Law blogs : Old fashioned word of mouth marketing

Why are blogs becoming so popular for businesses, including law firms?

Per business coach Deborah Micek in an article in this morning’s Honolulu Star Bulletin:

The answer is simple when you consider the history of marketing and communication: A blog exponentially multiplies the world’s oldest, favorite and most-trusted form of information sharing — word of mouth.

People love sharing what they know with like-minded friends.

Think about it. Whom do you trust the most to give you advice, recommendations and information about opportunities, purchases or choices?

If you’re like most people, the person you trust the most is someone you know — someone whom you feel is just like you.

That type of trust comes from personal communication, conversations and relationships built with people who share common interests. When your blog is integrated into a complete new-media marketing strategy, it delivers all that and more.

And why do blogs work so well per Micek?

• Blogs are instant publishing tools that allow you to easily update your content, create relationships and build trust with your target audience.
• The power of blogs is not in the technology, but in the two-way conversations that create personal connections.
• A blog becomes a personal extension of the author, who builds relationships by responding to the feedback from clients and readers.
• Blogs are not just for press releases, product updates, or company news. Blogs are an open door to communication where customers and prospects can voice their opinions, contribute to product development and become part of your company family.
• Blogs provide the public with a more reliable way of getting news and information, free from mass-media manipulation and interruption marketing.

Slow down and think about the history of lawyer marketing for a minute.

Until the 1977 Supreme Court decision in the case of Bates v. Arizona State Bar we didn’t have any lawyer marketing or advertising. Notta. No yellow pages. No law firm newsletters. No ads on busses. No TV ads with 1-800-lawyers. No websites touting the wonderful exploits of lawyers.

How the heck did we lawyers survive? By reputation spread by word of mouth. And we earned this reputation by establishing ourselves as reliable and trusted authorities. It didn’t necessarily come easy. We worked at. And that was okay.

Now we expect instant client development by throwing dollars at advertising, search engine optimization, and what ever the next snake oil salesperson will serve up for thousands of dollars.

Doesn’t word of mouth make more sense in the long run? For a lot of lawyers and other business people who are blogging it does.