Legal Internet Marketing Blog
Recently, Hubspot hosted “The Science of Timing”, a webinar attended by almost 25,000 that discussed research conducted by Dan Zarrella, a social media “scientist” who analyzed thousands of blogs, Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, and emails to present data regarding the best practices for when and how often these communication tools should be utilized. The following is a brief look at some of the key points that were discussed during the webinar that are beneficial to law firms and other businesses looking to better market themselves online.
- Should my blog posts be tied to my tweets and Facebook status updates?
It is highly recommended that you feature your blog posts on both Twitter and Facebook so you can reach the highest number of people possible. However, that said, you need to be cautious about automatically linking your tweets to your Facebook. It’s much easier to flood the walls of the fans of your page than it is to flood their Twitter feed. This is partially due to the fact that Facebook filters users’ wall feeds based upon their preferences, so all updates and shares from friends and Likes aren’t always on their wall. With Twitter, the content of the feed is 100 percent of updates from users followed, and since many users follow hundreds of accounts, it is less likely your tweets will overtake their feed. For example, according to Zarrella’s research, the Facebook business pages that perform the best only post about every other day, so you should be very selective and careful with the pieces you highlight there.
- Is it possible to saturate your Twitter audience?
Yes, if you tweet the exact same thing. When tweeting, you can feature the same content but use different ways of promoting it. For example, if you are sharing a recent blog post on Twitter, tweet the link using the title of the post. Later on in the day, tweet about something different from the post, such as key points or an important quote, and again include the link. Make sure you spread out the content you are sharing to attempt to reach as many people as possible, since people access Twitter at different times throughout the day. Be creative and don’t tweet the same thing over and over. You shouldn’t be afraid of tweeting too much – Zarrella found that some of the most followed Twitter accounts tweet over 22 times a day.
- How do I find the balance between experimenting with timing yet remaining consistent?
It’s important to experiment with timing (when you share updates on Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.) in order for you to learn more about your audience. For example, Zarella’s research discovered that men are more likely to read blog posts at night, while blogs are more likely to be commented on over weekends. When are people more likely to read your blog posts, retweet your tweet, or like your Facebook page? Experiment to find out. However, for your audience that is already established, it can be confusing if you begin to experiment when you are sharing content if they are already used to a certain day or time.
While there is no easy solution, experimenting with timing can help you get an idea of when your audience is more likely to read and/or respond to what you are sharing, which can help you learn how to optimize your timing best.
While Zarrella presented many statistics, charts, and graphs based upon his findings, he cautioned webinar attendees to find what works for their business and their niche audience specifically. There are no concrete, fast rules to follow since social media changes constantly, but there are effective practices that can be implemented and regularly reviewed to see what’s working and what isn’t. With hard work and dedication, the results will follow. To find out more about how social networking and blogging can help your law firm get more clients, contact the legal Internet marketing team at SLS Consulting for a free growth assessment! Call 323-254-1510.