I was reading an article on how to create an emergency chain of command for your business and while it’s only a brief overview, I thought it had some good points. I realized that not only is this something I can use in my business, it’s something attorneys (and their business clients) need to know and I should post it on this blog.
When you find something you find interesting and useful, why not share it with your clients and subscribers? It’s a great way to create content for a blog or newsletter with very little effort. You can deliver value to your readers by leveraging what you’re already doing.
If you represent businesses and you find an article that shows you how to do something better or faster or cheaper, how to get more clients or customers, how to avoid trouble with the IRS, or how to create an emergency chain of command for your business, your clients will want to know this, too.
If you represent consumers, are you not also a consumer? If you find some tips on buying insurance or protecting your credit or refinancing your home loan and you think it’s good information, you can be sure your clients will, too.
So, finding content is as simple as doing what you’re already doing (reading, listening to what others recommend via social media, basically, paying attention) and sharing it. If it’s good enough to tweet, it should be good enough to post on your blog or in your newsletter.
But you can’t just copy and paste the article or a link. Well, you can, and that’s better than not sharing at all, but what your subscribers want is your take on that information. That’s what search engines want, too. (If your blog is perceived as having little or no original content, it will not rank well and could be penalized.)
Fortunately, you don’t have to do much to take someone else’s content and turn it into an article that will keep people and search engines “Liking” it.
Follow these guidelines for creating original content:
- Change the title. It can be almost the same but not exactly the same.
- Link to the original article. Don’t take credit for someone else’s work, write about what they wrote and send readers to their article to read the original.
- Write something about the article: what you like about it, agree with, what you would add, results you got as a result of the information, or what misses the point.
- Write something about the site and/or the author. If you’re linking to a post by someone you read often or to a site that consistently delivers good value, say something about that.
- Link to and comment on other articles: contrasting viewpoints, additional facts, a more niched angle. This will give your article contour and your readers more value.
- You only need a few paragraphs. 100-150 words is enough and should take you no more than a few minutes.
Creating original content can be as simple as sharing information you find interesting and useful and adding a few comments to validate, augment, or distinguish that information.
Yesterday, I wrote about blogging; I got the idea from a few articles I read over the weekend. The articles validated the results I am experiencing from blogging regularly again and I wanted to share that with you because it could help you decide whether or not you want to start (or re-start) a blog. I shared with you something I found interesting and useful and I got a blog post out of it.
And I’m doing it again today.
Do lawyers need a blog?
Sorry, but you didn’t miss much.
From a technological standpoint, not much has changed since I switched to the blog format. I’ve changed the color and layout and added some new plug-ins, mostly having to do with social media integration, but not much else.
My site has grown because I focused on creating content, not on the latest bells and whistles. Content creates value for visitors, allows you to demonstrate your expertise, and brings traffic from search engines and from word of mouth. And so the number of subscribers to my newsletter has grown and the number of blog subscribers has grown and I have continued to sell products and services.
Do you need a blog? If you want to get more clients online I think you do.
A blog has several advantages over a static web site. As you update your content, search engines are notified and they bring visitors. As those visitors see the solutions you provide, they may (a) take the next step toward hiring you, (b) connect with you by subscribing to your newsletter or your blog feed or commenting on your posts, or (c) tell others about you via social media.
Your blog allows prospects and referral sources to see you “in action”. Your content is not just puffery about how great you are it is an exemplar of your abilities. As visitors become familiar with your style and hear your “voice,” as they get to know and trust you, your preeminence grows, your traffic grows, and your client base grows.
You can set up a blog yourself  in about an hour. WordPress makes is easy. There are many free and inexpensive “getting stated” videos available and you can hire people inexpensively to do it for you. Contact me if you would like some referrals.
Once you have your own blog, you control it; you don’t have to wait for tech support to do updates for you, you can do them yourself. It’s as quick and simple as using a web browser. And, other than paying for hosting (under $10/month), it’s free.
What about content–do you have enough to say? Trust me, you have enough. There is an endless amount of material you can supply. Everything from posts about the law and procedure in your practice areas, success stories you helped created, general business (or consumer) advice, guest posts from experts (referral sources) in allied fields, and much more. A post can be as short as a few paragraphs and as simple as you commenting on something you found on another web site or blog or in the news. And you can outsource content creation, too.
A blog may seem to be a big commitment but think of it as the front door to your online office. You won’t be there 24/7 but your presence will be. If you write an offline newsletter, publish articles, or do any public speaking or networking, you are already doing the things that are done online through a blog.
If you have a web site, you have something you can point to and that’s good. But you have to do the pointing. If you want free traffic, you need a blog.