Law blogs are taking lawyers back to the future. Lawyers who use law blogs are simply blending new technology with tried and proven approaches to client development.
"Situated properly, a professional blog can build an individual lawyer's profile and work as a more casual lead-in tool for the firm's web site, which is geared more toward services, expertise, and experience," says Steve Matthews, a Vancouver-based Internet legal marketing expert (www.stemlegal.com/). "In other words, get to know the lawyer in question, and then decide if that person is qualified."
What sets blogs apart from websites is that blogs are a discussion stream: they constantly change and grow based on the online conversations taking place concerning specific realms of the law. Although information about a lawyer and his or her practice should be included on a blog, such content takes a backseat to something more important: the ongoing discussion that blogging lawyers are engaged in.
Bloggers publish posts on their blogs in response to what they've heard (or read) elsewhere. They'll also post comments on other blogs. They share their insights, agree or disagree with other bloggers, make a point, and do all the other things that took place in town hall forums a few hundred years ago. Blogs allow lawyers to briefly comment on a ruling, cite something they read in another lawyer's blog, or simply provide a concise interpretation of the law for readers.
Blogging allows lawyers to be seen by potential clients as more than professionals sitting in an office surrounded by awards and certificates; as time goes by, they will become known as leaders in their field – people who know what they're talking about and are willing to enter into the discussion with other opinion leaders. Plus, since blogs are easier to update than websites, lawyers who blog have the ability to comment on an issue almost immediately after it happens. And those are the lawyers prospective clients will contact first.
Linking in and out of a blog – either by citing someone else's work or directing readers to a blog you enjoy - is another important characteristic of successful blogging. While traditional websites may have links, they often appear awkward and unnecessary, and it is much harder to encourage readers to click them. The more links in and out of a blog a lawyer provides, the bigger the lawyer's reputation on the web (and as a result, the higher the blog climbs in search engines like Google).
"Lawyers need to understand that links are the currency of the web, and that blogs are not just a publication opportunity. If they were, why wouldn't you just convert all your newsletters into blog software? It doesn't work," says Matthews. "It's only when blog authors engage the social side of blogging, and begin to link out to other bloggers – who eventually reciprocate – that blogs begin to have a dominant effect on the search results."
Focus on a niche
Lawyers need to present a professional look and perfect the art of effective blogging. But long before they start blogging, they need to establish a niche.
Figure out who is talking about the issue you'll be focusing on, says Amy Gahran, a Colorado-based media consultant who runs a blog at Contentious.com. Then, begin reading their blogs and the blogs they link to so you can get an understanding of the major players in the field. Follow what they're talking about, comment on their posts … anything you can to enter into the discussion.
The more niche-oriented the content, the better your blog is going to work as a marketing tool. The niche for the blog can even be more focused than your area of practice. Think of your blog as a magazine published on one area of practice, among others in which you perform work.
The art of blogging
Think of how you would talk with members of your target audience at a reception following a speech. By and large, people still would be talking about the topic that brought you together. But the tone obviously would be much less formal than it was while you were speaking from the podium.
A conversational tone alone, however, is not enough. You need to engage in conversations with other opinion leaders in your niche to realize the full potential of blogging.
Think of blogging as an online Rotary meeting, where all the Rotarians are within your target audience, whether as opinion leaders, prospective clients, or influencers of prospective clients. You would not walk into a Rotary meeting and shout out legal updates through a bullhorn. You would engage in the conversation, offering your insight and commentary in the appropriate context of others' conversations.
Remember the acronym FLEE: Find the relevant Internet discussion. Listen to the discussion. Engage in the discussion. Empower your readers.
- Find the most influential bloggers and reporters on the niche for which you will be blogging.
- Listen to these influencers by subscribing to RSS feeds of their blogs and news sites through the use of an RSS reader such as Google Reader.
- Engage in a dialogue with these opinion leaders and influencers by adding a comment on their blogs or referencing what they wrote, adding your viewpoint in your own blog post.
- Empower your subscribers to share your blog posts in blog posts of their own, in news stories, and on social networking websites by always adding content of value, that is, something that advances the conversation.
The results of such effective blogging are far reaching. People conducting relevant Internet research, both lawyers and prospective clients, will see your name over and over again. You'll receive regular calls from reporters looking for commentary from a knowledgeable lawyer. Ultimately, word of your passion and expertise as a trusted authority in your niche will spread by word of mouth – both on and offline.
"Easily 80 percent of my new business comes from people who found me through my blog," says Seattle lawyer Philip Mann, who publishes the IP Litigation Blog (www.iplitigationblog.com). "The Internet and blogs are the great equalizer. No longer do the large, established firms have a monopoly on the power to get their name out and attract business."
One hundred years ago, lawyer marketing was all about entering into conversations with opinion leaders, business associates, and the public to spread word of one's passion, expertise, and care and to further enhance one's reputation as a trusted authority. Today, it's still the same, except that the conversation has moved online.
You, too, can enter the conversation through blogging.
Kevin O'Keefe is president of LexBlog Inc., a service that builds blogs for lawyers. He was a trial lawyer for 17 years and practised in rural Wisconsin. Email him at kevin@lexblog.com or visit kevin.lexblog.com to join his conversation." A longer version of this article was published in the Wisconsin Lawyer, Vol. 81, No. 9. Reproduced with permission from the author.