Posts Tagged ‘writing’

5 Ways To Increase Click-throughs On Your Legal Blog Post Titles

Friday, February 5th, 2010

We know that we shouldn\’t judge something immediately when we see it. However, we can\’t help our human nature and each day we must quickly judge things so that all of our time isn\’t wasted. The result of this is that as a blog author, you must learn to write effective titles for your legal blog.

Your best content will remain undiscovered if you don\’t make the effort to write effective titles.

Below I\’ve listed 5 ways you can increase the responses to your blog post titles:

1. Structure your title as a question – People often read blogs to find out the answer to a question they may have. By posing the question as the title to your post, you will intrigue those readers that want to know the answer to read your article. This is even more true with legal blogs because often the material can be confusing and overwhelming for those who aren\’t legal professionals.

2. Titles on magazines are a great resource – Magazine copywriters are competing with hundreds of other magazines on the rack for your attention. Online articles often work the same way. You can learn from people who have been doing this successfully for a long time. Browse through the titles of articles on magazine covers for ideas.

3. Use Numbers in Your Title and Lists for Your Posts – I\’ve said it before and it\’s worth repeating: People on the web love lists. It creates concise, bulleted information that can be digested quickly and easily. If you are reading this post right now, you are seeing an example of using a number in the headline to capture a reader\’s attention. There is a funny, comedy site called Cracked that does a nice job of using this technique with many of their posts.

4. Solve a problem – People who are reading your legal post don\’t care about you. They care about their own wants, needs, and problems. If you offer a solution to a problem they identify with, you will have yourself a reader. A good example of this is a post I wrote titled: \”5 Ways to Attract More Readers to Your Legal Blog\”. The headline was effective because it solved a problem others identified with: the need to get more readers.

5. Give an explanation on how to do something – Take this article as an example. By explaining how to effectively write legal blog post titles, I am explaining how to accomplish something many people need help with. Even though it may seem obvious or routine to a professional, providing basic knowledge to people without your expertise is a big draw.

Be sure to keep your titles short if possible. A good length is in the neighborhood of 7-9 words. In addition, capitalizing the first letter of each word is important.

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categories: legal blog,writing for blogs,lawyer marketing,advertising for lawyers,writing,blog,blogging,law,legal,marketing


Web 2.0 & Lawyer Marketing: Why Your Old Strategies Won\’t Work

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Lawyers are still holding tightly to the older, more traditional ways of marketing. As we\’ve heard before, old habits die hard. This is especially true when it comes to lawyers advertising their services in the web 2.0 universe. The effects of too much self-promotion are becoming abundantly clear.

Websites, newsletters, blogs and other advertisements are becoming increasingly self-promoting.

Gaining a presence on the web can work both for you and against you. In other words, even though people may know who you are, it may be for the wrong reasons. When you are marketing professional services, such as legal services, not all publicity is good publicity.

Make sure you aren\’t producing content that is purely self-promoting.

The following are some suggestions to avoid egregious self-promotion.

1. It isn\’t all about you. The reality is that by writing about what you know, by being an expert in your field, you are promoting yourself is a good, but more subtle way. Think about the last time you read something you really admired or found interesting. If you didn\’t know who the author was previously, chances are you took the time to find out afterward. This is what lawyer marketing in the web 2.0 world is about. Contribute good info and you will be remembered.

2. Attention on the web is fleeting. With lawyer marketing in web 2.0, your time is limited. You need to be helpful but concise. I always tell people to create bullet lists, outlines instead of long essays. Provide a lot of information in a small space.

3. Post new content frequently, but don\’t get consumed. Internet users and people that follow blogs expect new content more often than once every three months. However, it isn\’t necessary to post new material six times a day either. 2-3 new posts a week is a good place to be. Doing the same with social media (2-3 activities a week) will increase the effectiveness of your content.

4. Be yourself. Put a creative and interesting spin on your articles. As the pool of information on the internet fills, you need to be interesting and relevant to rise to the top. The best way to achieve this is to speak in your own voice.

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Lawyer Marketing 101: 4 Simple Ideas to Improve Your Law Firm’s Website Copy

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Internet advertising for lawyers is a difficult when you are attempting to write copy for your website. Legal topics are complex and can be tricky to sum up in a short paragraph. The copy on a law firm’s website needs to serve the dual purpose of getting across the important legal points as well as holding the attention of internet users.

