Page 62 - Legal Leaders 2018 Master Copy - 999
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Design and develop for mobile first, desktop second. A mobile-optimized blog,
preferably with a responsive design, is critical today. People, especially influencers, are
consuming and sharing content on tablets and smartphones. A responsive design ensures that
content looks right on all of them. A responsive design is also important for Google.
Content distribution has moved beyond email and Google searches. Law blog posts, just
like articles from The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, are distributed socially via
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Social media is bigger on mobile than on non-mobile devices.
SSL, a standard protocol for ensuring that all data transmitted between the web server
and browser remains encrypted, should also be deployed on your blog site. SSL is important for
establishing trust, and ranking, with Google.
A simple and professional design with an eye toward publishing is key. A blog is not the
time to have neon, large logos, lawyer pictures, and other bells and whistles. Design with the
reader, on a smart-phone, in mind.
6.) Use Social Media
As of 2017, daily social media usage of global internet users amounted to 135 minutes
per day, up from 126 daily minutes in the previous year.
Social media, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, is where people are spending
significant time. Users of these three mediums tend to be older, highly educated, and more
affluent.
Taking your blog to social media — to the people — is as critical to your success as it is
for a reporter in well-known newspapers to take their stories to social media.
Social media is learned through trial and error. Legal professionals should focus on the
major three — Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It may take a year or more to become effective
and comfortable on social media. Begin with one at a time.
On Facebook, share your blog posts (in their entirety or in an excerpt) from your personal
account, not your law firm’s account. Facebook’s algorithms will determine which of your posts
are displayed on the newsfeeds of your Facebook friends. Facebook users see what is of value
and relevant to them, they do not see every post shared by friends.
Facebook will work best for you if you are building a network of personal and
professional friends and engaging (sharing other stories, liking, and commenting) regularly.
You will of course want to share your posts on Twitter. But it’s most important that you
liberally share other people’s stories and posts. Not only will you establish yourself as a well-
read authority on your niche, but you'll be seen as someone who “gives” more than they ask in
return. Feedly makes this easy.
Include the Twitter handle of the people whose stories and posts you tweet. This way
they’ll see that you have shared their work on Twitter. Relationships and followers ensue.
When sharing your blog posts on Twitter, give a “hat tip” to the subject of your post and
to any blogger or reporter whose story you may have quoted. They’ll appreciate the coverage and
your reputation will grow. A hat tip is given by merely penning “h/t @kevinokeefe” at the end of
your tweet following the url.
LinkedIn is a growing as a social network for legal bloggers. Share your blog posts in the
status update with a brief summary of your post. Your posts will then appear in the LinkedIn
feed of users. Again, algorithms will determine what gets seen and by whom.
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preferably with a responsive design, is critical today. People, especially influencers, are
consuming and sharing content on tablets and smartphones. A responsive design ensures that
content looks right on all of them. A responsive design is also important for Google.
Content distribution has moved beyond email and Google searches. Law blog posts, just
like articles from The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, are distributed socially via
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Social media is bigger on mobile than on non-mobile devices.
SSL, a standard protocol for ensuring that all data transmitted between the web server
and browser remains encrypted, should also be deployed on your blog site. SSL is important for
establishing trust, and ranking, with Google.
A simple and professional design with an eye toward publishing is key. A blog is not the
time to have neon, large logos, lawyer pictures, and other bells and whistles. Design with the
reader, on a smart-phone, in mind.
6.) Use Social Media
As of 2017, daily social media usage of global internet users amounted to 135 minutes
per day, up from 126 daily minutes in the previous year.
Social media, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, is where people are spending
significant time. Users of these three mediums tend to be older, highly educated, and more
affluent.
Taking your blog to social media — to the people — is as critical to your success as it is
for a reporter in well-known newspapers to take their stories to social media.
Social media is learned through trial and error. Legal professionals should focus on the
major three — Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It may take a year or more to become effective
and comfortable on social media. Begin with one at a time.
On Facebook, share your blog posts (in their entirety or in an excerpt) from your personal
account, not your law firm’s account. Facebook’s algorithms will determine which of your posts
are displayed on the newsfeeds of your Facebook friends. Facebook users see what is of value
and relevant to them, they do not see every post shared by friends.
Facebook will work best for you if you are building a network of personal and
professional friends and engaging (sharing other stories, liking, and commenting) regularly.
You will of course want to share your posts on Twitter. But it’s most important that you
liberally share other people’s stories and posts. Not only will you establish yourself as a well-
read authority on your niche, but you'll be seen as someone who “gives” more than they ask in
return. Feedly makes this easy.
Include the Twitter handle of the people whose stories and posts you tweet. This way
they’ll see that you have shared their work on Twitter. Relationships and followers ensue.
When sharing your blog posts on Twitter, give a “hat tip” to the subject of your post and
to any blogger or reporter whose story you may have quoted. They’ll appreciate the coverage and
your reputation will grow. A hat tip is given by merely penning “h/t @kevinokeefe” at the end of
your tweet following the url.
LinkedIn is a growing as a social network for legal bloggers. Share your blog posts in the
status update with a brief summary of your post. Your posts will then appear in the LinkedIn
feed of users. Again, algorithms will determine what gets seen and by whom.
48
