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.