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ABA: Most Lawyers Not Marketing an Opening for Other Lawyers To Blog

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December 6, 2021

From the American Bar Association’s “Your Practice” comes a powerful piece on Monday that lawyers who market, at all, and do so with content have a powerful edge over other lawyers.

Most law firms do little online marketing, preferring to focus entirely on in-person networking and word-of-mouth referrals to generate leads. But the reality is that more and more legal consumers are vetting you entirely based on your online presence before they decide on whether to retain you.

A lawyer who exerts even the smallest effort to plan and execute online marketing will have a significant competitive advantage. That doesn’t mean spending a lot. With simple, inexpensive web marketing tactics, attorneys can execute effective online marketing.

(Emphasis added)

The ABA shared five marketing tips including doing a vanity search on yourself to see what you find, directory listings, setting up social media account profiles and using Google’s tools including setting up a business account and analytics.

But what jumps at you as the means for a lawyer to establish a name so that referrals, sources and clients see you as a a good lawyer is generating content.

Whether blogs, videos or podcasts, the ABA says you need to produce content on a recurring basis.

The ABA strategically picks up on the need to link to authorities in your writing. Doing so gets you in the “discussion” and cited by authorities, something viewed as very compelling for consumers of legal services.

Generate content — lots of it. In most cases, consumers will consume your content before making a hiring decision. You need to have something to say that referrals, sources and consumers are interested in listening to, seeing or reading about. Whether it’s articles, blogs, videos or podcasts, produce any kind of content on a recurring basis and publish it to your social media profiles, website and potentially to directory profiles. Include links to content from other trusted authors. Authoritative websites may pick up and republish your content. That’s a compelling blend for a legal consumer who’s looking for answers online before calling you. Can’t think of what to talk about? Start by addressing the 10 most common client questions.

At a time when lawyers are looking to build a book of business, the ABA makes a compelling case that it is very possible to do so. Your competition is weak, or already well established.

Content, and blogging as something that is easier and faster when building a name, as compared to audio and video, appears to be the way to go.