You may feel that blogging for business doesn’t apply to a serious business like a law firm. We look at why every good law firm should have their own blog.
96% of people who are seeking legal advice turn to a search engine to find prospective attorneys. 74% of this group will contact the attorney’s office within a day of their research.
As a legal representative, you can’t afford to ignore these facts. What you can and should do is hone in on your digital marketing efforts to drive in more traffic. Blogging is one of the most efficient ways to do just that.
Blogging allows businesses to engage with potential customers in a non-intrusive way. This ultimately leads to more sales, as customers are likely to work with a trusted brand.
While blogging was once a mere hobby among internet users, it’s now a crucial step in how the world does business. If you’re not convinced you need a blog, you’re wrong. Here’s why blogging for business has a place in the law field.
Blogging Helps Build Your Brand
Branding isn’t as important in the legal field, because all firms are the same, right? Wrong.
Even in a cut-and-dry field like law, there is a need for companies to distinguish themselves. It’s essential your firm establishes its strengths and values over its competitors.
Blogging is an effective tool for building a brand. You can establish brand identity by the content you decide to write about and also the tone you write in.
When deciding what to write when building your brand, consider your field. What areas are you an expert in? Use your blog to prove this to an audience, not just tell through case studies, testimonials, etc.
You’ll also want to consider focusing on your local market. 71% of people looking for a lawyer think it’s important to work with a nearby attorney.
So, rather than trying to rank for more widespread key phrases, go with the long-tail keywords.
For an example, check out this post. Notice the firm, Farris, Riley & Pitt LLP, focuses on drunk driving cases in Birmingham, Alabama.
You know this because they make it clear to the audience what area they serve. Birmingham locals should be able to find this law firm pretty easily.
Blogging for Business Builds Relationships
As we mentioned, it’s common for someone to build a relationship with a brand who’s blog they read. Blogs build trust and establish brands as thought-leaders.
What’s great about blogging is that it’s far more subtle than traditional advertising. Simply put, consumers do not respond well to old advertising gimmicks anymore. These methods were successful in the past, but now they’re unfavorable in the reader’s eye.
In fact, The Florida Bar surveyed its members in 2015 to study lawyer advertisement. 84% of members said advertising negatively impacts the public’s opinion of lawyers.
Creative strategies, like blogging, are a must for reaching an audience. But, keep in mind it’s not enough to just throw some content together for SEO purposes. You need to develop evergreen content that isn’t click-bait for a reader.
It’s also important you maintain a regular blog presence to see any effects. Your search ranking is largely determined by the frequency of your blogging efforts.
Blogging Personifies Your Brand
A lot of companies, especially in the legal realm, have the burden of seeming too “business-like.” But, any good lawyer should want to build a more personal relationship with their clients. Having a blog helps exert this emotional appeal.
If you want to build a connection with prospective clients, you’ve got to be strategic in your writing. You’ve got to ditch the law jargon and break down information so that a regular person can understand it.
The purpose of a blog is to entertain and/or educate a reader. A blog doesn’t achieve this if it’s overstuffed with confusing terminology.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to be so stiff all the time. Most matters pertaining to the law are sensitive, but, it’s not bad to show a little light. You’ll still want to focus on legal topics, but you can use fun examples to demonstrate your arguments.
Blogs Produce a Strong ROI
Blogging is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies you can implement. Unlike other digital marketing efforts, it doesn’t take a great deal of time and resource. But, it does tend to produce a large return on investment.
You have to commit to your blog efforts to see results, yes. But, that typically means producing 2-3 blogs per week for most companies. Most writers can create a well-thought-out blog post within an hour or two.
You can utilize a staff member with strong writing skills. But, as most attorneys are under time constraints, it can be more effective to outsource. Even if you have to work with an external candidate, blogging is still worth what you’ll spend.
Some marketing agencies and freelancers charge hourly rates for their written work. Over the course of a month, this could equate to a few hundred dollars. But, it’s a small price to pay once you see the steady flow of clients coming from your sites.
82% of marketers who blog see positive ROI for their inbound marketing efforts. Also, blogging makes marketers 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI. As you can see, blogging propels a company’s page into the spotlight of the web.
Let’s Wrap This Up
No matter what industry you’re in, blogging for business purposes is here to stay. The benefits a well-kept blog retains is invaluable. You’re only hurting yourself by ignoring its power.
I help entrepreneurs build personal growth, learn finances and motivation, and more. Be sure to check out some of my other resources for blogging and other digital marketing efforts. Also, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.