Blogging Archives - Page 4 of 23 - The Attorney Marketing Center

Batch and grow rich

September 8, 2022 by David M. Ward

Just about every productivity book or article today talks about the value of batching or bunching tasks. Don’t respond to one email, they say, answer most or all of them in one sitting. Or designate “theme days”—one day a week to work on one of your projects or areas of focus.

Tuesday might be marketing day. Thursday afternoon might be time to catch up on your reading or research.

It’s more efficient this way because instead of starting from scratch each time, we can leverage the different states of mind and pacing of different activities . Sometimes, you also benefit from the economy of scale, meaning you get more out of each task because you’re doing them in batches, alongside other, similar tasks.

One area this is true is in content creation.

If you write a weekly blog or newsletter, each time you sit down to come up with a topic, you’re starting from scratch. You have other things on your mind, and switching contexts to do something different can be difficult, especially if you’re behind.

It’s much easier to write when you don’t have to find a topic, you already have one lined up.

That’s where batching comes in.

The next time you brainstorm a topic, brainstorm several. Don’t limit yourself to just today’s topic, find topics for the next week or month or longer.

Not only will this save time and allow to write without pressure, it also allows you to develop themes for your blog or newsletter, making your content creation even easier, and arguably easier.

For example, this month you might write a series of posts about trending issues in your field. Each post could talk about a different case or argument or one of the stakeholders. One post might talk about the history, another post about the future.

One idea, several topics.

Another example would be a series of posts about the stages of handling a case:

Intake
Investigation
Liability
Damages
Demand
Negotiation
Settlement
Litigation, discovery, trial, post-trial. . .

You could get one or several posts about each of these stages. If you do a weekly blog or article, you could get three months’ worth of topics around that one theme.

Note, you don’t have to publish those posts sequentially. You could instead spread them out over six months and fill in the other weeks with content around a different theme.

Another way to create topics in batches might be to make a list of resources you recommend to your readers or clients—consumer tips or agencies or business organizations, for example.

Dedicate each post to sharing one or more of those resources, along with your experiences, observations, or explanations.

Another idea might be a series featuring some of your business clients’ businesses or products. Or a series based on war stories from several notable cases you’ve had.

Once you have a list of topics, put them on a content calendar or in your reminders app, and the next time you have a post due, you won’t have to scramble to find a topic.

You might also want to schedule your next brainstorming session, to come up with your next theme or bunch of topics.

Where to get more ideas and how to use them

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

4 categories of newsletter content

September 6, 2022 by David M. Ward

What kinds of content can you post in your newsletter or on your blog? Actually, there are only four types and each has a different purpose:

Pure content. Providing information to your readers about legal matters or anything else they might find important, interesting, or even fun. This includes teaching them what you do and how you do it, and what they can do themselves.
Stories. You might write about clients you’ve helped, prospects you’ve spoken to, cases you’ve handled, speakers you’ve heard, books you’ve read, other lawyers (and their cases or clients), and a lot more. Stories illustrate your points and provide context and relatability.
Promotion. Selling your services (or products), or persuading readers to do something — sign up for an event, download a report, share a link, provide feedback, watch your video, and anything else you’d like them to do.
Hybrid content combines some or all of the above. You might write about a legal situation you handled recently and use one or more stories to illustrate what happened, followed by promoting a free consultation or upcoming webinar so the reader can learn more.

You can find an example of these categories here, in this post.

What you’re reading is content, of course. Yes, content can be very basic and brief, and it doesn’t have to be unique, just informative.

I found this list when I was reading a longer post about general email marketing and adapted it for the legal market. Yes, this is a story, and stories can be about you and nothing more than a mere mention of where you heard or read something.

Finally, I will promote my newsletter course for attorneys which shows how to start a newsletter, build a list, create content that does most of your marketing (like mine does for my business), and do everything you need to do in less than an hour per week.

And that’s an example of how you can promote a product, service, or event in a single sentence and without hyperbole. Mention what it is and some benefits, and provide a link where readers can learn more.

