Originally published on August 16, 2011 in our free SmallLaw newsletter. Instead of reading SmallLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.
Sitting in the audience at the Legal Marketing Association annual conference this spring, I heard an "Internet marketing expert" advise that blogs were only for lawyers who had a lot of time on their hands.
She warned that publishing a blog requires posting three or four times a week, constant moderating of comments, and thinking of original stories and updates to cover. She's wrong.
Quality, Not Quantity
If blogging were that hard, I would never started publishing a blog eight years ago.
Can you publish a law blog that enhances your reputation, grows your network, establishes you as a domain expert, and brings in not just clients, but quality clients, without it consuming all of your time? Yes.
Seattle lawyer Dan Harris of Harris & Moure publishes the China Law Blog, one of the more influential law blogs.
He spends 15 to 45 minutes to write a blog post with 25 minutes being the average. Harris characterizes his blog as very successful in generating new business.
Quality over content is key. About one-half of the law blogs on our LexBlog Network are updated once per week. About 75% are updated once every two weeks. That's a far cry from 3-4 times per week.
Those who don't talk all the time command attention when they do talk if they have something interesting to say. That's especially true for law blogs focused on a niche area of the law or geographic region.
The Share-and-Comment Blog Post
Like this and other columns in SmallLaw, blog posts should be short and cover only one point. Actually, shorter — 200 to 500 words is sufficient.
Think of blogging as sharing what you read. Blogging to share not only takes less time, but also works much better for business development. With your blog, you can create and participate in a rich, ongoing conversation regarding matters relevant to your area of practice and the industries or consumer groups you represent.
Here's how it works:
1. Follow what is being written in relevant blogs and news stories. Use Google News and Google Blog Search to track key words and key phrases germane to your practice areas. You can subscribe to these searches via email or with Google Reader.
2. Share a story or blog post you find interesting and which you believe prospective clients and others who read your blog would find of interest as well. Offer your insight and commentary.
Think of it as clipping out an article, highlighting a paragraph, and dropping a note to a client as to why you thought the story would be of interest to them. But don't just say, "I saw this, here's the link." Instead:
• Link to the source material. For example, linking the title of the article on which you're commenting will create a consistent style across your blog. If you prefer, link keywords that describe the article.
• Link to the author or reporter's LinkedIn profile or Web site bio. They'll notice and appreciate the link.
• Share a fair use block quote or two that brings home the salient points you want to share.
• Offer your insight in a paragraph or two.
For example:
John Schwartz, the National Legal Correspondent for the New York Times, wrote an interesting story last week, Florida: Drug Laws Ruled Unconstitutional.
In the article, Schwartz writes: "…"
Judge Scriven's 43-page opinion is noteworthy for the following reasons.…
The Advantages of This Style of Blogging
Sharing and commenting on articles:
• Demonstrates to your clients, prospective clients, referral sources, industry leaders, bloggers, and reporters that you stay up to speed in your niche. You see things your competitors are not following or at least not blogging about.
• Enables you to learn about developments in the law as well as the industries and groups you serve.
• Engages the influencers and amplifiers — the 5% of people who influence 95%. You need to engage and build relationships with bloggers, reporters, association leaders and conference coordinators who your clients, prospective clients, and referral sources follow. Do this and you will be cited and quoted by influential bloggers and reporters. You will be speaking at conferences led by the association leaders you've engaged.
• Creates a strong online identity and reputation for you. The most important Google search for you, as a good lawyer, is not one based what you do and where you are located (e.g., Seattle real estate lawyer). Instead, the most important search is on your name. People turn to a trusted source for the name of lawyer. They'll then Google the lawyer's name. A search returning citations of what you have blogged, reporters quoting you, conferences where you have spoken, and people sharing your blog posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook beats the heck out of results returning just your Web site and LinkedIn bio.
Don't Let Any "Experts" Dissuade You From Blogging
You can publish a law blog that enhances your reputation, grows your network, establishes you as a domain expert, and brings in quality clients without it consuming your life. Think quality over quantity, brevity, listening to relevant conversations, and sharing your insight and commentary.
Written by Kevin O'Keefe, CEO and Publisher of LexBlog, the leading provider of social media solutions and strategies to law firms.
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