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How Your Law Firm Can Blog Effectively
Starting a blog can be one of the best marketing decisions your law firm ever makes. Consider some of the benefits of blogging at your firm’s website:
- It allows you to exhibit thought leadership and industry authority.
- It educates and informs your clientele, giving them a better grasp on the legal process.
- It provides you with content for social media, for email newsletters, and beyond.
- It improves your site’s SEO prospects, as well.
The bottom line: Blogging enhances the reputation of your firm, and it can also provide you with greater search engine visibility. With that said, effective blogging can sometimes feel elusive; here are some tips we’d offer to make your firm’s blog a true marketing asset, not just a boondoggle.
Better Blogging for Your Law Firm
Choose Your Topics Wisely
One of the most challenging aspects of blogging is simply knowing what to blog about. As you consider potential topics, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Remember your legal niche and stick to it.
- Blog about things your clients care about—issues or pain points affecting their life.
- Avoid too much “inside baseball.” Remember, you’re blogging for lay people, not for fellow attorneys.
- Be willing to blog about tough issues that relate to your field, even the ones other lawyers shy away from; after all, these are probably the issues where your clients need the most help.
Write Compelling Headlines
The headline is arguably the most important piece of each blog post. Why? Because without a compelling headline, nobody is ever going to click, read, or share the post. Some tips for good headlines:
- Promise value; your headline should let readers know what they can expect to get out of it.
- Don’t use clickbait or be otherwise misleading; your content should always accurately reflect the title of your post and vice versa.
- Sometimes the best titles are phrased as questions; in other instances, they simply promise knowledge on a particular topic—e.g., 5 Things to Know When Choosing a Divorce Lawyer, etc.
Use Multimedia
Nobody likes to stare at an all black-and-white screen, so enrich your posts with images, infographics, or even embedded video. The right media will augment your writing, not detract from it.
Format for Easy Reading
You may write the most insightful post in the world, but if it’s presented as one huge chunk of text, nobody’s going to want to read it. Make sure you format your post to be easy on the eyes. Some tips:
- Keep paragraphs short whenever possible.
- Use bullet points and numbered lists when appropriate.
- Include plenty of empty space in the margins, between paragraphs, etc.
- Use section headings and subheadings to help readers navigate your post.
Be Consistent
This may be the hardest step of all—but for your blog to be effective, you really need to stick to a consistent schedule. Make an editorial calendar in advance, denoting:
- When new posts need to be written.
- When new posts will be published.
- Who is writing each post.
- Topics/categories for upcoming posts.
Include a CTA
Finally, while the point of your blog posts is to be informative, that doesn’t mean you can’t end with a strong call to action—simply advising readers to call you with any further questions. Make sure to include the appropriate contact info and/or links, as well!
With these guidelines, you’re ready to launch your firm’s blog—and we’d love to help! Reach out to Driven2020 today for questions about legal marketing strategy, content creation, and beyond.
