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Are the good law blog niche subjects already taken?

Earlier this week Steve Rubel appeared on Canadian TV to discuss blogging. In part of his interview Steve maintained it’s “difficult today to build a profitable blog since many of the big niches are taken.”

Reminded me of the concern of many LexBlog clients. That being we don’t want to start a niche law blog on a subject that already has a number of successful law blogs.

Thinking that way is short sighted. Look at a blog as your way of entering into an ongoing conversation with thought leaders and influencers who are discussing issues germane to your niche and of interest to your clients and prospective clients. Look at your blog as a way of demonstrating that you’re listening (the first part of a conversation) to the concerns of clients and prospective clients by sharing information and insight of value to them.

You enter that conversation to engage clients, prospective clients, referral sources and the influencers of those three (bloggers, reporters, association leaders and the like). Engaging people in conversations results in real and meaningful relationships. Relationships that lead to new work.

This sort of blogging is aptly called networking through the Internet. And not just random networking. Strategic networking with your target audience.

Sounds a lot like networking offline, doesn’t it? Getting out to functions to press the flesh and schmooze with potential clients. Old school, traditional, and conservative are the labels our new client law law firms call this sort of marketing.

Would you ever say your law firm is going to stop networking to get work in your niche because there are other lawyers out doing that work and doing a little networking of their own? Would you turn down a conference invite to speak to a room full of potential clients because another lawyer was on the same panel? Probably not.

Blogging is the same. You’re a lawyer who wants to work in a particular area of the law for a certain type of client. Now go make it happen by networking with your target audience. Don’t ‘stay in the office’ and not come out because there are some other blogs on the topic.

Large portions of networking for the legal profession is moving online. Lawyers network through the Internet via blogs and other tools with the ease and effectiveness of a lawyer working a room 39 years ago.

You may decide that an area of the law or industry segment is not ripe for growth. You may decide that the incremental revenue opportunities don’t merit the investment you’ll need to to make to get work in an area of law or industry. Those are separate issues holding a lot of merit.

But like 30 years ago, don’t shy away from networking in areas of the law or in industry segments you have strategically decided to go after because another lawyer or law firm is already blogging in the space.

  • http://blog.jparkhill.com Jay Parkhill

    Right on. I have not, to my knowledge, gotten a client directly through my blog. OTOH, many prospective clients report meeting me, then searching me on the internet. They find my blog and see that I write about startups, licensing, sustainability and how to have a successful law practice by treating clients fairly and being transparent about billing practices.
    I get the best results when I write specifically to one subset of my blog community. I don’t need a profitable blog (whatever that means). I need a profitable law practice. The blog helps me engage with people toward the latter goal. If the former happens as well so much the better.

  • http://www.chinalawblog.com Dan

    I completely agree with you. There is still plenty of room for GOOD blogs and there always will be. Not to mention the fact that good blogs feed off other good blogs. I know this sounds weird, but I am always stunned at how few GOOD blogs there are in nearly every niche I have searched.

  • http://www.nofaultparadise.blogspot.com David Gottlieb

    First, it’s “difficult today to build a profitable blog” whether you are the only player in town, or one of many. The author makes the difference, not the niche.
    Second, there are plenty of great niches available. I can think of plenty that haven’t been covered or aren’t sufficiently covered. It really isn’t that hard. One easy way to find a blog topic is; think back to when you had a question about your area of law, or a question as to a nuance on the law. You probably googled it. And on at least one occasion, you probably didn’t receive any useful information. Bingo. There is your topic.
    Still on second. Sometimes people think too small. Cover the big picture. Plenty of people avoid it because they think it’s too daunting. It probably isn’t. For example: State Constitutional Law, Evidence, Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Depositions, etc.
    I’m no expert. But I don’t think it’s as complicated as most people make it seem.

  • Neil J. Squillante

    I agree and disagree with Kevin. If other law firms have existing blogs in your practice area that shouldn’t prevent you from launching your own if you have the creativity to set a new standard. But forget about Kevin’s touch feely talk of joining the conversation. Yes you should network but you should aim to become number one or two in your practice area — Jack Welch’s rule. If you don’t attain an audience you won’t attract clients. It’s simple math.

  • http://kevin.lexblog.com Kevin OKeefe

    Thanks for the comment Neal, but that ‘touchy feely’ stuff that you label joining the conversation is what lawyers achieving the highest ROI from blogging do.
    66% of people coming to your blog the first time come via links on other blogs. You want those links to come from A-list blogs. The way you get A-listers to even see you as a new blog is to join the conversation by 1) listening to what they are posting and 2) referencing what they have to say, along with your take/commentary in your own blog.
    A successful law blogger will do the same in referencing what is being reported in the main stream media. Doing that enables you to meet reporters, editors, and publishers.
    In addition to exposure in the news and in blogs, think of what your clients, prospective clients, and referral sources see when they Google your name. Not just your website and blog, but tacit endorsements of you as an authority by thought leaders and the media citing what you’ve said. Powerful stuff.

  • Neil J. Squillante

    Thank you for clarifying Kevin. I agree that marketing is essential. Your use of terms like “conversation” threw me off (I skimmed your Post on my iPhone half asleep). So, yes, before you launch a blog, make sure you can publish regularly and make sure you have a marketing plan. As Kevin suggests, networking with established bloggers before you launch is a relatively inexpensive form of marketing as many of them will likely link to you when you launch. Just don’t pay anyone to link to you — Google penalizes sites that sell and benefit from paid links.