As with many issues in law, it depends. What is the ultimate goal of your law firm? Many people quickly answer “making money,” but isn’t there more to it than that? Although making money is a central goal of any law practice, owners and managers are often gratified when they meet other, more abstract goals. In this piece, we’ll examine common law firm goals and how blogging regularly can help your law practice achieve its goals. We’ll then set forth factors you can consider to decide whether to blog in-house or hire a law firm blogging service.
What Is a Law Blog?
A blog is an online tool used to communicate information to people. In the business arena, companies often use blogs to inform existing or potential customers about issues, products, and potential solutions. (Blogs are also used by individuals and entities that want to communicate online about opinions, thoughts, or even just daily experiences.)
In a slideshare, Jonathan Petersen provides a great definition of a blog for people who are unfamiliar with the term:
[A] website consisting of entries (also called posts) appearing in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first (similar in format to a daily journal). Blogs typically include features such as comments and links to increase user activity.
A person who writes blogs is known as a “blogger” or simply as a blog writer. And a law blog is just a blog that covers legal issues targeted toward its desired audience.
Now that you know what a blog is, let’s examine common law firm goals.
What Are Common Law Firm Goals?
Law firm goals can be as varied as their attorneys. Certainly, profitability is a central goal of for-profit businesses. However, there are many others. Chris Joseph of the Houston Chronicle discusses five common goals of businesses. Let’s take a look:
- sustained profitability
- solid customer service
- employee (and customer) retention
- enhanced efficiency
- business growth
A core aspect of meeting many of these goals is relationship-building. In the past, much of this was conducted through traditional outbound marketing initiatives, described by Brian Halligan blogging for Hubspot as “trade shows, seminar series, email blasts [], [] cold calling, outsourced telemarketing, and advertising.”
Should Law Firms Have a Blog?
Millions of people use the Internet to find information about products and services they need. Realizing this, more and more companies are turning to inbound marketing.
The term “inbound marketing” involves positioning your law firm strategically so that potential clients find you rather than the other way around. Methods include building an search-friendly website, legal blogging, and creating a strong social media presence.
Imagine this: A leading U.S.-based information technology research company has predicted that by the year 2020 (next year?), 85% of the time a customer interfaces with a company, he or she won’t even talk to a human.
As we are propelled into the digital age, we must prioritize structuring our websites to attract new firm clients and build relationships. Blogging plays a key role in achieving these goals.
Law firm blogging allows firms to increase their value to existing and potential clients by providing them with information they need, when they need it. Law firm blogs also give us the means to put fresh content online, enhancing the attractiveness of our websites to search engines (when done correctly). At the same time, legal blogging helps us meet our business goals: creating profitability, enhancing efficiency, and growing our companies.
Do People Really Read Legal Blogs?
Yes! When they are done properly! For many of our clients, blogs drive more website traffic than all pages other than Home!
Should My Law Firm Blog Internally or Outsource?
Because blogs are easy to set up and have so many advantages, many law firms have started blogging. This can be manageable in-house if you have an employee to dedicate to the process who is a self-starter, can learn how to leverage the benefits of blogging, and can make blogging a priority.
If the assignment is a secondary duty or the person is ill-suited for the task, it can be easy to let blogging fall to the wayside, losing the benefits of posting regularly, of remaining “fresh” to search engines, and of building relationships that matter.
That’s one of the reasons some companies choose to outsource this work to a law firm blog service. Semrush offers great tips when you’re considering whether to hire a blog writer or buy blog posts. This is an individualized decision that only you can make. But either way, consistently posting high-quality content is key.
Now it’s time to think . . . In what ways might blogging push your law firm toward its goals?
If you decided to hire a law firm blogging service, contact TOPDOG Legal Marketing. We love helping our clients connect with others, and we’ll work with you to develop a law firm blogging strategy that moves your firm forward. Learn more about our law firm blogging services today: (844) HEY-TDOG (439-8364) or (480) 744-7331.
