For those of you using Typepad, have you been noticing the changes occurring? I have and I have to say so far, I like them. Reviewing and approving comments and trackbacks has really improved. I can now read the entire comment in my email window without the need to go into the backend of Typepad to do so. Much better.
But, the improvements are coming slowly. New templates are also coming about. For too long, Typepad had too few to pick. It will be nice to have more standard templates to use.
However, should a professional service firm use Typepad as its main blogging platform?
Kevin O’Keefe touched on this in his recent post, Typepad improving slowly, but steadily.
TypePad, with a few problems here and there, is a good product. For professionals looking to have a blog and who are willing to forgo custom design and to learn the ins and outs of blogging on their own, it can be a good fit. For others looking to learn what RSS is, how to use it, how to use newsfeeds, and how to enter into the ongoing discussion on the net so as to enhance their reputation, they’re going to need something more than TypePad alone.
ROI is the key to blogging for professionals. Saving money is not the answer. The answer is leveraging your time blogging so you achieve success in enhancing your reputation as a leader in your niche. That’s how you grow your business.
Did you read that? Those two paragraphs answer the very question I get the most. Why did I go with lexBlog for my practice blog, Kansas Family & Divorce Lawyer?
While Typepad is a good product, it did not allow me to customize my practice blog the way I wanted to. We did some exciting designing with the blog when we started it in March 2006. I was able to get the column layout I wanted. I was able to get the features I wanted. And, I had a professional firm do the work so I did not have to go about learning coding myself.
Best of all, my ROI is out of this world. I get clients from my blog on a weekly basis. And my SEO is also great. We are fast approaching 100,000 page visitors to the Kansas Family & Divorce Lawyer. The ability of lexBlog to generate SEO is great.
I spend a lot of time visiting with other lawyers about blogging. And I love doing that. They almost always ask me is it worth it going with a professional firm like lexBlog. In a word, YES!!!!
But, just because you decide to blog, that is not enough. You have to do it. You have to take the time to learn how. Learn about RSS. Learn about SEO. Learn how to write a good title to a post. Learn what to post about. And know how to write a post to your target. You CANNOT just put up a blog and hope you will get traffic. It does take some work and it is well worth it.
