Page 48 - MASTER COPY LEADERS BOOK 9editedJKK (24)_Neat
P. 48
Leaders in Legal Business
3.) Be Proactive
There are many lawyers who get tunnel vision when it comes to blogging, only reacting to the latest legal
tidbits. Merely reporting on litigation, legislation, regulations, and narrow news stories in reactive fashion won't
cut it; you need to add value. Readers want to know what's inside your head. What's your take? What's it mean
for them? What’s coming next?
Depending on your niche and firm, being an advocate can work well. Immigration, food safety,
employment, privacy, cruise, medical malpractice, IP litigation, and divorce lawyers have developed large
followings because they take stands on issues that matter to their clients. They champion the cause of the people
they want to represent. Lawyers who take a stand will be surprised at their ability to instill change.
If you are not going to engage in other ways, answer questions from clients and prospective clients. For
every person with that question, there are hundreds asking the same. It’s essential to respect attorney-client
privilege, but answering questions shows that you're listening and that you care. You will build trust, and people
asking these questions on search will discover you on Google.
4.) Think About Your Audience
Effective posts are written with an audience in mind, even an audience of one. Make up that one person
in your mind when you start to blog. Talk with them as a late-night talk radio host might, or as you might describe
a newsworthy item to your neighbor.
Who do you want to know you exist? With whom do you want to build a relationship? What groups or
industries do you want an in with? Talk with them. Blogs are a great excuse to make an introduction — sometimes
even with something as deliberate as an email interview.
If you reach one person and they share your insight with their peers, you've reached a highly targeted, and
potentially influential, audience.
When citing a blogger, reporter, or industry leader, follow up with a soft touch. “As a courtesy to you, I
wanted you to know I referenced your post/story in a piece shared with the readers of my blog (sharing a link to
your post). Keep up the great work.”
You'll get a “thank you.” You'll get an opportunity to connect on LinkedIn. You'll get an opportunity to
meet. How many of your competitors are meeting reporters of the local business journal or an executive with a
prospective client corporation for lunch?
5.) Get the Right Setup
Some lawyers like to tinker, some don't. If you're not the tinkering type, get a professional's help and
ongoing coaching and support. Though WordPress is theoretically free, so is rewiring your house.
A key point that lawyers sometimes avoid: A blog belongs on a site independent of your website. Blogs
complement a law firm website. You don’t want to put it inside a website, but there are ways to make it all mesh:
similar colors, a blog title, firm branding in the design of the blog being “published by the law firm,” and strategic
linking back to the law firm website and lawyer bios.
A blog on your website will be viewed as a marketing and advertising effort, no matter what you do. You
will forfeit the mantle of expertise that an independent publication provides you. You will be limited in how you
can use your blog for strategic engagement. In-house counsel do not do guest posts on a website, yet they do them
on an independent blog.
Blog posts on an independent site get cited by reporters and other bloggers, shared on social media, and
are viewed as more credible than posts on a website. You'll still get the attention and traffic you may be looking
for.
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3.) Be Proactive
There are many lawyers who get tunnel vision when it comes to blogging, only reacting to the latest legal
tidbits. Merely reporting on litigation, legislation, regulations, and narrow news stories in reactive fashion won't
cut it; you need to add value. Readers want to know what's inside your head. What's your take? What's it mean
for them? What’s coming next?
Depending on your niche and firm, being an advocate can work well. Immigration, food safety,
employment, privacy, cruise, medical malpractice, IP litigation, and divorce lawyers have developed large
followings because they take stands on issues that matter to their clients. They champion the cause of the people
they want to represent. Lawyers who take a stand will be surprised at their ability to instill change.
If you are not going to engage in other ways, answer questions from clients and prospective clients. For
every person with that question, there are hundreds asking the same. It’s essential to respect attorney-client
privilege, but answering questions shows that you're listening and that you care. You will build trust, and people
asking these questions on search will discover you on Google.
4.) Think About Your Audience
Effective posts are written with an audience in mind, even an audience of one. Make up that one person
in your mind when you start to blog. Talk with them as a late-night talk radio host might, or as you might describe
a newsworthy item to your neighbor.
Who do you want to know you exist? With whom do you want to build a relationship? What groups or
industries do you want an in with? Talk with them. Blogs are a great excuse to make an introduction — sometimes
even with something as deliberate as an email interview.
If you reach one person and they share your insight with their peers, you've reached a highly targeted, and
potentially influential, audience.
When citing a blogger, reporter, or industry leader, follow up with a soft touch. “As a courtesy to you, I
wanted you to know I referenced your post/story in a piece shared with the readers of my blog (sharing a link to
your post). Keep up the great work.”
You'll get a “thank you.” You'll get an opportunity to connect on LinkedIn. You'll get an opportunity to
meet. How many of your competitors are meeting reporters of the local business journal or an executive with a
prospective client corporation for lunch?
5.) Get the Right Setup
Some lawyers like to tinker, some don't. If you're not the tinkering type, get a professional's help and
ongoing coaching and support. Though WordPress is theoretically free, so is rewiring your house.
A key point that lawyers sometimes avoid: A blog belongs on a site independent of your website. Blogs
complement a law firm website. You don’t want to put it inside a website, but there are ways to make it all mesh:
similar colors, a blog title, firm branding in the design of the blog being “published by the law firm,” and strategic
linking back to the law firm website and lawyer bios.
A blog on your website will be viewed as a marketing and advertising effort, no matter what you do. You
will forfeit the mantle of expertise that an independent publication provides you. You will be limited in how you
can use your blog for strategic engagement. In-house counsel do not do guest posts on a website, yet they do them
on an independent blog.
Blog posts on an independent site get cited by reporters and other bloggers, shared on social media, and
are viewed as more credible than posts on a website. You'll still get the attention and traffic you may be looking
for.
41
