July 17, 2015

Blogging for Attorneys: 3 Tips for Starting Out

Due to the uber competitive nature of today’s legal environment, maintaining a blog is more of a necessity than an extracurricular exercise for practicing lawyers. According to a recent study, 82% of Am Law 200 law firms are now incorporating blogging into their marketing plans. While the majority of attorneys can see the value in blogging, a good number of them aren’t quite sure how to go about doing it right. Further, many commit, and then blogging falls by the wayside as workload increases; so having a good marketing team with great writing skills is important to maintaining consistency. To shed some light on the subject, here are three vital considerations to study before jumping into the blogosphere.

Stick To Important Topics

Ask yourself why the subject matters to other lawyers and/or the general public. Stay abreast of trending topics, consider how they affect potential clients, and share recent related developments that your colleagues and current clients need to know about. Additionally, writing about trending topics could lead to meaningful backlinks, which drive SEO. Making your content search engine-friendly greatly increases the likelihood that people will find your site. Providing relevant and quality content on a regular basis establishes you as an authority in your field and gives your readers a reason to keep coming back. Also, remember to use social media to your advantage.

Find A Niche

Many lawyers make the mistake of trying to appeal to everyone with a blog post. Instead of talking about general issues in general terms, try focusing on very specific subjects. You’ll have a much higher chance of increasing your readership by delving into the legal subtleties of a recent court ruling than giving a broad summary of the Seventh Amendment. Creating content with a deep and singular focus distinguishes you as a “go-to” expert in your field. Also, optimize your posts with long tail keywords, which will help when prospective clients are looking for lawyers in a specific field. Highlighting your knowledge of a specific area is the best way to differentiate what you have to offer from the competition. Be sure to take this opportunity to subtly demonstrate your expertise.

Be Yourself

Authoring a blog provides you with an opportunity to showcase your personality (you might even post a vlog from time to time if you like being on camera). This adds authenticity to your blog that countless others lack, and allows you to foster a personal connection with your readers/viewers. Blog about areas of interest and share your stance on trending issues, and be careful about being too political.

Blogging is an excellent platform for direct and meaningful communication and, like any tool, you need to know how to use it to your advantage. Follow these tips, and you’ll gain a loyal following in no time.