If your firm is thinking about starting a legal blog, you may be a little overwhelmed at everything that can be involved. From plugins to publishing to promoting, it can seem daunting at first. Thankfully, we’ve compiled some of the basics that you need to know, and broken them down into five simple, but very critical, categories.
Look and feel: When starting your law firm’s new blog, the first thing you will most likely be faced with is how it looks. Using a platform like WordPress will be the most convenient for both your time and money – and it is completely customizable. A blogging platform can provide your firm with a multitude of themes to choose from. The theme and color scheme should be visually similar to that of the rest of your firm’s website, and any and all tweaking to the visuals should be done before you start publishing and promoting your new legal blog.
Consistency: The consistency of your blog posts needs to be decided up front, so that it isn’t determined by how often you have a new blog post topic come to mind (because that will not happen as often as you should be publishing new blog articles!). Generally, posting more often is better, but if you’re just starting out, set a goal of simply posting once a week. Gradually start increasing that number so that after a few months, you are posting once a day.
Purpose: Try to keep your purpose vague enough that it gives you a broad range as to what you are able to write and publish, but specific enough that each article you post can actually help a potential client. The reason why you are writing will be obvious – and should be obvious – in each post that you publish. As you are working to determine your purpose, remember that – that each blog article that you post will have some degree of transparency to your true intention, and that you should write each of them accordingly.
Audience: Determining your target audience goes hand-in-hand with figuring out the purpose behind why you are writing. Most likely, your target audience will be future clients, and the kinds of clients will be dependent on your specific area of practice (personal injury, criminal defense, bankruptcy, etc.). Once you have finished each post, make sure to re-read it specifically to verify that it is tailored toward your particular target audience.
Content: Having quality content is, by far, the most important factor in your law firm’s blog, and that quality content is where your target audience and your purpose meet. If you know for whom you are writing and what you hope for them (and your firm) to gain, the content should flow easily from that point forward. If you are struggling with creative topic ideas, think of the most common concerns you hear from clients, and start by addressing each one of those as a separate article.
If you still have questions about starting your new legal blog, or have questions on how to develop your blog further, call us today to speak with a content writing expert – not a salesperson! We can review your blog for free and offer helpful advice that will translate into new clients for you. Call us today at (800) 877-2776!
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