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The Basics of Blogging
for Lawyers
Sara Smith
sara@gutcheckanalytics.com
614.256.2174
January 24, 2012

2.
Introduction
Gut Check develops, executes, and measures
web marketing strategies.
We have deep roots in legal marketing:
• Social media strategy, management,
and coaching for lawyers
• Blog and website analytics that drive Firm
marketing strategies
• Website and blog design, development,
and project management
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Social Media Factoids
• 40% of companies use blogs
• Companies that have blogs get 55% more
visitors to their sites
• B2B companies with blogs get 67% more
leads/month
• 56% of attorneys maintain a personal
social media presence
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Why Blog?
To Get Found
People are searching
Blogs position your content in search results
Blogs give search engines what they want:
• More content
• More keywords
• More frequently updated content
Blogging expands your visibility
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Why Blog?
Stay Connected and Inspired
Intellectual Community
Professional Passion
Blogging can position you as a:
• Problem Solver
• Trusted Advisor
• Practice-Area Thought Leader
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Be Committed
Q: How often should I blog?
A: As often as you can
• Planned posts
• Unplanned posts
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Getting Started
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Identify Your Audience
Who are they?
What are they reading?
What do they care about?
Where do you fit in?
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What Are You Going to Publish?
Existing materials
• repurpose in blog style
Respond to other blogs
• fill the gaps
Answer questions
• clients
• colleagues
Monitor
• news
• social networking sites
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Developing Style and Tone
Connect as a person
• keep it casual
Be brief
• consider the reader’s time constraints
No legalese
• not all your readers are lawyers
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Writing Posts
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Headlines for Search Engines
Ask yourself,
What are my readers searching for?
Use those keywords to get ranked
in results pages
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Writing Headlines
Be clear and direct
Why Ohio’s Senate Bill 77 Matters to You
Be instructional
How to Navigate New FMLA Forms
Be controversial or sensational
When Did the Constitution Stop Factoring in
Search & Seizure Law
Be newsworthy
Breaking News: NLRB Changes Ruling on
Facebook Firing
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Writing the Article
Make big chunks of text digestible
• bullets
• subheads
• bold text
• images
Invite engagement
• link to related articles
• ask for comments
• ask for subscriptions
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Becoming a Pro
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Be a Part of the Community
Create a blogroll
Cite back to other bloggers
Feature guest bloggers
Make articles easy to share
• social media sites
• e-mail
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Take it to the Next Level
Video
• presentations
• webinars
Audio
• roundtable discussions
• Q&A
Content Curation
• eBooks
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Promote Your Blog
Leverage existing relationships
• e-mail contacts
• bloggers you know
• industry associations
Leverage the web
• social media sharing
• blog directories
• your website
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Where the Website Fits
Solo to Mid-size Firms
• integrate
Large Firms
• separate
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Measuring Success
Analytics
• Google Analytics account
Specific Metrics
• visitors/visits
• referring sites and blogs
• average time on site
• pageviews
• subscribers
• top content
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Success Stories
Two LexisNexis Top 25 Law Blogs of 2011
56,000 eBook views over 3 months
New client acquisitions attributed to blogging and
social network activity
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Next Steps
3-Hour Workshops
• strategic development
• format blog
• develop working calendar
• master style and blog etiquette
• develop relationships within the blogsphere
• learn advanced techniques
• video
• podcasting
• eBooks
• learn how and where to market your blog
Full-Service Social Media Management
• customized plans
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Q&A
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