What's better than getting your law blog noticed?
Seth Godin blogs the mantra of the new Web is 'Notice me.'
No question that's the mission of many lawyers and law firms who are blogging for client development.
- When do we send out the press release release announcing our blog?
- When do I start getting lots of followers?
- When does our blog start appearing at the top of the search engines?
- When does our blog become a leading community forum for discussion in our niche?
- When do we start seeing lots unique visitors and page views in our Web stats?
As Seth points out, you then start doing things that don't benefit you, just because you're hooked on attention.
Far better than being noticed, Per Seth, with some added commentary for law firms.
- Trusted. Nothing is better for you as a lawyer than being viewed as a trusted and reliable authority in your area of practice or locale. This is especially true with the public's lack of trust on our profession.
- Engaged with. Maintaining, building, and nurturing relationships is the heart of client development. Lawyers get hired by people they have relationships with. Engaging your target audience by listening to them and adding value to the conversation is how you build relationships.
- Purchased from. Getting work is the bottom line.
- Discussed. Word of mouth is how the best lawyers get their work.
- Echoed. Having your blog content amplified by your readers in blogs, on Twitter, on social networking websites, by email, and by being shared offline is at the heart of establishing a reputation as a trusted authority.
- Teaching us. If you are providing value to your target audience, you'll get noticed, your reputation will grow, and you'll be hired.
- Leading. Leading discussion online and being recognized as a thought leader is not only a lot of fun, but brings with it all of the above.
Measure ROI for your law blog by looking at these seven factors. Ask yourself our we accomplishing these things via our blog?
Don't get sucked into measuring blog success by attention and Web stats. Don't call out for immediate attention through press releases and the like. You'll be taking your eye off of the ball.
Kevin,
I read Seth's post yesterday and have been thinking about it on and off -- went back to reread it today and found a link to your post. Thank you -- I think your insight could be applied to anyone that is reaching out in the world of Social Media. The mantra is correct, but how it is applied is what is lacking attention.
One thing to keep in mind is the difference between having a lot of unique visitors and gaining actual customers. There are many things that lawyers could do to spruce up their sites and attract people from all over the internet, but if these visitors are people who aren't interested in the lawyers' services, then there's little advantage to having them visit. It's far better to attract and woo your ideal customers, convincing them to use your services, then to have a million unique visitors that aren't interested in what you have to offer.
Great post Kevin!
It's not about "me", it's about "we".
It's amazing hoe much you learn over time, thanks for the advice it nails a number of things right on the head. It also is right on with the way you need to measure success. I've wish I had some of this advice when I started.
A good article.
I like the idea of not getting sucked in by the web stats. People all too often do this, even I did in the beginning.
The moment you stop measuring, and actually blogging on what you know and are comfortable with, the better you will be received.
Thanks
Malcolm