform can give reassurance and credibility too. Consequently, it can actually assist law firms in developing a bespoke and unique client experience. This methodology also serves as a potential unique selling point to help law firms differentiate themselves.
Getting Started with Twitter
To get the most out of Twitter, legal services need clear goals and targets. Twitter, unlike PPC, is not a strategy for quick-wins. It is a slow-burner to help build up credibility and reputation. Law firms should not get disheartened if they don’t immediately start generating fee-paying clients. Instead, they should focus on ensuring their profile answers the following questions:
- What network are you looking to build up? Some law firms will just want to dip in and out of Twitter, whilst others will want a sustained presence.
- Who do you expect to influence and how do you want to influence them? Small and medium law firms will find it easier to engage in local important community matters and points of interest. Alternatively, a managing partner could look to demonstrate expertise and build a reputation in a specific field.
- What are you going to tweet? The most valuable content will add insight to your followers and encourage them to engage.
Building a Following
Twitter for law firms doesn’t mean a rapid-fire burst of tweets immediately. To build up credibility, establish a bank of followers. Join in about relevant topics, people of interest and other local groups, and follow them.
Most of the time, it’s easy to get a follow-back. Law firms can speed up this process even more, though. Make sure to monitor your account. Engage with other tweets to spark up useful conversations.
Try and keep your account clean where possible. Huge swathes of bots might inflate your numbers, but they will offer minimal engagement and can actually be quite harmful if they start spamming irrelevant or unnecessary content. Third-party tools do exist that can help weed out suspicious or fake followers and automatically block or unfollow them.
Tweeting Effectively
Law firms that already have a strong body of content are in the best place to tweet effectively. Sharing internal news, updates, publications and events is a great way to spread your brand message.
Twitter for law firms is not the same as LinkedIn or Facebook, though. Lawyers need to be sharp and concise due to the 280 character limit. Different versions of similar tweets are okay, provided that they always add value. In deciding your firm’s voice, consider what style you take. A more traditional law firm may want to be formal and eloquent. A modern firm with a younger audience demographic could use allegories to share messages. Above all, don’t give the game away. Your tweets should be deliberately thought-provoking to encourage clicks to your content and your website.
Some other useful points to remember:
- Tweet regularly but don’t overdo it. One quality tweet a day is more effective than a flood of vague or uninspiring tweets.
- Remember client confidentiality. Casual tweeting could be problematic.
- Hashtags (#) help with getting your tweets shown. Only use a maximum of 3 and ensure they are relevant to the topic.
Managing Twitter for Law Firms
There is one elephant in the room. Managing an effective Twitter account takes time. Law firms notoriously do not have this! One option is to outsource services to a dedicated digital marketing firm. However, if law firms want to keep it internal, there are some helpful shortcuts.
Tools like Hootsuite can help law firms schedule tweets in advance. This means that lawyers can target their content for the best time in the day for their audiences to see it. Usually, this is early evening after their practises close. Alternatively, if legislative changes are known, tweets can be timed to engage directly and demystify these concepts.
Also, keep one eye on who starts to follow your account. Relevant individuals with influence will be well worth following back. It can help you develop strong mutual relationships too. Twitter’s ‘Communities’ service can also help if you have a core base of clients and you want to regularly be able to specifically communicate content and information to them.
The final key thing to remember is to limit the amount of self-promotion. Constantly badgering people to follow and engage with your law firm will only result in people unfollowing and blocking your account! Twitter for law firms does include some paid advertising options, so it may be worth exploring these to spread your message on a mass scale.
Twitter for Law Firms: Final Thoughts
Using Twitter for law firms may not be an obvious strategy, but it can actually be extremely effective. It offers a chance to stay up to date with key influencers, sources of reference and legislative changes. More importantly, it also helps to humanise law firms, which is something traditionally they have struggled with.
However, an effective Twitter strategy for law firms does take time to get right. A firm commitment to building and sustaining engagement is the only way law firms can develop a strong presence on the platform.
For more advice on Twitter for law firms, and other digital marketing opportunities for your law firm, get in touch with Boss Digital today.
