Legal marketers, don’t stop tweeting just yet.  If you haven’t gotten yourself up to speed with social media, specifically with Twitter, there’s no time better than right now.

Total Attorneys‘ @Kevin Churn posted a note to me on Twitter about an episode of  their terrific show on BlogTalk Radio he knew I’d be interested in.   Kevin, John Remsen and Larry Bodine discussed:

Shoestring PR for Lawyers

In the conversation, Larry states that “Twitter is really a waste of time”,  because very few lawyers are actually using it.  It’s extremely important to remember that social media and the population of  legal professionals is an ever growing platform.

I have a question, since when is a legal firm’s bottom line primarily dependent upon other lawyers?  Aren’t there some “consumer folk/audience” involved here?

If you recall, only a short time ago, it was thought that Facebook was purely for personal use.  The number of law firms with professional pages on Facebook has skyrocketed in the last 6-months.

Insidefacebook.com reported:

More than 10% of law firms in the country are on Facebook and more than 40% of attorneys, according to a survey conducted by the American Bar Association earlier this year. 12% of respondents reported working at firms with an online presence in a social network such as Facebook, up 4% from the 2008 survey, marking a three-fold increase, and 43% of reported maintaining a personal account.

The impact that Facebook is having on the legal world is surely worth noting.

It is evident the impact social media is having on legal marketing and what’s coming for us regarding Twitter.

Twitter’s traffic has grown tremendously in the past year, but how many people are actively using the service versus casually passing by? According to the latest research from eMarketer, that number will be at around 18 million by the end of 2009.

The fact is, Twitter was not designed to work well on it’s own.  In fact, it’s pretty frustrating as a stand-alone. Partnering it with support applications like TwitterLater, TweetDeck and SocialToo coupled with a little patience and persistence, your social media efforts will surely payoff.

Social Media expansion takes time.  Are you willing to take a chance of not starting to build now?

I need to point out that I don’t believe mid-size legal firms can master social media use and public relations efforts on their own.  You’re lawyers! Professionals like myself have spent years cultivating relationships and communications skills that we use to garner the results we do.  Additionally, working with social media platforms as PR tools is exceedingly cost effective when you attain guidance on using them effectively.

Those legal marketers “stuck on no” are risking having your organization being left behind as online presence becomes increasingly more important.

Other articles you may be interested in:

Twitter’s just getting started for Legal Marketers

Does Social Media end cold calling as a new business tactic for legal marketers?

Listening, monetization, and ethics are key for successful social media campaigns and your legal marketing reputation

Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog’s Top 10 Posts of 2009

Legal Marketers, Interested in 13 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog?

Why Technology and Social Media need to be integrated into your branded legal marketing strategy.

Kara works with legal marketers to create a more clearly defined focus and distinctive business strategy that will provide them with a competitive advantage for new business, higher reputation recognition, and enhance their ability to attract, win, and retain the clients they really want.

You can reach her at 917-856-5410

Tags: Kara Smith, Karasma Media, Kevin Churn, Legal Marketing Tips, Legal Marketing Trends, Total Attorneys, Twitter