LexBlog

If you're looking to make your blogs more effective and engaging, Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President at Edelman PR and publisher of Micro Persuasion has an easy way to do so. Rubel gets credit for what we at LexBlog believe to be the four pillars of blog marketing success. Follow these pillars and you'll be writing great blogs in no time.

Remember the acronym FLEE. Find the Internet discussion, Listen to the discussion, Engage in the discussion, and Empower your readers.

1. Find: Identify the most influential bloggers and reporters on the niche for which you will be blogging as well as other Internet discussion on the topic. Find bloggers on news sites by searching Google News and adding the term 'blog' or using a blog directory such as Justia's BlawgSearch. Subscribe to keywords and phrases by doing a search at Google Blog Search and adding a feed for the searches to your RSS newsreader.
2. Listen: Once you know who the influencers are, listen to them actively by subscribing to RSS feeds of their blogs and news sites through the use of a RSS reader . You need to view each blog post as legitimate feedback. More importantly, you need to identify what are the most powerful currents of conversation in the blogosphere – e.g. the ones that are the most relevant to your company and its products/services. Rubel calls this a company’s 'higher holy calling.' Only once you have completed find and listen, will you be ready to engage and empower.
3. Engage: Companies have lots of opportunities to launch blogs that will help them engage in a dialogue with their constituents. In the case of a law firm, each lawyer and practice group by its very nature is a goldmine of intellectual capital on a niche topic waiting to be leveraged. Content already being disseminated by email newsletters and alerts are better tailored for blogs. 2 to 3 sentences responding to often asked questions are perfect. Legal updates shared by email among a practice group can be cleaned up and published to a blog. Law firms are big on giving back to the community. Sections of blogs should chronicle how you help the community and, more importantly, starting conversations with the community on how they want to be helped.
4. Empower: At the highest level, you should use the blogosphere to empower people to tell stories. And what better people to empower than those you have helped through providing free legal information on your blog. Blogs on legal and tangental topics are springing to life every day. Write something of value, network with these blog publishers and people will write about you and your firm.

This is the essence of blogging and why it's a different and perhaps more powerful means of marketing than traditional PR & communications work. Thanks Steve for being a true leader in every sense of the word.

If your blog is gathering dust and you're looking for ways to improve your content or the frequency of your posts, take some of these suggestions into account.

1. Add a new author
   • Many types of people can contribute to a blog, and you can have as many authors on your blog as you please. Here are some ideas of authors you can add:
     
     • Law students
     • Associates at your firm
     • Blog managers such as an office admin, intern, marketing team member, or a family member (i.e son or daughter)
   • If you'd like to add a new author to your blog, all they have to do is attend or view one of our Initial Training Webinars and then we will set them up to post. If you need a author account created ASAP, you can file an "urgent" ticket with our Client Services Team. If you're not in a hurry, just file a ticket or email customersupport@lexblog.com for information on how to watch the training and get set up with an account.
2. Watch Kevin O’Keefe’s recorded webinars
   • Kevin, our CEO, hosts periodical webinars covering strategy and blogging technique. These are a valuable resource and we keep a database of previous webinars for our clients' use. You can find the entire database on our support page.
   • We suggest starting with:
     • "Art of Effective Blogging"
     • "Effective Blog Writing for Search Engine Optimization"
     • "Engaging with the Media: How to Become a Go-To Source"
3. Try a fresh type of blog post
   • 3-pronged process (works well for basic 300-word posts)
     • Introduction paragraph: Introduce, summarize, and link to story, author, or other blogger.
     • Body paragraph: Provide an excerpt or block quote from either a referenced article and/or another blog post.
     • Conclusion paragraph: Add value with 1-2 paragraphs of your personal opinion/analysis.
     • Example: Is Anyone Ever Really "Off-the-Record" in the Digital Age? by Eileen O'Connor of McDermott, Will & Emery.
   • Editorializing a legal case update
     • Give your readers an update on the facts of a current case and then give your opinion on the progression or ruling of the case.
     • Example: Vioxx MDL Judge Enters Judgment Against the State of Louisiana in Redhibition Claim by Russell Jackson.
   • Engage with readers or comment on a hot-in-the-news topic
     • Example: A personal look at the effect of BP Oil Spill on Clam Farmers in the Florida Panhandle by Brian F. LaBovick of LaBovick & LaBovick.
   • Answer client questions
     • Example: How Much Client Contact Should Should Be Expected In Litigation? by Maxwell Kennerly of The Beasley Firm.
4. One final tip: Set aside a specific time, such as 4-5 p.m. on Sundays, for blogging. A regular and consistent posting schedule is half the battle.

