Blogging about Blogs: The Legal Way

Legal marketing has been rapidly changing since the 1960s. Today, excellent online presence on social media platforms is paramount for firms to attract clients. LinkedIn, Indeed Career Builder, Zoom-Info, and even Facebook are all platforms that legal recruiters use. With so many firms using social media it can be difficult to differentiate. Here’s where the blog comes in. Currently about only half of firms with 100+ employees use blogs and even less with smaller firms. The following graphic shows where firms of other various sizes fall in their blog use.

It can be difficult for small firms to blog well and blog consistently simply because they have limited human resources. If a firm has the time and resources to devote to a blog it will prove to be beneficial for them. Here are three reasons why a firm should blog.

1. Create Conversation With Potential Clients Before the First Meeting

Everyone has heard that first impressions go a long way. The same is true when a potential client is trying to determine which law firm to go with. An online blog can act as an outward facing presence for your firm that allows potential clients to interact with your firm without anyone actually sitting down for a meeting with them.

2. Showcase the Firm’s Values and Expertise

A well done blog provides immediate value to the client as well as gives them an idea of the expertise level and professionalism of your firm. Your blog can provide the client with information on various aspects of your firm, anywhere from how your firm handles sensitive information to your firm’s opinions on current events. This type of information made easily accessible to potential clients will help the client find trust in your people and your firm.

3. Generate Online Traffic

The final reason as to why blogging is a good idea is to simply generate online traffic. These days people use the internet for most of their searching and shopping so providing a blog on a firm’s website is a good way to stand out to potential clients. When trying to land clients, it is important for your firm to be sitting in the back of their mind and a well done blog can help make your firm memorable.

Decided to blog yet? Yes? Well here’s a stat to think about before you start: as of 2016 there was only a 42% success rate for blogs in this field. When deciding to do a blog, you must be committed to doing it right. If your firm can do a good job, then you will be ahead of the curve when it comes to social media presence and client relationships. But there is a big “if” there.

Some qualities of a well done blog are consistency (no one likes outdated information), accuracy, and usefulness. The best blogs are the ones that are constantly cycling out information so that there is always something new to discover when potential clients find their way to your website. This also helps to cover a broad range of topic areas. The final two qualities, accuracy and usefulness, go hand in hand. A consistently updated blog is no good if the information provided is not accurate or useful. It is recommended that multiple sources are used when providing information or making claims. Now, having accurate information is of no help to your clients if said information is not useful to them. Some advice I can give is to put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself “what would I want to know if I was looking for a law firm to do business with?” Obviously this is not the only route you can go when deciding to blog but it is a good starting place.

Are you still unsure of quite how to get started? One of the best blogs in the field is Dentons Blog. Head on over there for some ideas on either how to get started or how to revamp an existing blog. Best blogging!

Allie Buchalski – Content Creator

Special thanks to Amanda Ellis and Lucy Carstarpehn for their expert advice.