There’s a lot more interest in Twitter from law firms these days. We know that individual lawyers are having success using the micro-blogging service for gaining exposure and access to extremely broad networks of interested parties, including prospects, clients, and the media. But, what about law firm Twitter accounts? What kind of feedback is the “entity” getting from posting their press releases, event announcements and other “self-facing” tid-bits?
Few law firms seem to be engaging at the brand or entity level. Who wants to engage with a faceless entity? How do you engage with a brand – especially one that doesn’t post give-aways or special offers? Are their followers a meaningful network or are they competitors, social media consultants and curiosity seekers?
One way to cure this obstacle is to put a voice behind the entity account. It’s okay to have the law firm Twitter account staffed by marketers, but wouldn’t it be so much better if we knew that the spokesperson had a name or names? It’s a Wizard of Oz thing.
One of my favorite examples of a law firm that IS engaging with their Twitter stream is @verrilldana. BUT, until last week at the Legal Marketing Association New England Regional Conference (kudos to co-chairs Mark Agneta and Shelley Swanson and their committee!) I had no idea who “was” @verrilldana. They were responding to messages and starting conversations but I had no idea who was talking. Then I met up with Emma Peck Lishness and Gretchen Johnson the Tweeters behind the brand and found really smart marketers and kindred spirits. I liked the brand even more!
What can we learn from this? If you are Tweeting for a law firm, let us know who the voice behind the brand is. It doesn’t matter if its not the chairman, CMO or founding partner. We don’t really care. We just want to know there is a face behind the voice. You’ve got 160 characters for the profile bio. Just add your names. See if it doesn’t make a difference and let us know!
Hey Jayne: This post really made me smile because I am in the process of trying to convince one of my clients to the the first Managing Partner who actually tweets as himself/his firm (at least the first law firm MP that I know of). It has worked for a lot of CEOs of major consumer corps and I am banking that you are right — tweeting as a persona will humanize and greatly enrich the brand on Twitter! Talk to you soon, Amy