Do Social Media Numbers Matter for a Lawyer?

I came across a very interesting post at one of my favorite  blogs from Minnesota Orthopedic Surgeon, Lance Silverman, M.D with

Would You Trust A Doctor Who Pays For Twitter Followers?

He took a look at doctors who buy Twitter followers and pointed out:

I believe buying Followers in order to convey a greater sense of importance is a shady technique that speaks to the genuineness of a doctor or his marketing team. A doctor who pays for Followers does so in hopes that it will trick real people into spending money by going to that doctor for services. In essence, the doctor is taking a small gamble that the fake Followers will lead to a big payday. Do you want a doctor who is mainly interested in lining his wallet? I didn’t think so.

I’ve been on Twitter for a few years now, but my main reason for being on the social networking site isn’t to gain Followers, it’s to spread my knowledge to others and to learn from industry professionals. Twitter is one of the few places on earth where individuals and professionals can share their stories for the betterment of one another.

It got me thinking about all of the lawyers with Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.   What real affect do they have?   I have over time built up a decent number of followers with @Bblaw on twitter and the Bradshaw and Bryant Facebook page,  but that is because I like the interaction.  I would expect that we get searched sometimes to see if we have these  pages,  but I would never expect a client to choose us based on the numbers.

I also agree with the good doctor,  that buying leads are worthless.   You build the numbers with interactions and trying to get interesting information out.   I use both platforms to get these blog posts out to the public.  I use them to talk about sports and TV/Movie news.  Like the blog posts, I hope at least part of the time I am getting something interesting out there.

As for the numbers themselves,   I don’t see them as mattering.   Just as there are small accounts with double digits, there are accounts with millions of followers.  Why does it really matter what the number is?  As always, the best way to find a lawyer is to ask around from the people you know and trust.   If that doesn’t work,  do some research and talk to a couple that you like.  Then choose the one who you think will work the best for and with you.