We’ve all been there. Some smart ass comes along and tells us we need to start a blog for our law firm, and how terrific it is for our online legal marketing. How Google loves fresh web content, how people flock to blogs, and how it’s pretty much the best thing since the cool side of the pillow. But there’s something that stops you, isn’t there?
The reason you don’t start creating web content isn’t because you don’t believe in the raw marketing power. It’s not that you think the bloggers are full of crap.
Maybe you hide behind the veneer of “it’s too technical,” but let’s get real with one another – you and I both know the learning curve isn’t that steep. You can hire someone to set up a WordPress blog for you (heck, dozens of people have hired me to do an installation for them). You can get a graphic designer to make it pretty.
Nope, this isn’t a matter of technical skill or lack of proof that web content drives online legal marketing.
You think you’ve got nothing to say.
Let me ask you something. Think about the answer before you answer.
In the past week, has someone asked you a question?
Have you answered it?
Guess what? You’ve got a blog post right there. Just begging for you to release it to the world.
I know, there’s the whole matter of search engine optimization and making sure your legal blog shows up high in the rankings. I’m working on something to help with that, so no worries.
But put the SEO stuff aside for a moment. If someone asked you a question, don’t you think they would have asked Google first? Or maybe after they got your answer?
The only way to get over your insecurities about web content and online legal marketing is to look around.
We have a wealth of knowledge and information at our disposal, things the non-lawyers find useful and interesting. Our war stories are instructional and entertaining to those who have the problems we solve, and they serve a purpose.
The stories enlighten. They clarify. They entertain. They humanize us, and make people more comfortable using our services. Because people hire people they like and trust.
Web content gives you that opportunity to be liked and trusted. Ir provides information. it is the ultimate form of online legal marketing.
Do you want your potential clients to get the answers from you, or from some other lawyer? Even worse, do you want them to get their legal advice from a non-lawyer and inadvertently make their situation more difficult to untangle?
You're absolutely right: once you start blogging—or even just thinking about blogging—ideas present themselves, and it's a great way for potential clients to locate quality information and quality service should they ever require your expertise.