7 reasons why lawyers using Twitter need a blog
Twitter's been a game changer in lawyer networking, branding, and client development. But that doesn't mean lawyers using Twitter can forgo a blog. You still need a blog.
Here's seven reasons:
- Twitter, despite a meteoric rise in popularity (mirroring blog growth of 4 or 5 years ago) is not used by enough people. As a lawyer you need to reach your target audience, no matter how small your niche may be. Your target audience of clients, prospective clients, and their influencers is on the net and using Google all day long. A blog gets you in front of them while Twitter only gets you in front of a slice of your target audience.
- There's only so much you can say in 140 characters. Sharing what you see and offering your insight and commentary in a dinner conversation tone is the essence of a good blog post. Three of four brief paragraphs keyed up in 15 minutes, sure. But not 140 characters.
- Clients, prospective clients, and the influencers of those two are looking for a lawyer's philosophy, skill, passion, and level of care in a lawyer's Internet writings. We look to hire lawyers we can get to know a bit. Twitter is pretty limited in that regard.
- You need a home base, a place that's all your own. A blog is all yours under your brand with just your archived content and reader's comments. Twitter does not provide that.
- You need to be easily found on Google. A Seattle environmental lawyer may twitter all day and not get found on a Google search for Seattle environmental lawyer. A well optimized blog will get found on such a search.
- Blog content from influential law blogs is appearing every day by virtue of syndication at the likes of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other leading publications. Your Twitter feeds are not - yet.
- Your target audience is likely to be impressed by a well done blog while the majority of the attendees at conferences I address still chuckle about Twitter - their loss, but still a reality.
Don't get me wrong, I see Twitter being among the key big three in lawyer client development today, LinkedIn and a blog being the other two. I agree with Guy Kawasaki that Twitter is the most powerful branding tool to come along since the television.
But you can't go it alone with Twitter. It should be one arrow in your reputation enhancement, client development, and word of mouth marketing quiver along with a blog.
Please share your ideas of why a lawyer using twitter needs a blog by passing them along via Twitter (@kevinokeefe) or a comment here. I'll share your ideas in an updated post.
Helpful? Copy, Paste, then Tweet it!
7 reasons why lawyers using Twitter need a blog http://is.gd/eSA8
What about LegalOnRamp.com?
Couple others:
1. You own your blog and all the content. You control it. If Twitter goes out of business tomorrow or some evil Twitter person deletes your account,then what? You have nothing.
2. As Francis Pileggi said here (http://twitter.com/fpileggi/status/1105843855), it is easy to search your body of work on a blog of your own. After you've written hundreds of posts it turns into a valuable archive that you can quickly draw upon.
A blog is something you "own" and can grow. It is where you can put so much information and content in one place too. Twitter will never replace blogging. It will however, enhance it and help you grow your blog.
All professional services firms should have blogs, the perfect medium for providing an arms-length, yet personal introduction to its thought leaders. Clients hire a firm because they have come to trust the its principal(s). Who has time for lunch anymore, much less golf?