Law Practice
Nov. 24, 2016
The legal blog
Blogging aids search engine optimization, attracts clients and can help establish you as an expert.
GOING SOLO
Running a solo practice means keeping an eye on all the components of your practice. This includes creating a website, maintaining a web presence and developing a marketing strategy. One of the best tools for digital marketing for solo attorneys is through the use of blogs, both as a tool for attracting clients, as well as developing your reputation as an expert in your field.
Blogging can be an effective marketing tool, and is an essential part of search engine optimization for any modern website. One of the ways in which Google ranks and sorts websites is how often they are updated with new and unique content. For any legal website the home page and core elements will likely remain unchanged during the course of a year, which is why having an active blog is important.
They say you shouldn't claim to be an expert on something unless you can explain it to a 5 year old. That is a good technique to use when blogging about complex legal issues for the general public. During my first year of practice, one of my weekly routines was to generate one blog post based on the legal questions that came up for that week. Writing about these issues in plain English allowed me to break down the law in simple terms, something which is good practice for my own understanding of the law and also a good way to attract visitors.
Blogging about common questions and providing some general guidance can certainly attract interested clients, just be sure to make it clear that your blog posts don't constitute legal advice. Usually providing people with a general overview of their options and what to expect without providing case specific advice will result in a client following up with a consultation in order to understand how their own facts may apply to this case.
You can also blog about updates in your own practice, changes in the law or general information that you think would be useful for clients to know. I have found exploring specific topics can be useful for attracting a specific demographic of clients. For example a blog about the general components of an asylum case can be useful to attract someone who is considering asylum. Keep in mind that if you do blog about a case you should be sure to respect client confidentiality.
Even if your blog posts don't attract actual clients, it can still result in clicks. One of my most popular posts was about what you should do if you lost your U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services appointment notice. Normally someone who has this issue is not looking to hire an attorney, but simply needs some general advice - but their clicks gave my website an organic boost on Google's index and ultimately helped the overall health of the website.
Finding a balance between blogging for clients, blogging for clicks and blogging for your own enjoyment is an important part of a marketing strategy and having a nice routine in your solo practice. There are a number of guides on the internet that can help you understand the basics of running an effective legal blog, and some of the professional considerations you should observe with regard to running a legal blog.
Blogging can also be utilized as a technique to promote your practice, and build your reputation as an expert in particular area of law. Writing for outside websites can be both fun and exciting, and allow you to practice your nonlegal writing skills. For example, writing a guest blog or op-ed for an outside website is not only an effective way to advocate for an issue that you are passionate about, but can serve as a marketing technique for years to come, as the article will remain posted on the internet for the foreseeable future.
Writing on specific issues over time can develop your reputation as an expert and resource for clients, journalists, community organizations and other advocates. It can also save you money on advertising and marketing in a digital age. For solo attorneys, running an effective solo blog can be an efficient and fun way to continue to grow their practice and find their voice as an advocate.
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