In my continuing quest to start a law firm, I have been thinking a great deal about blogging and internet marketing.
I have learned a great deal about starting and building a law firm and the real purpose of blogging. My naive thoughts when I started this blog was that it would be a fun way to share what I am going through with whatever poor sap was interested in reading my posts (my wife, my mom). Then I started to dig deeper into this vast morass of keywords, SEO, USG, and content-driven-marketing. (yes, I may have too much time on my hand while I wait to start studying for the bar exam).
After practicing for 3+ years at a general practice firm, I never did this kind of thing. I wasn’t starting a law firm. I did network quite a bit and tried my darnedest to get my name out there. And it worked. But, I didn’t do blogging. I didn’t do internet marketing. And I should have.
Of course, there is the fact that my firm was well established in the community. Starting a law firm wasn’t an issue then. The phone would ring there and I would often take a cold call. I got a lot of work that way. After a while, I started to think: “what makes the phone ring?” Why are people calling this number? The phone book? The internet? Reputation? Probably all of the above. But, I never thought about a blog.
When thinking solely about starting a law firm, blogging is a wonderful way to quickly and organically develop a readership. Those readers know people. Those readers may need a lawyer. The readers’ friends may need a lawyer. Those people may call the telephone number. Blogging is a sort of instant networking – that is, as long as you write good content and then share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. How do you share it? Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Digg, and so many other social media websites.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I was somewhat ambivalent about social media. I like social contact better. But, like it or not, social media has a purpose and it (in my humble opinion) is leading the forefront of a new form of marketing. I’m going to ride the wave and see where it takes me. I have a feeling that it is only going to help me start and build my law firm.