We Started a Blog. Top 10 Reasons Your Firm Should Too

Blogging.  Can it really be that hard?  Well, yes, sometimes it can.  At least in my experience with law firms and professional services companies over the past decade.   It takes commitment and time and you should be prepared for the long haul.  It can take months to see any results but here are 10 very good reasons why it’s worth doing if you’re ready to provide good, interesting content to your audience.

10 Reasons your firm should start a blog

1.      Generate More Leads

B2B companies that blog one to two times per month generate 70% more leads than companies that don’t blog.  (Source: Hubspot)  A blog builds confidence that you are a reliable source which translates into leads. Your content will ensure that you hold pride of place in search results when your targets does a search online and thus you will be be top-of-mind when they come to choose a provider.

2.       It’s Cost-Effective Marketing

Blogs are cost-effective marketing tools.  Once it has been set up, there are negligible expenses associated with your blog.  For most of you time literally means money, but if you can carve out even a couple of hours per week to dedicate to your postings it will be a rewarding investment in your business development strategy without hitting your marketing budget.

3.       Improve Your Website SEO

Done right, your blog can fuel your website SEO.  When you are writing quality and interesting content for your blog, that content lets Google know that you have a high quality site resulting in higher search engine results in areas that interest your target market.

4.       Re-purpose Your Blog Posts

Your blog can be the source for your content marketing and social media efforts.  I know that you are constantly balancing your business development efforts with your billings and finding time to develop quality content for all of the different new media can be difficult.  If you just concentrate on writing for your blog, that content can feed your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and can be re-purposed to populate your email newsletters.

5.       Convey your Brand Spirit

It gives your company a personality.  In an often overcrowded and increasingly commoditized market, the ability to convey your brand voice and share your firm’s key messages in an interesting and valuable way can be the differentiator you need to attract new clients.

52% of In-House Counsel age 40-49 check blogs weekly for professional reasons.  

6.      Share Your Knowledge

Share your expertise and your efforts will pay you back. Through your day-to-day practice, you are constantly expanding your personal knowledge of the area in which you specialize.  A blog is a great way to share that knowledge without having to dedicate the time to producing other knowledge sharing tools such as seminars (although if you have taken the time to prepare a seminar for your clients and targets, remember to summarize the topic for your blog!).  Your readers will remember the expert insight you gave when it comes time to hire a professional.

7.       Be the First to Print

A blog is often much more flexible than your firm website and it can be faster to post information on your blog than having your Marketing Department go through their normal process to get the same information out into your market.   A blog gives you the ability to more easily create content to attract potential clients and assist current clients especially in areas that are evolving or trending.

8.       Raise Your Profile

The more people who share your content, the more social media exposure you will gain.  The more exposure you have the more likely you’ll be contacted by the media for comment and by industry organizations for speaking opportunities thus increasing your online and off-line profile.

9.       Be Seen as a Thought Leader

Become a leader in your industry. The very nature of contributing to a blog leads you to stay on top of current decisions and trends and in doing so will put you at the forefront of thought leadership in your particular field.

10.   Build (and Share) a Community

If you are providing blog content that your audience finds interesting, they will sometimes contribute to it.  This will often be in the form of comments that expand on your content and can create a trusted circle of peers for your audience to tap into.  Also, some of those commentators could be clients or prospects and a blog allows you to engage in discussions that are of interest to them giving you valuable insights into their needs. So there you have it.  The top 10 reasons why you and your firm should start a blog. Let me know in the comments if these prompt you to take the plunge into blogging?  If you already have a blog  please share your experiences.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lynn
Fitzpatrick Foley

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