Blogs, Websites, & Social Media: How the Web Effects Your Lawyer Marketing Strategy
Lawyer marketing on the web is becoming far too self-promoting. This includes websites, blogs, videos, etc.
The content you put out on the web can work for you in many positive ways. However, there is a downside as well. Just because people find your writing, doesn't mean they have a favorable impression of you.
When you publish content on the web, make sure it isn't just a giant advertisement for yourself.
The following are some suggestions to avoid egregious self-promotion.
1. Don't write about how wonderful you are. You can show your expertise in more subtle ways. Write about your field of work. Put a creative, interesting, and personal voice to it. Think about the last time you read something and thoroughly enjoyed the piece. Didn't you take the time to find out who wrote it afterward? That is what lawyer marketing on the internet is about.
2. Attention on the web is fleeting. With lawyer marketing in web 2.0, your time is limited. You need to be helpful but concise. I always tell people to create bullet lists, outlines instead of long essays. Provide a lot of information in a small space.
3. Stay current, but don't get overwhelmed. In addition to being brief, you need to be current. With web 2.0 lawyer marketing, people don't want to wait a month for your next blog post. By the same token, you don't need to produce 3 articles a day to stay current. I would advise planning out a couple of blog posts, perhaps 2-3 a week. Do the same with your social media efforts. This will help you increase the effectiveness of your efforts.
4. Talk with your own voice. In a nutshell, be interesting. The amount of information put out onto the web increases with every second. To rise to the top, you need to be interesting. When you speak in your own voice, the content will take on your personality and will differentiate from what others are writing.
