Legal Twitter:
How to Build a Following Discreetly

Perhaps you want to establish yourself as a leading attorney or a thought leader in your industry, but you aren’t sure which social media platforms to tackle. Twitter for legal professionals can be a tricky field to navigate, but it could yield significant returns for your business when used discreetly.

Lawyers who want to establish themselves as experts need to know how to grow their following without being too obvious to their clients.

If you are interested in expanding your reach beyond your current social media accounts, Twitter is a great avenue to explore. Growing your following with some of these tips will help you reach your goals.

Focus on Building Relationships

Most professionals would agree that Twitter is a far less formal social network compared to others like LinkedIn. But that doesn’t mean Twitter can’t be used professionally. Thomas P. O’Brien’s Twitter profile is just one example of how attorneys can use the platform to build their personal brand.

Twitter gives you a casual way to connect with others who are posting things that spark your interest as an attorney.

Once you have your profile and feed set up to show you relevant content, make sure that you’re active on the social media platform. Comment on articles and content that pertains to your field of expertise.

This approach is a great way to begin an authentic relationship with someone if you can contribute meaningful dialogue to the conversation.

The same is true of liking and retweeting content. Your feed should consist of content from more than just your brand. Liking and retweeting content from other people — no matter their professional association — is a great way to put yourself out there and start to build meaningful relationships.

Create Video Content

If you want to see a boost in your Twitter following, you need to make valuable video content for your followers. Most users will watch videos on this major social media network, and you might be surprised at just how effective this strategy can be.

Here are a few of the statistics related to native video content on Twitter:

While you don’t have to be a camera professional to create quality content, remember that this might be the first impression that a client has of you. Do your best to set up a professional shot and keep the video short.

People go to Twitter for bite-size nuggets of information, so make sure that your video is brief and to the point. Most of the time, you will want to keep native video content to under two minutes. This length gives you just enough time to introduce yourself and the services that you offer.

Link to Other Accounts

One way to make it easier for Twitter fans to find you and follow you on this platform is to make sure that all your professional accounts are linked. Include a link to your Twitter page on your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. These links will encourage those who follow you there to jump over to Twitter to engage with you in a new way.

Always be looking for ways to plug your Twitter account on some of the other social media platforms where you may have a more engaged following. Keep in mind that one in five adults in the United States are using Twitter, so this is a great way to connect with that 20 percent.

Utilize Relevant Hashtags

Are you posting content about a hot current event that affects the legal industry? Make sure that you are tagging your posts with hashtags that can make it easier for those who are looking for quality content regarding a specific topic to find you and your tweets.

If you aren’t sure what tags to use, try conducting some of your own research. What sort of topics related to your industry are other people looking for? Get creative with your search, and you will likely find the best tags for your particular field of expertise.

Keep the number of hashtags to three or fewer to prevent your post from looking like spam.

Building Your Twitter Following

Managing your social media accounts and making sure that you are being discreet can present unique challenges for legal professionals. However, Twitter can be a great way to connect with others on hot issues that pertain to your field of expertise.

With a few of these top tips in mind, you will be able to forge more meaningful relationships with those who are interested in your firm or your services.