“I like your ideas … but not the twitter … no, absolutely not… it’s a non-starter…”

I have to admit that this recent comment in relation to a report to a mid-sized law firm caught me by surprise and prompted me to wonder “Why do so few senior lawyers “get” twitter?”.

My thought has always been “Why not?” rather than “Why?”.

• It’s free (apart from the cost of the time spent on it).
• It’s easy to work with, right from the start, and if you struggle, you can listen in until you are confident enough to take part.
• It’s reach can be vast and followers are self-selecting (no irritating potential clients who didn’t want to receive your news).
• It offers easy ways to measure success  (who is retweeting which of your tweets and how often?).
• It offers easy search options, using key words or hashtags.
• It offers easy ways to engage with customers (retweets, replies and direct messages),  converse with them and become closer to them.

Twitter is best for creating relationships and having conversations, but even if you haven’t the time to invest in doing that, it still has a role for research and broadcasting.

There are risks around client confidentiality and defamation and the risk that a single tweeter could negatively affect the firm’s brand, but if you have your HR policies in place and choose your tweeter with care, these needn’t stop you.

What do you think? Why don’t lawyers “get” Twitter?

Additional reading

Law Society’s Social Media practice note

A Practical Guide to Twitter

And for more advice on KM buy the Law Society’s “Knowledge Management Handbook” or visit TheKnowledgeBusiness

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I also talk about social media for knowledge sharing and marketing in my popular “KM: The Works” training session. The next one is on 28th January 2016. Find out more here.