Filed Under: Blogging, Newsletters

When blawgs ruled the earth

September 2, 2022 by David M. Ward

Ten million years BC, before blogs ruled the earth, a few early adopters with law degrees ventured forward into the world of weblogs and brought forth something they called blawgs.

That was then and now is now and the question is, are blogs (or blawgs) still relevant for lawyers?

I’d have to say a big no to blawgs, and a really big yes to blogs.

Blogs are relevant and valuable for lawyers today more than ever. Because when someone wants to find a lawyer, or check out a lawyer they’ve found, a lawyer’s content is one of the best ways to do that.

And a blog is one of the best ways to deliver it.

When a lawyer wants to give the world a glimpse of what they know and do, posting articles is much better than merely posting a list of practice areas and bullet points.

Also known as most lawyers’ websites.

A blog can also post podcasts (and transcripts), videos (and transcripts), forms and checklists and reports visitors can download, photos depicting the lawyer’s glorious battles (and friendly staff), and a a contact form and email signup form on every page.

Lawyers with a blog get free traffic (and leads therefrom), because content (done right) is usually seen as more authoritative and valuable (and thus worthy of a search engine’s blessing) than a simple directory listing.

Clients and other professionals are also more likely to send people to a blog for the same reason.

So yeah, content is (still) king.

Competition? Too many lawyers have blogs, you say?

Really? So I suppose you don’t think too many lawyers have websites?

Do people still read, you ask?

Only those who are looking for an attorney and want to know something about what said attorney thinks and knows and can do for them (or someone they might refer).

Okay, okay, but writing a blog takes a lot of time.

Write faster. Or less often. Or get help.

Or don’t do any of that, just put up a webpage with a list of your practice areas, your bio and some fancy graphics. That’s enough, isn’t it?

If you were looking for an attorney, would that be enough for you?

How to write a blog that makes your phone ring

Filed Under: Blogging

Should lawyers outsource content creation?

August 19, 2022 by David M. Ward

You can hire people to write blog posts and newsletters and other content. Should you?

It depends on what you intend to do with it.

If you intend to use your content to connect with people who can hire you or refer you, the answer is no.

Write your own content. You can’t outsource you.

People connect with you and hire you because they relate to you. They hire you not just because of what you know, but because of who you are.

Let them hear your voice, not a generic voice speaking about generic legal issues. Let them hear about the cases and clients you’ve helped and what you did to help them.

Let them get a taste of your personality and a sense of what it is like to have you as their attorney.

You can have people help you with research and editing your content, but that content should come from you.

On the other hand, if you intend to use content to generate traffic and leads, for advertising and direct mail and other purposes where a “generic” you might be sufficient, it’s okay to hire people to create that content for you.

Some attorneys buy “canned” newsletters from companies that provide the same newsletters to many attorneys. The attorneys don’t pretend this content is coming from them, however. It is (or should be) positioned as “from the firm”.

Attorneys who buy canned content know (or should know) this content won’t do much more for them than allow them to put something in their subscribers’ mailboxes and remind them they are still around.

There’s nothing wrong with this.

It’s better than sending no content to clients and prospects. Much better.

Some attorneys send out a canned newsletter and also write their own content, which they publish in a separate newsletter.

Their content is by them and from them and uses stories and examples from their practice. It is this content that builds trust and relationships with readers.

Similarly, some attorneys outsource content for a blog, and use that blog to attract search traffic. They might have several such blogs, each focused on different practice areas and keywords and markets, all of which send traffic to their regular website or into their lead capture funnels.

But again, they don’t (or shouldn’t) position that blog or those blogs as having been written by them.

They might also write their own content, but, as with a newsletter, it should be separate from the outsourced lead generation blog.

Outsourcing some of your content creation might be right for your practice. But it will never do what your own content can do.

How to write an email newsletter that brings in more business

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters, Online Marketing

How to blog without a blog

August 12, 2022 by David M. Ward

If you want the benefits of a blog but don’t want to (or aren’t allowed to) set one up, guest blogging is a great option. Basically, that means posting content on other people’s blogs and other digital platforms.