When we write copy for the internet, we must keep in mind that this is a medium unique to itself. As a result, the copy we need to write is unique from other types of more traditional media outlets.

It is imperative that you learn the art of writing good web copy if you expect positive results from your lawyer marketing.

I want to discuss how to improve your writing for the web. I want you to think of this from the perspective of writing to improve the user experience. Your copy should help make your site easier to use and also engage the user.

What follows are some suggestions to get you on the right path:

1. Use lists – People love bulleted lists on the internet. This makes the content easier to quickly look through and scan.

2. Have a conversation – Users on the web expect to have a higher level of interaction than through other forms of media. When you write, use your own voice. Write as if you are having a conversation. This will be much better received by your readers.

3. Stay away from legalese or lawyer speak – Your average website visitor will have no idea what you are talking about. Since it is so easy to click over to another site, take the time to write in a way that your average individual can understand.

4. Use pictures and videos in your writing – Pictures capture a users attention. They can make the page interesting and complement your writing.

If you utilize some of the points above you will see a better engagement with your website or blog, helping your lawyer marketing efforts.

From helping your law firm SEO efforts efforts, to getting new clients or building a new business connection, we measure, test, and optimize the entire process. We know you’re busy. Contribute as much or as little time to the attorney internet marketing process as you like.


Trouble Cranking Out Blog Posts? 5 Ideas To Get You Started

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Writing a legal blog can take a lot of work. It is important that you are consistently posting new material to your blog. Coming up with ideas for that material can be tough. Here are 5 ideas to get the juices flowing:

1. Create A List – Internet users love to read lists. Lists are easy to digest and fit with the way content on the internet is read.

2. Share Helpful Links – Finding good articles and resources isn’t as easy as it may seem. Your readers will appreciate a list of links to articles, resources, or stories that you found useful. They respect your opinion, so share it with them.

3. Tell a Good Story – Nothing will engage your readers more than an interesting story. Tell about a personal experience you had or something you are struggling with at your practice. Your readers will identify with you and it will certainly help get the conversation flowing.

4. Offer Your Legal Expertise – Of course you want to be careful not to give legal advice. However, you will find that many people have questions or want answers about legal topics. Offer up general legal expertise to establish yourself as a leader in your field.

5. Read Other Blogs In Your Legal Niche – Reading other industry blogs and staying current on the posts is a great way to get ideas for your own blog.

If you take the time to consistently write good legal blog posts, you will see a big gain in your lawyer marketing efforts. A blog will help you get found by search engines, establish your credibility in your niche area of the law, and provide a valuable resource to potential clients looking for examples of your expertise.

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Lawyer Marketing Help: 5 Ways To Improve Blog Post Titles

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

We recognize that we shouldn’t judge things based on a quick first impression. However, we are victims of our human nature and make quick judgments as a result. The bottom line is that it is increasingly important for us to write catchy blog post titles so that people choose to read our articles.

The content you write will not be read if you don’t make the effort to write catchy legal blog titles.

Here are five ideas to improve the effectiveness of your legal blog titles:

1. Phrase your title as a question: An interesting question entices people to read your article. People are curious about what the answer might be. This is especially true when your questions points out a specific concern or need that a consumer might have.

2. Titles on magazines are a great resource – Magazine copywriters are competing with hundreds of other magazines on the rack for your attention. Online articles often work the same way. You can learn from people who have been doing this successfully for a long time. Browse through the titles of articles on magazine covers for ideas.

3. Use lists in your blog titles – Internet users like to consume information is short bullet points. For this reason, lists are great for articles on the web. Take this article for instance. By offering a list of 5 ways to improve your legal blog post titles, I have gotten you to read this far.

4. Solve a problem – People who are reading your legal post don’t care about you. They care about their own wants, needs, and problems. If you offer a solution to a problem they identify with, you will have yourself a reader. A good example of this is a post I wrote titled: “5 Ways to Attract More Readers to Your Legal Blog”. The headline was effective because it solved a problem others identified with: the need to get more readers.

5. Explain to the reader the right way to do something – Offering practical advice about a common situation or event can be a great way to formulate a good title. People are looking for solutions to problems they have. If you promise to offer a solution in your title and follow up on that promise in your article, you will be well on your way to increasing your readership and writing effective titles.

Be sure to keep your titles short if possible. A good length is in the neighborhood of 7-9 words. In addition, capitalizing the first letter of each word is important.

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