All of us thoughtful, conscientious attorneys would like to publish great content and do it consistently. Here’s the thing, with busy law practices and lives – finding things to write about and actually taking the time to write about them is challenging
But … does it have to be this way?
Does it have to be hard to consistently publish valuable and engaging?
No, it doesn't.
Keep reading for six steps you can implement to create consistent content that will help build your online reputation and establish your brand as a leader in your areas of practice.
1) Get Clear about Your Writing Goals
Take some time to think about what needs to happen between the moment a prospective client find your content online and the moment that she retains your law firm. What does this person need to see, read and hear to move from simply knowing of your existence, to liking your content and eventually trusting in your expertise to engage you for legal counsel? Use this information to create goals for your writing. Now, brainstorm topics that will make you accomplish your goals.
2) Look at Your Ideal Client Profile
Who is your ideal client? What are her interests, her concerns, her fears about the future? If you haven’t already done so, take some time to think about who your ideal client would be and write a bio that summarizes her needs. What kind of questions will she likely have? And, most importantly, how can your firm add value? Use this information in conjunction with the writing goals that you just established to move on to step three – creating an editorial calendar.
3) Create an Editorial Calendar
Use a tool like Google calendars or a physical calendar to develop an editorial calendar that includes topics that will help you accomplish your writing goals (see step one) and publishing deadlines that are reasonable in light of your schedule. Once you develop your editorial calendar, stick to it.
4) Develop a Recycling and Distribution Process
Did you write an exceptional article one year ago with content that is still relevant? Was one of your past posts exceedingly popular? Don’t let it just sit on your blog/website. Leverage the power of social marketing to share links to your content to keep it top of mind for your online community. If your post received likes on LinkedIn it might receive dozens of retweets on Twitter. Don’t stop with re-distributing your content. Use the information to create other types of valuable content – like infographics and videos. Don’t be discouraged if this sounds like a lot of work, resources like Fiverr, Guru, and oDesk are full of people who can convert and republish your content inexpensively and effectively.
5) Monitor and Track the Impact of Your Content
Mind your numbers to determine the impact of your content. How many people interacted with your content on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? How many of these people moved from engaging with your content on a social network to coming to your website? Use Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Insights and a tool that tracks clicks on the URLs that you post online to determine the reach of your content. Use this information to write better content, post more engaging social media updates and determine the best times to share your information online. This is all valuable when using social media to build a profitable online brand and convert protective clients into paying clients.
Publishing great content is crucial to the success of any social media strategy. By using the methods described above, you can produce engaging content that will make a valuable contribution to your business development.
