Legal Internet Marketing Blog
Are you on Twitter? Did you know that for even the least social person in the world, Twitter is a great place to interact with other users and post links to your own work? And did you also know that, as an attorney, there are many people that may turn to your legal prowess on Twitter during their time of need? In you answered “no” to any of those questions, you’re unfortunately missing out on one of the best ways to promote your online brand, and interact with others who have already done a good job of marketing themselves.
Twitter is the world’s most recognizable micro-blogging service. In 140 characters or less, users are able to talk about anything they want, and are even allowed to post shortened URLs to web addresses that would otherwise be too long and cumbersome to include. Pictures can be posted, links to social media profiles can be shared, websites can be promoted, and links to blog articles can be automatically posted. Twitter users have “followers,” not “fans” or “friends.” Unlike Facebook, where users are likely to personally know the people whom they interact with, Twitter users generally follow individuals and companies whom they typically do not know in real life, but are interesting enough to subscribe to, nevertheless.
For law firms and attorneys, having a presence on Twitter can only be beneficial. Not only does it allow for a forum to address client questions, concerns, and complaints, but it also allows companies to post links to photos, videos, blog articles, and other interesting web pages. For Twitter users who establish themselves as authorities in their respective fields of law, priority ranking amongst search results can be another benefit. That is, Twitter accounts that are recognized as authoritative, and that have a fair amount of “real” followers, are awarded by search engines, such as Google, and are often highlighted in search results. Obviously, if an account benefits from this search engine boost, so will all links that the account Tweets about.
Bottom line, it’s good to Tweet. While it may seem as though no one is listening to what you’re saying via Twitter, gaining followers is a good indication that people are listening. How do you gain followers? Be interesting, be informative, and be yourself. People want to follow people and companies that are real, those who are clearly willing to interact with others and engage in discussion. Remember, if you’re just posting links, and not doing much else, the whole social component of this social networking site is lost. Talk to people, like you would bumping into them on the street, direct them back to your brand, and you’ll be followed in no time.
Using social media can seem overwhelming at first, but the team at SLS Consulting helps guide lawyers in the right direction. We utilize the latest in social networking, web development, and blogging to help our clients establish and maintain a strong web presence. Call us today at 323-254-1510 for a free growth assessment.