You've been hearing that blogging is one of the most important forms of Internet marketing today, but you probably haven't heard much about the right way to do so. But if blogging is going to be that vital to your online reputation, then you might as well do it right.
While many lawyers are finally blogging, there are a lot of common problems they all share. From missing calls to action to focusing too much on legalese, they can be missing their target audience, and thereby potential clients, entirely. If you'd like to hold on to your readers and continue attracting clients, then continue reading for tips on how to identify your legal blogging problems and how to fix them.
Missing Call To Action
We're starting with the almighty call to action because nothing is going to make much of a difference if you leave out this tiny but crucial step. A call to action is the final word on a blog where you somehow engage your reader to do something. Whether it's to sign up for your email list, subscribe to your blog's RSS feed, leave a comment, or share your post on social media, your call to action tells them exactly what they should do next. I say "tell them" because it's not an argument, it's not a persuasion tactic, it's literally saying, "Liked this blog post? Sign up for my email newsletters!" or "Tell your friends about this blog post!" In other words, a call to action is direct, straightforward, and surprisingly, one of the most effective forms of getting conversions.
Many legal bloggers are blogging for the sake of blogging. However, blogs play an important role in search engines determining the ranking of your website. Producing fresh content on a regular basis that gets liked, shared, commented on, and tweeted lets search engines know that your blog is popular and useful, factors that are sure to increase your SEO ranking. So as long as you include your call to action at the end of each and every blog post, you can't wrong. But keep reading the following tips to give your call to action even more leverage.
Heavy In Legalese
Like many other professionals, lawyers sometimes assume that their clients understand all the terms and phrases they're throwing out there. Sometimes doctors breeze past a medical condition thinking their patients have the same knowledge they do, or a plumber will tell you what's wrong but not explain what that actually means. All professionals do it, and in face-to-face conversations, you can usually stop the person and ask them what they meant. Unfortunately, blogging doesn't allow for the same privilege. So if your readers can't understand you, why would they want to keep on reading?
Many bloggers focus to much on heavy content, confusing legalese, and complex legal concepts. Keep in mind who you're blogging for and what kind of information they're out to get. Naturally, they're interested in topics relevant to your area of law, but they have to be able to understand it, too. If you keep overwhelming them with an extensive legal vocabulary, they'll look for a lawyer who can explain things in much simpler terms.
Stick to topics that are relevant but easily interpreted. Don't fluff your blog posts, keep your arguments simple and to the point. Keep in mind that some of your readers might be accessing your blog from mobile devices, so the shorter and more informative the content, the better. Remember, less can be more.
Lack Of Promotion
What is it with lawyers not promoting their blog posts enough? If the clichés were true, those supposedly "self-centered" lawyers would be all about promoting their blogs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Unfortunately, many lawyers don't live up to that cliché so they're blogs, as great as some of them may be, are sitting in the dark waiting for the readers (and potential clients) that will never come. The problem with your legal blog might not be the missing call to action or the barely understandable legalese; it could simply be a lack of promotion.
If you're wondering why your comments section is mostly empty, why you haven't seen some social media buzz, or why your clients haven't been talking about your latest blog posts, it might be because no one even knows you have one. Luckily, this is a quick fix. Get on social media, start blasting your email list, and take every chance you get to refer people to your blog post. Think of your blog posts as resources and looks for tweets from other people that might find your blog/resources helpful. Reach out to your community, get your blog known, and start building a subscription list and following to make your blog even more popular and effective.
Just about any lawyer knows that blogging is a significant part of their marketing strategy in this day and age, but there aren't many lawyers that can tell you the right way to go about it. Don't miss out on this amazing chance at promoting your legal practice by excluding a call to action, using too much legalese, or forgetting to promote your blog posts through various channels. Adhering to these blogging methods will most likely increase your readership, your reputation, and your clientele.
Written by Pete Wise for the Douglas and London Law Firm; whom represent clients across the entire US. They have decades of history as an New York law firm and I help by posting to my facebook page and writing for the firm.