You get exposure to their subscribers and visitors who hear some of your wisdom, read your brief bio, and follow a link back to your website, where they learn more about what you do and how you can help them.

Are you seeing the possibilities?

You also get the implied endorsement of the publisher who posts your article; sometimes, you get their actual endorsement. Sometimes, you build a relationship with them, which leads to more marketing opportunities.

And you’re not committed to a publishing schedule. You write if and when you choose to do that.

Why would a blog owner publish your article? Because they get some great content for their readers that they don’t have to write themselves, from a top authority (that’s you) to boot. And they know that said authority is likely to promote said content, sending traffic to said blog.

And all they have to do is say yes.

How do you start? By making a list of influential bloggers in your niche that accept guest posts. Review their content and think about how you could contribute.

If their posts allow it, you could start by commenting on their existing posts. Make sure you mention you are an attorney. Check back later to see if the blog owner responds to your comment.

So step one is to get noticed. But you can skip this step and go straight to step two.

Step two is to approach the blog publisher and offer to write a guest post. Tell them a bit about your legal background and writing experience. If you’ve published elsewhere, give them a few links.

Your goal is to get published on the top blogs in your niche. Those with lots of authority and traffic. But if you’re starting out, start anywhere.

Especially with anyone you personally know who might say yes because they know you.

Get your foot in a couple of doors and before you know it, your articles might get in front of a lot of people who need your services but didn’t know who you were.

If you’re ready to start your own blog, this will help

Filed Under: Blogging, Online Marketing

Lede, follow, or go home

August 3, 2022 by David M. Ward

If you want more people to read what you write, write a headline that flags them down as they go sailing by and “forces” them to pay attention.

Because if you don’t, they’ll won’t, and they will (probably) move on and read something else.

One way to get their attention is to write something unusual, as I did with the archaic, journalistic spelling of “lead” in the headline of this post. It makes you stop and wonder if I misspelled the word or I mean something else.

For a second or two, you’re reading and, therefore, a bit more likely to continue reading.

Remember, you can’t bore people into reading. So do something different, interesting, or fun.

But that’s not the only way to do it. You can’t go wrong promising benefits, asking a thought-provoking question, or sharing a surprising fact, statistic, or quote.

You can also win friends and influence readers by leading with a story.

People want to hear what happened to your client, your friend, your friend’s client, or you.

Your headline should be simple, make the reader curious, and give them a reason to read your first sentence. Of course, that first sentence has to be good enough to get them to read the second sentence.

You can also get attention with images and other visual elements: charts, lists, color, bullet points, sub-heads, unusual typography, and a P.S. (in a letter or email).

But while all the above is true, it’s also situational. If you’re writing to someone who knows you personally, or to your list of regular readers, to some extent, you can assume you have their attention and can get away with being clever, mysterious or weird. People who know you are probably going to read what you write because they know you and want to hear what you say.

Which is why you will find more than a few of my headlines make you question my sanity and want to see my bar card.

Just having fun. Because if it’s not fun for me, I’m pretty sure it won’t be fun for you.

And if it’s not fun, why bother?

How to write something people want to read

Filed Under: Blogging, Email, Newsletters, Writing

Could this be true?

August 2, 2022 by David M. Ward

I was on social media the other day. Yes, I do that occasionally. A company had surveyed a group of lawyers, asking them what they wanted out of their practice, and posted the results.

Nearly everyone said they wanted better systems and automation, to make their practice run more smoothly. They also wanted more affordable help.

Makes sense.

What doesn’t make sense is that only 14% said they wanted help with marketing—“getting more good clients, more reliably.”

Why so low? Who doesn’t want more good clients? What’s going on here?

Ah, what’s going on is that the firm that conducted the survey helps lawyers automate their practice. So their clients’ and followers’ primary interest is in becoming more organized and efficient.

That’s their bias.

