Posts Tagged ‘law firm blogging tips’

Creating A Successful New Law Firm Blog: Part 1

Sunday, December 1st, 2013

The following are some useful tips and strategies for creating a new business blog:

Write for yourself first. Writing takes a lot of time, effort and commitment, which is why it’s important that you are writing for yourself first & foremost. Focus on what you want to say, and how you want to say it. Expressing your thoughts and ideas is what will make your blog unique and interesting to visitors. You will also notice that you write more and publish more content when you yourself first before your readers. Allow your readers to react and comment, and create a dialogue.

Consistency is key. Publishing content consistently is probably one of the most important aspects of creating a successful blog. Many bloggers tend to overlook this. It’s essential to maintain your readership, because it’s far easier to lose visitors than to generate traffic. It is statistically proven that blogging consistently leads to a greater amount of site subscribers, so make sure to make an effort on a regular basis to update your blog posts.

Success takes time. When starting a blog, or any new venture for that matter, investing time and effort are necessary before reaching any level of success. The blogosphere is a competitive place, with many blogs and bloggers out there looking to capitalize on their efforts, whatever their objectives may be. It’s crucial you keep in mind that creating a successful blog requires an investment in effort over a period of time. Not only will you learn more about your audience, but you will also improve you own blogging skills and the site itself.

Keep it concise. One of the most important things to keep in mind about the content of each blog post is to keep it short and sweet. Try keeping it somewhere between one and two minutes in reading length. The attention span of most site visitors doesn’t stretch too far. Most visitors are looking for relatively short articles by which they can gain information quickly and move on, readers are also likely to share shorter posts than longer ones. Naturally, some articles will be longer than others, which is completely understandable and fine. It is up to you to determine the kind of attention certain content may require. Generally, for search engines to index content, there is usually a 300 word minimum, so keep this in mind. Statistically, most visitors to any blog don’t even bother scrolling to see the entire content of your site, and most read less than half of what is written and/or posted. Remember, blog posts should be short enough to engage the reader, but long enough to cover the subject matter.

Be Yourself. Establishing an identity for your blog begins with you. Whether it’s regarding style, function, or content, the most important thing is that you stay true to yourself. Simply being yourself over time will allow you to create a cohesive, well thought out blogging platform that your visitors can identify with and know what to expect. This is especially crucial in developing and maintaining an audience.
There is also a greater likelihood you will enjoy the entire process and writing articles even more when operating within your own comfort level. There isn’t a single formula for success. You should execute your blog and blogging strategy in a way that you are most comfortable with. This includes all aspects of communicating with your readership, no matter how simple or complex the content or subject matter.

To speak with an expert regarding all of your blogging needs and any additional questions you may have, call us toll free (800) 877-2776 to get started today with your new law firm business blog!

How to Build an Interactive Blog

Friday, November 15th, 2013

By its very nature, blogging is conversational in nature; unlike websites which typically offer unchanging copy, blogs are more like journals detailing a particular topic, continually updated by the author. An interactive blog goes even a step further than a “regular” blog in that it allows visitors to the site the opportunity to add their own feelings and ideas about the topic. If you write in a manner which invites others to add their own comments to your site you will end up with a more dynamic blog. You can’t simply expect others to comment without a little prompting from you. Aside from having a comments link, you can add a comments widget as well as asking readers within the blog itself to comment afterwards. A good place to add your request for comments is in the final paragraph, making it a call to action inviting comments.

Ask Questions to Get Comments

If you want others to comment on your blog, ask questions. Asking a question in the title of the blog is a good way to get additional comments. If your blog is titled “Are Younger Doctors More Compassionate?” then after reading your blog your readers are likely to either dispute your findings or agree with you, adding in their own insights and feelings. You can add a forum to your blog which extends the comments section and allows your readers to communicate with one another as well as with you. When the readers are answering your title question, they have more opportunity to interact with one another.

Leave Some Things Unsaid

If you cover a topic so thoroughly there is no room for your readers to add their opinions you will have severely limited the interactivity of your blog. Cover your subject, but leave at least a few things unwritten. This gives your readers room to respond to your blog by adding their own feelings and opinions. Don’t forget that if you are not willing to use your comment blog others may not be either. Once there are comments left, make sure you reply to those comments or you will leave the impression that your readers’ comments are not important. Interactivity includes you, the blog owner, so interact with your readers to the fullest extent.

Show Your True Self

Readers are most likely to respond to personal tidbits about you which show your human weaknesses or failings. For instance, married people want to read about the marriage problems of others in order to determine whether their own marriage is “normal.” Be humble and allow your readers to gain some insight into your life or your personality. Once they have a personal connection with you, readers are much more likely to continue to follow your blog. This doesn’t mean you can’t be controversial from time to time, simply because your readers now “know” you, however controversy brings risk so be aware. If you decide to use controversy to increase the interactivity of your blog, establish boundaries as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable or you could end up with constant squabbling.

Encourage Others to Comment

When a particularly good blog comment comes along, highlight it in your next blog. This encourages others to continue to comment in hopes their own comments could be highlighted in a future blog. Don’t forget that you are the person who will set the tone for your blog; if you continuously write ranting posts, you can expect to receive rants in your comment section. If your tone is inclusive your readers are more likely to respond in kind when they comment. If you are having trouble getting readers to comment at all, include a survey regarding a particular topic of interest. In the end, exercise patience and your blog will be well on its way to interactivity.

Want to speak with an expert, not a sales rep? Call (800) 877-2776 for real answers to your important law firm blogging and lead generation questions.