We know that you're busy. It can seem like blogging is a time-sink, that you should be spending time finding new clients and doing other work rather than researching and writing blogs. But if you're blogging right, you will be able to grow your much practice quicker than you would have with offline networking and PR or advertising.

Consistently good, Darren Rowse has another gem with his post on building your personal brand through your blog.

A lawyer's brand is their expertise. It's not logo's, glib ads, websites, and fancy offices. No better way to build their brand than a well done blog.

Read his full post to get all the wisdom. Here's his 6 bullets with comments from our CEO, Kevin O'Keefe, following.

• Build trust. That's what blogging is all about. The public trusts lawyers less than everyone but journalists. However, sharing where you're coming from, where you're heading - your aspirations, and your insight on niche legal issues develops trust like you wouldn't believe.
• Be personal. Let your hair down a bit. Don't get flakey or unprofessional. Don't share your personal life infinitum. But be yourself. You like people who are real, not phony. Plus clients who like your style are the best to represent. Such clients will be attracted to you from your blog.
• Use story. Stories sell and are an interesting read. In the case of law blogs, there's nothing better than lawyers telling readers about how you helped people similarly situated to them. It shows you know something about the area of law in which the reader needs help. It shows you take calls, emails, and meet with people like them.
• Establish expertise. That's why lawyers blog. We want others to refer to us as an expert in their writings, whether they be a blogger a news reporter. Share your insight, passion, and expertise on the niche area of law you are looking to grow. Report on what you see going on this area, sharing your take. You'll be regularly sited as an expert within a year's time.
• Establish relationships in your niche. You're going to meet lots of people (virtually) when you start blogging. Build that network even further by blogging about what the leading bloggers in your niche are blogging. Share news stories, letting the reporter know you did. Keep track of your growing network via a tool like LinkedIn. You'll be happy you dug your well before you got thirsty.
• Be consistent. You need not blog every day. Once a week is enough. But when you blog try to weave a common theme through your blog. We don't like surprises. We subscribed to your blog, and in some cases hundreds of others, based on what we read. Don't get flakey and go off on tangents we did not see before.

Rochester, New York attorney Nicole Black, an experienced blogger, shares 10 tips for generating traffic to legal blogs.

1. Decide why you're starting a legal blog--Is it to generate new business, establish your expertise in a particular area of practice, provide you with a web presence and/or more visibility, or is it simply an outlet that allows you to express yourself?
2. Determine who your target readers are--Are they potential clients, lawyers who practice in the same area of law as you do, lawyers located in the same geographic area as you or some other type of professional?  This will help craft your content.
3. Create a blogroll--Your blogroll should serve two purposes: it should assist your readers in locating interesting content and it should alert other bloggers to your newfound blog's existence. Send an email to the bloggers on your blogroll and let them know that because you enjoy their blog, you've added it to your blogroll--and a reciprocal link would be greatly appreciated, but is certainly not necessary.
4. Consider adding a link to Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground--This blog is a high traffic blog and he regularly acknowledges those blogs that have linked to his own.
5. Make sure that Tom Mighell is aware of your blog--Drop him an email so that he knows that your blog exists.  His well known blog, Inter Alia, regularly features new legal blogs, and by letting him know about yours, he may mention your new blog more quickly.
6. Add your blog the legal blog directories listed on Nicole's blog.
7. Submit blog posts to Blawg Review--Each week Blawg Review features blawg content from the past week. Consider signing up to host Blawg Review.
8. Read Kevin O'Keefe's blog--His business is law blogs, and his blog always provides helpful tips for both new and experienced bloggers.
9. Regularly link to other blogs in your posts--Other bloggers will notice and appreciate it, and may reciprocate in kind.
10. Submit relevant comments to law blogs somewhat similar to your own--Make sure that your name is linked to your blog, so that anyone who clicks on it will be directed to your blog.

Nicole, who's been publishing a good blog for a long time, has some great advice here.