Grow Your Practice with Hashtags
There is an old expression that states we were given two ears but just one mouth for a reason. The implications are we should listen more than we speak. Today I want to take that old bit of wisdom and apply it to social media.
You see, we spend so much time thinking about what we should send in an email or post on Facebook we forget the importance of listening. I want to use that example in discussing hashtags, and how by becoming better listeners, these little symbols can help us find more clients.
The Emergence of the Hashtag
For those new to Twitter or social media, the hashtag, or pound sign (#) was, and still is, a critical component in the success of Twitter. It allows people to “follow” like-minded tweets. It works for unlimited subjects from #immigration #attorney #sandiego to personal interests such as #yoga, #photograoghy and #beach to name a few. Other social media sites have embraced the hashtag and now, like the @ symbol is part of every email or tagging on social site, the # symbol is now a part of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more.
Getting a Twitter Account and Learn the Lingo
Twitter.com offers free accounts that you can sign up using your real name, clever alias, or creative moniker. Twitter names start with the @ sign, so you could choose @FirstNameLastName or for banding of your practice you could use @visalawyerblog. Next learn the lingo. Tweet, retweet (RT) and trending Topics (TT) will quickly become second nature. Now you are ready for the hashtag!
What the Hashtag Can Do For You
Of course, the hashtag is a great way to communicate information about your business, but this is about listening and prospecting. How can you use a hashtag to help you in prospecting for leads? Here are some suggestions.
- Put keywords from your law firm in the Twitter search function. Find the half-dozen or so most important keywords to you. Experiment with variations and combinations to see which gets you closer to the type of leads that interest you. You can determine this based on tweeter’s profiles. If they seem like a Twitter prospect, start a conversation and offer to answer any questions they may have.
- Listen to what is going on in your specific industry or with competitors. You may even find some current clients. Listening can keep you up to date on what is important to your potential prospects and what information they are lacking. You can then step in to help.
- By listening you can add value to a relationship with a lead and immediately build credibility. You will ultimately utilize this ability to listen and the power of the hashtag and become an influencer in your practice.
- As your listening and prospecting skills increase, you will recognize patterns that can help you prospect for even more leads more effectively. All the while you will be building your own following, and becoming a person of more and more influence.
Remember there are never enough leads and never enough prospects. Staying on top by listening and using the power of the hashtag can help take your law firm to the next level. Are you tweeting regularly? How are you discovering which hashtags to use for your practice? Share with me below! Also, share your handle so we can connect! You can connect with me here jacobsapochnick@visalawyerblog. Thank you for reading, until next time, stay enchanting!