Go ahead and survey a cross-section of attorneys and I think your results might be a little different.

Of course my list is also biased. If I did a survey, I’m sure I’d find that most want more good clients and cases.

Because who doesn’t want more good clients?

Okay, some lessons.

Before you draw any conclusions about the results of a survey, make sure you know who’s conducting it and of whom.
Surveys are a great way to engage your list. People like to share their opinion and are curious to see what other people say about the subject.
Surveys are an easy way to generate content for a blog or newsletter and social media. I just did that and it wasn’t even my survey.

Go forth and survey some folks. Or find someone else’s survey and talk about it.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters Tagged With: engagement, surveys

The law is boring. You aren’t.

July 27, 2022 by David M. Ward

Most people who read your content aren’t interested in hearing about the law. Not all the time, anyway, and not in as much detail as might interest another lawyer.

Keep that in mind when you fashion your next blog post, article, or video.

Give ‘em a summary, the highlights, the down-and-dirty version, because if you do more, at some point, they’ll tune out.

“Yes, but. . .” you say. “What should I write about if not my area of expertise?“

Write about the reader. Their life, their business, their industry, their niche, their local market. Write about things they are experiencing and talking about and worried about, or might be soon.

Even if there’s nary a legal issue in sight.

If a legal issue applies, mention it. Explain it (briefly). Provide advice and how-to’s, to warn them, protect them, and add value to their life or business.

But your readers are more interested in themselves, so talk mostly about them.

Of course you should also write about your actual clients, since you know them best of all. Tell their stories, their problems, their cases, and how you helped them.

Real people experiencing real problems or seeking to protect themselves from harm.

Again, mention the law if it’s applicable, but sparingly. Your readers are more interested in hearing about what happened to your clients, and what to do if the same thing happens to them.

What else?

Well, your readers also want to hear about you.

Oh yes they do. Especially if they’re thinking about hiring you or referring you. Yes, you, slayer of problems, bestower of benefits, protector of rights, friend to the friendless.

People want to know about what you do and how you do it.

Tell ‘em.

To do that effectively, you might want to start documenting what you do, so you’ll have it on hand when you need it.

Keep a journal or database and, at the end of each day, make a note about what you did, who you helped, the victories, struggles, defeats, and what you think (and feel) about it all.

Then, when you’re looking for something to write about, you can go back to your log and find something worth sharing.

You may think your account would bore your readers, because to you, it’s just another day doing more of the same. You’re too close to it, my friend. Record the days, step back, come back later, and you’ll be surprised at how interesting your days will be to your readers.

The law itself might be boring; you aren’t.

But even if your stories are as boring as dry toast, your readers will still want to hear them. Because as you tell your stories, you’re also telling your clients’ stories, and to someone who is similarly situated, those stories are endlessly fascinating.

How to write interesting stories

Filed Under: Blogging, Newsletters, Writing

The best place to find ideas for your blog or newsletter

July 21, 2022 by David M. Ward

Ideas for blog posts and articles and other content are literally everywhere.

Find a post written by an attorney or other expert in your field, for example, and write a post about the same subject.

You can even use their article as a template. Rewrite the headline and bullet points, add your own comments, recommendations, and examples, and be done in minutes.

Make sure you follow the blogs and subscribe to the newsletters published by attorneys in your field.

Yes?

It is a quick and easy source of ideas. But there’s something even better.

I’m talking about the blogs and publications written for and read by the people in your target market.

If you want to represent people in the health care industry, read what they read, and write about the things they’re doing, talking about, worried about, hoping for, or working towards.

Write about the issues, the people, and the tends, in their niche. Write about the things they care about.

Other lawyers may write about generic legal topics. When you write about topics that are specific to an industry, occupation, or niche, your content will resonate with readers in that niche.

Your content will also be completely original. And valuable to the people in your target market, which means they are more likely to see you as the go-to expert in their market, and share your content with their colleagues and contacts in that market.

Write niche-specific content and you can own your niche.

How to write content your readers what to read