For firms just starting out or looking to grow their Twitter following, it is always best to start with a plan and a set of goals that align with the firm’s big picture strategic plan and other digital marketing initiatives. The easiest way to get active on Twitter is by leveraging the activities the firm is already doing. The plan should set some rules and parameters, based on careful consideration, of what is and is not appropriate to share digitally. Metrics should be reviewed periodically, and the plan should be flexible and fluid based on performance and evolving goals.
If this seems easier said than done, it should. In order to develop a strategy and plan for Twitter, here are a few things you should first consider:
1. Understand the platform.
Not all social media is created equally. Each platform has its own unique characteristics and uses different types of content to target audiences. When it comes to Twitter, users engage for a variety of reasons, ranging from staying at the forefront of developing news, to engaging with brands, to bantering with celebrities and other influencers. It’s necessary to figure out where your firm fits into the mix and how to convey your brand’s voice to your target audiences. This starts with really understanding your target audience, and having a realistic understanding of how they are engaging on Twitter and the information they are seeking. For example, while general counsels’ use of social media is on the rise, only one-quarter of them are actually engaging, while the rest are using it to listen (2017 State of Digital Content Marketing Survey, GreenTarget/Zeughauser Group). On the other hand, other members of your target audience – lateral and new associate recruits, reporters, pro bono partner organizations – are much more likely to engage. Once you figure out who you are trying to reach and observe how they are engaging, build your plan, and design your content around their needs and behaviors.
2. Leverage your existing marketing initiatives and internal resources.
The easiest way to start tweeting is to repurpose the content your firm is already producing. Twitter can be used as a catch-all for a variety of content that may not be the right fit for other platforms, like your website, blog or LinkedIn. Think through how your firm’s newsletter content, press releases, published articles, community outreach initiatives, videos, infographics, job postings, speaking engagements, sponsorships, events, and other existing materials can be used on Twitter. One way to get started is by creating a content calendar, breaking down your content into three categories: (1) real time content; (2) curated content; and (3) evergreen content.
There is going to be a lot of content that your firm produces on the fly. This is your “real time” content: client alerts, awards and accolades, live-tweeting from events and the like. Your “curated content” includes media coverage, Twitter mentions from other users (as appropriate), and articles published elsewhere and other external resources that are relevant to your target audience. Lastly, “evergreen content” might encompass community outreach initiatives and other activities to showcase firm culture, which can be particularly valuable for recruiting, promotional content that highlights the firm’s services and branded hashtags, which we’ll cover in more detail later.
Aside from what your firm is already doing, identify who at your firm can be your internal champions. Which attorneys are already active on Twitter and can help the firm gain followers and exposure? Communicate internally to encourage all employees who have Twitter accounts to follow the firm – and ask them for their Twitter handles, so the firm can follow them as well. There are a variety of tools available at every price point that can help firms promote internal engagement among your attorneys by providing curated content that they can easily share (Clearview Social, LinkedIn Elevate, Share Link Generator). We’ll cover these in more detail in Twitter Strategy Part II.
3. Connect with your target audience.
Key Influencers
Follow media outlets, legal journals, bar associations, law schools, and companies or organizations where your attorneys volunteer or hold board positions. Consider industry and geography to target other key influencers. If you are thinking about following clients, have a conversation with firm leadership. This is a sensitive decision that is personal to each firm, and often made after much discussion and consideration of ethical requirements, firm culture, and individual attorney comfort level. Just don’t let it derail your whole strategy.
Hashtags
Use hashtags to boost your firm’s reach and to join the conversation. Hashtags are a great way to reach users who don’t already follow the firm and wouldn’t necessarily think to search for it specifically. There are three types of hashtags to consider: (1) subject-matter/industry hashtags; (2) branded hashtags; and (3) trending hashtags.
Subject-matter/industry hashtags are commonly used hashtags in a particular industry or in regards to a particular subject – just as they sound. In researching how your target audience is engaging on Twitter some of these will become obvious. Hashtagify is a great tool to find out how popular a hashtag is, as well as related hashtags and who the top influencers are who use that hashtag.
Branded hashtags are those specific to your firm, which you create and employ on a regular basis – and hope that others will use them as well. #LMAMKT is an example of a branded hashtag. LMA International created it and used it consistently, and now it’s gained traction and is used by regions, local groups, vendors and members across the association.
Hashtags become trending when they are widely used in a particular timeframe. For example #GivingTuesday is now widely used to kick off the charitable giving season on the Tuesday immediately following Thanksgiving each year. Trending hashtags and key words are displayed in the lower left hand corner of your Twitter interface. This feature can be used to filter by location, or you can keep the default, tailored trends, which are based on your location and who you follow. Subject-matter/industry hashtags and branded hashtags can become “trending” based on the frequency of their use. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on these trends in case you can use them to your firm’s advantage.
4. Craft an eye catching headline – in 140 characters or less.
One thing that remains consistent for all Twitter users is that you have only 140 characters to get your message across, so it’s all about short, succinct, eye-catching, attention-grabbing, relevant content that moves even quicker than the average human attention span—which happens to be eight seconds. That’s one second less than that of a gold fish! (#mindblown)
With your target audience in mind, create a call to action (CTA) that will really resonate. For example, when tweeting a client alert, identify who that new law or case outcome impacts and why that impact is significant. Approach this the same way you would approach creating a subject line or article title. Being specific about the value proposition and using a statistic or quantifying that value to the reader will entice them to act and adds credibility to your post. In most scenarios, the CTA is inviting the reader to click on a link, directing them to the firm website.
Along these lines, keep it short – even shorter if possible. Tweets that are 100 characters or less tend to get higher conversions. Use a variety of media in your tweets. Images don’t impact character count, so photos, infographics, video, slideshares, GIFs and the like help create powerful visuals and allow you to share information beyond 140 characters.
If all else fails, leave it to someone else. In a perfect world, your internal champions are already tweeting firm content. Retweeting is reposting someone else’s tweet to your profile and for all of your followers to see. This is an effective way to acknowledge great content and gain exposure. When it comes to retweeting, comments are optional, so you can always stick to using someone else’s headline.
Once you have a “handle” – pun intended – on these four basic strategies, spend some time establishing your Twitter presence and building your follower count. In Twitter Strategy Part II we will dive into engagement, metrics and competitive intelligence to take your Twitter strategy to the #nextlevel. Look out for it in the next Mid-Atlantic newsletter.
By Ashley Smith Rosenblatt, Marketing Coordinator, Gordon Feinblatt and Emily Flowers, Manager, Content Marketing & Communications, McDermott for the July/August 2017 LMA Mid-Atlantic Region Newsletter