Law Firm Marketing BLOG

We first met New Jersey attorney Jack Luby at the ATLANJ conference in 2006, but two year’s of persistence paid off.  Jack recently hired us to create a law firm web design that he can use to supplement his current lawyer advertising strategies.  For several months we have discussed the type of design that he wants, the message he wants to portray, as well as the colors he wants to use. 

As a former Marine, patriotism is very dear to his heart and his website will reflect that.  In addition to his municipal and personal injury practice, he really does want to help victims of consumer fraud and he wants his website to be a resource for potential clients.  We will be assisting him with the content for the website, as well, though Jack will have the final say in everything before it goes live.

There was a recent article posted on Home Office Warrior about 12 Ways a Blog Can Benefit Your Business. Running a law firm is a business so the reasons to use a blog can apply to your law firm marketing as well.

1. Blogs are not expensive and in fact cost less than most other marketing efforts.
   Attorneys Online, Inc can create a blog for your law firm that will match the same look and feel of your website and train you how to use it!
   If you don’t have a website Attorneys Online Inc can create a new design for your blog. You can contact our legal marketing consultants for more information.
2. New blogs launch quickly and are easy to use.
   Enough said.
3. Search engines love blogs and they love them because blogs are easily updated.
   As stated by Home Office Warrior, “This is a key to blogs and blogging. Because a blog is designed to be easily updated, you will update it with new, relevant content to your target market. If you can write an email, you can update and post to a blog. New, relevant content is key. Not just content, but relevant content.”
   The ability to add new content as often as you like can boost your search engine rankings so you are found under the types of practice areas that you handle. A blog is flexible and can be a powerful tool for reacting to current news topics, cases, and providing information for people in a timely manner. The key is that you decide 5 – 10 keywords you want to focus on and rotate the use of the words throughout your blog entries. As you start to go up in the rankings you can gradually build your keyword base but you will have to juggle the use of your keywords so your rankings don’t fall for the original set of phrases you selected.
4. Publishing a blog shows your readers who you are.
   A blog can help people in need of legal advice feel more comfortable contacting you. They have read your words, opinions, and if they subscribe to your blog you will continue to build their trust with each anecdote, story, and opinion you provide.
5. Blogs offer you a completely new way to communicate with your clients, prospects and fellow business owners.
   Home Office Warrior said it best: “Blogging is a communication between you and your target market. It is a conversation both you and your target can participate in.” People can relate to you by your blog and you can have a more personal approach to people since a blog is an ongoing conversation with people in the internet world.
6. Your target market is using the web to search for everything, including the services or products you are offering.
   A blog is another means to get your name out there for people when they need legal help. If you continually blog about a specific topic like say, New Jersey personal injury law and relevant legal matters eventually your blog will come up when people are looking for that type of legal help. You can provide current information that your potential clients need and if your competitors don’t have a blog then you are a step ahead.
7. Blogging can position you and your blog as the place to go for the information that is needed on the Internet.
   Very Important Facts Provided by Home Office Warrior: “This is accomplished by providing up-to-date, relevant content. A blog puts that information in a form and fashion your target can understand and use. It is projected that 75% of the general public is going to the Internet first to find those things they need. Blogging and its success in search engine placement will put you in front of your target market. And in turn, will drive business to you like no other marketing effort. “
   If your law firm can consistently provide information about the types of cases you would like to handle people will find you when they are searching for that type of legal expertise.
8. Blogging and posting relevant content can position you as a “thought leader” in your niche.
   The more you blog about a topic you have knowledge in the more proof you have as an expert in your field. Your blog can allow you to react to news, concerns, and items in a timely manner which will build your reputation with people visiting your blog and see you as a “thought leader” in the legal world.
   Another way to think about “thought leader” is try a unique angle that would set you apart from your competitors. The legal world can be vicious with the amount of competition you have in your area so to make an impression on people use your blog as a means to show your personality, your interests, and your beliefs. One of our clients, Larry M. Pollack, just launched his blog last week and came up with a great idea – Blog about bizarre and humorous court cases. Here’s the unique angle - he includes his opinion about them and provides “homework” for the next blog entry. That’s brilliant! Keep them coming back for more – you do this by being a “thought leader.”
9. By hosting a conversation on your blog, you will be positioned to succeed.
   Having a blog gives you the ability to communicate with potential clients. You can give feedback and connect with the people interested in your legal topics posted. The ability to communicate with people on a more personal level before they even call you or set foot in your office is what helps you stand apart from other attorneys that don’t use a blog.
10. Having a blog puts you in control of your own Web based magazine and talk show.
    A blog is your platform to discuss whatever is important to you and your firm. You decide what you want to blog about.
11. Your blog post will never disappear from the reach of your target market. While you may have complete control over the blog content you write you should be careful on what you do choose to write about because as stated by Home Office Warrior “your Web content is forever.” The plus side to such a long “shelf life” of your blog posts is that your content has the potential to reach a lot of people at different times and on a continual basis. If you send an email blast, a letter, run a print ad or TV commercial people can delete it, throw it away or turn it off. But your blog posts won’t be eliminated by people. You will always have a fresh crowd to see your blog so long as you keep your blog up-to-date with relevant content and you don’t take down your blog – that is how the “forever” side of your web content can work for you.
12. Get with it and blog, because if you don’t, you will be left behind.
    A famous quote applies here: Time waits for no man.
    The same is true about blogging – the longer you wait to set up a blog and use it the more competition you will have when you do start. Be ahead of the curve. Get a legal blog.  
     

Marketing your law firm can be a tricky business. Where do you start? What method is best? Who is looking for you? These are tough questions that don’t always have one solution. One law firm marketing company may tell you that print is dying and a waste of your time. Another law firm marketing consultant may tout that all you need is online marketing. If you have the budget to do so, why not do both? Good question.

In a recent article posted by AdWeek many companies have started the use of “blended” media which allows you to combine traditional advertising like TV, Radio, or Print and track your efforts through your website. The purpose of the offline media use is to drive consumers to a website or phone number and use the information to track results. This approach can apply to your law firm as well and help you answer some of the elusive answers about what is working and who is looking for you.  

If you can advertise through TV, Radio, or Print campaigns and include your law firm website you can answer a lot of the questions by the traffic that visits your site and people that call you – who is looking for you, what is it that they want, and are you targeting the right clients that you want. The beauty of online marketing, and websites, is that you can gather lots of information with combined efforts of targeted offline marketing. Your website, and phone number, can help you track what types of results your marketing brings and tailor it until you are happy with the clientele looking for you. The combined marketing campaigns can be an expensive approach if not properly managed. So proceed with caution, and get advice from legal marketing experts like Attorneys Online, Inc.

Before you become overwhelmed with the multiple options and information discussed just remember the basic principles of marketing – timing and repetition. Effective marketing is putting yourself in front of your potential client when they are looking for you and doing it consistently. If your budget can handle two types of marketing try to get the best of both worlds so you can use your offline efforts to help bring and track online results.

If you are not sure how to go about using this jack of all trades marketing plan contact the legal marketing consultants at Attorneys Online, Inc for advice. Attorneys Online, Inc offers free consultations to help you determine the best approach to get more potential clients. Don’t let your law firm marketing efforts go stagnant - try something new and see if the best of the worlds approach can work for you.