I was in Toronto last week doing a series of roundtable discussions with law firms on blogging and social media. One of the firms wanted to lead off the discussion by looking at the web statistics for the their existing law blogs. I asked why.
The law firm was a large general practice law firm. The firm acknowledged it gets its work through relationships and the word of mouth reputation it has. Two things — relationships and reputation — that are tough to measure.
Blogging and other social media are meant to strengthen relationships and enhance one’s reputation. Perfect for the law firm — but tough to measure.
That’s okay per Seth Godin. You don’t try to measure unmeasurable media.
One school of thought is to measure everything. If you can’t measure it, don’t do it. This is the direct marketer method and there’s no doubt it can work.
There’s another thought, though: Most businesses (including your competitors) are afraid of big investments in unmeasurable media. Therefore, if you have the resources and the guts, it’s a home run waiting to be hit.
And two things you ought never do per Seth.
- Try to measure unmeasurable media and use that to make decisions. You’ll get it wrong. Sure, some sophisticated marketers get good hints from their measurements, but it’s still an art, not a science.
- Compromise on your investment. Small investments in unmeasurable media almost always fail. Go big or stay home.
This doesn’t mean law blogs and social media don’t bring results. Lawyers blogging well are hitting home runs — in relationships, in word of mouth reputations, and in growing clientele.
Just don’t try to measure what may be immeasurable. And don’t hold back on media (blogging and social media) because they’re immeasurable.
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