Top 10 blog mistakes by law firms and law firm marketing professionals

A chief marketing officer for a large law firm back East asked me today for a quick top 10 mistakes law firms make when it comes to law blogs.

As with writing a letter, I didn’t have time to write a short one so I wrote a long list.

• Launch blog without longstanding first hand experience blogging or support from someone who does

• Unlike websites, your audience will find your blog right away
• Mark Twain: ‘Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.’
• Can easily embarrass firm without knowing it

• Largest law firms in country have done so on repeated basis
• Multiple ways to do so

• Blogs allow one to enter into a conversation with thought leaders
• Blogs are a networking tool
• Blogs are not just an easy to use web publishing platform

• Blog software is supported by eclectic fragmented development community
• Software regularly needs enhancements/plug-ins developed by people familiar with blog software

• Sophisticated audience consumes content:

• 75% of reporters use blogs and RSS to locate experts and get insight on stories
• Executives and in-house counsel

• Categories
• Promotional copy

• Much different than traditional PR and marketing
• Traditional marketing & PR may negatively impact blog’s perception
• Entering into conversation is key
• Use of social media, including LinkedIn, and online news sites is key

• How content is being consumed by your target audience
• How you use RSS feeds to identify existing thought leaders and leading discussion topics

• Law firms traditionally do poor job on SEO
• No reason to publish if cannot be found

So when going it alone on a law blog where your butt and the reputation of your law firm is on the line ask yourself one question. ‘Do you feel lucky?’