Not every lawyer deserves a blog
"You shouldn't go around asking everyone and anyone if they want a blog. Blogs aren't candy. They're a tool." That from Pat Thornton, a new media journalist and Web developer, in explaining why not every journalist or reporter should have a blog. Applies equally well to lawyers.
Often editors go around asking who wants a blog, and will accept just about any idea for a blog from a staff member. Maybe they'll even allow them to have a blog with no real theme or vision. They'll allow those staffers to post about whatever.That's what we call lack of a concrete strategy. People don't like blogs because they are blogs. People like blogs because of the content and the two-way communication.
People like bloggers who connect with them. People like blogs with a specific purpose that fills a niche. In short: people don't like random blogs.
Blogs are hip now. So legal marketing professionals and lawyers want a blog. They're not sure why, but others have them, their SEO consultant said they ought to get one, or a competitor law firm has one. Problem is that they do not want to take the time to learn what blogging really is and how they should use a blog as a reputation enhancer and client development tool.
Vision and mission is critical per Thorton.
You need to have a vision and plan to really make blogging work, and just adding blogs for the sake of having blogs does not impress anyone. Blogs are everywhere. Little kids to grand parents have blogs.You need to offer a blog that others can't offer. You need to harness your niche, which should be owning the stories and news in your coverage area.
If you're a lawyer in Peoria wanting to grow a family practice, blog about divorce issues that connect with folks in Southern Illinois. Akin to Thorton's advice to reporters, "If you're a local newspaper, don't write about national issues that don't directly affect your readers."
And please, please don't expect your online journal (as a lawyer blog was described by one clueless lawyer at a recent conference) to get you any legal work. Couldn't say it better than Thorton, "...if people want to read random online journals they can easily go to MySpace or Live Journal."
And don't go for the cool factor before you've ever put your foot in the water on blogging.
Don't add features like blogs, pod casts, talk back, etc just because you heard other places were using them. Add them because it makes your coverage better in a meaningful way.
To paraphrase Thorton's conclusions in a law firm blog situation, a tool if used properly that can really augment your firm's marketing coverage. A tool used poorly can dilute your brand and hurt your standing with prospective clients and their influencers. When a law firm starts blog, it should have a clear vision of what it wants to accomplish with its lawyer bloggers. Everything then done on the blog should be done to further that mission and to better connect with the blogs target audience.
Source on post: Amy Gahran
Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
