I’ve been helping lawyers like you get online for a number of year; it’s lots of fun meeting you at conventions and workshops around the country, and I find that as often as not I’ll end a session having learned a thing or two as well.
Once you leave the workshop, however, things sometimes don’t go as planned.
I know you’re well-prepared to start creating content and using the array of online tools available to you.
The problem is that your efforts aren’t yielding the results you want. When that happens, your likely to give up.
Here are some ways to turn it around.
Begin With The End In Mind
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Before you think about publishing your next tweet, Facebook update or blog post you should ask yourself what you’re looking to accomplish. Are you promoting yourself, educating your audience, or establishing your authority? If you can’t answer that question, you won’t be able to formulate a piece of content that serves a purpose.
Light The Way
When you want someone to take action – any action at all – you need to make it easier for them. I’m not telling you to browbeat your readers into subscribing to updates, contacting you for an appointment or downloading your ebook. That sort of thing will get you ignored pretty quickly.
Once you figure out what you’re looking to accomplish, give your reader a way of knowing what to do next. A link to your contact page, a sidebar graphic offering a free download, or simply your phone number in the header are will help light the way without being obtrusive.
Change It Up
If you listen to any successful talk show host you’ll notice that the entire show isn’t focused on a single topic. They move around, breaking the monotony with asides or perhaps even little jokes. People get bored when you’re talking about the exact same thing every single day, so keep things lively or they’re going to go elsewhere for their information fix.
On Consumer Help Central I’ve been changing it up by talking about some news-related topics lately. It keeps the site fresh, and draws people in with current events rather than the same old, same old. We’ve been getting more calls and emails from the site lately, so it’s definitely working.
Talk Around The Problem
In real life, we’re supposed to confront our problems. In the online world, that’s not always the goal. Your content should be talking about issues and concerns that are tangential to the primary ones being faced by your readers. This gives them valuable information without hitting them in the face with something they may not be ready to tackle.
Sure, your client needs to file for bankruptcy. You definitely want to discuss some of the issues surrounding the decision, providing education to make things easier. But bankruptcy isn’t all your reader cares about. Consider writing a piece about money-saving tips, frugal vacation ideas and even parenting as a way of creating a deeper bond with your readers.
It’s Your Roadmap, So Stick With It
The goals you set for your online marketing efforts will be unique to you, so you’re going to need to spend some time figuring out what you want to accomplish. Once you know those goals the roadmap comes fairly easily – it’s the setting of those goals that takes the most time and effort.
It’s worth the effort, though. Take the time, stick with it, and you’ll find that the results you get from your online marketing efforts become far more effective.
About Jay Fleischman
Great tips! I particularly like your suggestion of “talking around the problem” by writing on new subjects that don’t bore the reader.