The substantial ROI a blog provides provides makes it well worth the time investment. Running a law blog may seem to be a complicated endeavor, but it doesn’t need to be that way as long as you plan ahead and blog strategically. Here are 11 tips to help your law firm develop an effective blogging strategy to help attract and engage new clients and referral sources.
1. Add the blog to your site
Make sure to add your blog to your existing website rather than hosting it elsewhere or placing it on a subdomain. From an SEO perspective, you want your website to get credit for any backlinks to your posts and gain from the increased numbers of pages and new content. You also want to make it easy for users to navigate and find their information they’re looking for by keeping everything on one website, helping you work toward your goal of driving traffic to your main site to generate leads.
2. Create an editorial calendar and a schedule.
Readers and search engines alike want to see consistently new content. The best way to make sure you’re constantly putting out quality posts is by developing an editorial calendar and sticking to a routine. Write down exactly what topics you’ll be posting on and when they’ll go live.
3. Write about relevant, interesting topics.
Consider what questions you’re commonly asked by clients and turn those into posts. You can also set up Google alerts for your practice areas and relevant keywords and write based on current news and big cases.
- The basics – what is X, things to think about when you hire an attorney, how much is my case worth/what are damages, how much does it cost to hire an attorney
- Google alerts for practice areas
- New laws
- Big cases (think SCONJ & SCOTUS)
4. Internal and external linking
Direct readers to other relevant content on your site and off of it with links to provide a more in-depth experience. Use these links to lead to complementary or related information that doesn’t duplicate what’s included blog post but instead adds additional layers of meaning and context. Incorporating links in a smart, deliberate way underlines the credibility of your blog and can improve your reputation for thought leadership.
5. Hook ’em – draw readers in from the start
While most people will at least glance at your intro, not everyone will take the time to read your entire body copy which means you need to grab readers right at the start. Use hooks to draw them in, such as commonly asked questions, appealing to an emotion, interesting facts or telling a story.
6. Think about SEO: practice area and geographic terms
Blogging is done for a purpose and that’s to get more clients. Think about SEO (search engine optimization) as you’re writing to generate traffic to your site from search engines like Google. Aim to target one specific keyword per post and consider practice area and geographic terms.
7. Include a call to action
Don’t let all your web traffic go to waste. Finish every post with some kind of call to action, such as signing up for an email list or following on a social network (keeping in mind relevant privacy laws of course).
8. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
Have someone else edit or wait a day or read it out loud. Nothing else will discredit your well thought out post faster than typos, which may make readers think you don’t know your topic – which you do! Error-free articles also will help your marketing efforts, since online publishers tend to link to quality blogs.
9. Include images and respond to comments
Don’t think of your blog as just a static source of content. Make it interactive by responding people’s comments. The more responses they get, the more likely people are to share your posts and continue reading them. Images will also help enhance their experience, while giving added SEO benefit.
10. Share on social media and email
Don’t count on people coming to your site to read your blog. There’s still work to do once your hit publish to get maximum exposure for your content. Have a plan in place to share your posts on social media and through email newsletters to get them in front of your target audience.
11. Don’t be afraid to hire help if you need it
There are only so many hours in the day and even with the best of intentions blogging can fall to the end of the priority list. Delegating your content marketing can make sure it gets done on a regular schedule to give you true marketing value. If you do decide to hire someone, make sure you choose a reputable writer whose knowledgeable about the particular ethical requirements lawyers are held to.
Ready to start bringing in more leads through content? Schedule a call!
