Practice Tip: Want To Blog?

Google describes a Blog as: “a journal that is made available on the Web. The activity of updating this blog is known as blogging and, likewise someone who keeps a blog is known as a blogger!” Typically, blogs are updated daily by the use of software that allows people with little or no technical background to maintain the blog; however, while attorneys are the best at what they do ' ie, the practice of law ' they have no clue when it comes to marketing skills for their firm, or technology and how to effectively design a blog!

Well, recently all this has changed ' and for the better, I might add. A Seattle based company called lexBlog is now the number one provider of professional marketing blogs for the legal profession. The best thing about them is that they are a completely turnkey solution, so that you get a cost effective solution that gives your firm a custom blog marketing plan, with a professionally designed custom blog site, training, marketing and search engine optimization, all with your own ongoing support.

Now law firms must keep in mind that blogging is a skill, just like the practice of law, and doing it the cheap and dirty way ' publishing on an inexpensive blog platform ' sometimes does more harm than good. Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and with a bad platform you can do lots more damage to your firm's first impression. Even if you provide lots of really good content, you must use the skills of blogging to enhance your firm, otherwise, you lose!

So you've decided to do a law firm blog. Now you can spend hours, days and a year learning how to pick up the necessary skills; or with the tools provided you by lexBlog, you can be up and running in a month's time with a design and blog that makes you look first rate.

I got in touch with lexBlog's president, Kevin O'Keefe, and in short order he had my new blog up and running. In a few short sessions, I was able to change and control my content without any problems. O'Keefe knows the marketing problems of attorneys, since he practiced for 17 years. He also founded a leading legal Web site, sold it to Lexis-Nexis, and served as the VP of business development for Martindale-Hubbell.

The most important thing that Kevin taught me was the fact that a good blog is important, BUT effective Internet marketing of that blog is the key to success in blogging.

I asked him what exactly did that all mean for me. The response was simple – you must optimize the blog for the search engines, ie, Google, etc., register the blog on a dozen blog engines, obtain links to the blog, and monitor the lawyer's posts to the blog to make certain that they are being done correctly to be indexed for the search engines. This seemed like he was asking an awful lot of me – a legal practitioner with hardly enough time to read the latest advance sheets, let alone start to monitor blogging. I was reminded that unlike a Web site, a blog would get me better results since a Web site has promo content on the lawyers and law in my firm, but a blog has everyday relevant content that the public can see, read, digest and use. And since it's regularly updated and commented upon, it's always current and useful.

I was also reminded that the new blog would be a compliment to my firm's Web site and that it's more like an educational magazine for my clients and others than material about who we are or what we do. The best thing about all of this is that Kevin assured me that since lexBlog is a turnkey solution, they would make sure that I was optimized properly to be at the head of the search engines and remain there for all to find. He also made sure that I understood how to word my content and that lexBlog would monitor my blog for the proper language so that the engines picked up my blog and properly placed it, all which took a lot off my mind and made me feel secure in the fact that my blog was going to be handled in a proper fashion by experts who knew and understood the legal marketplace.

lexBlog's mission statement also made me feel very comfortable.

It said: “using the latest technology, provide lawyers an easy to use, effective, professional and interactive Internet marketing presence that enhances a lawyer's reputation as a reliable and trusted authority.” With this in mind, I felt that now the general Internet population could see and read what it is exactly that my firm had to offer in my area of practice.

The cost for all of this was not as high as I had imagined it to be. There is an initial payment of $1500 for consulting, design, set-up and training; and if you desire subsequent blogs, they come at a cost of $1200. After that, there is a monthly fee of $200 for licensing platform and ongoing tech, marketing and publishing support for each of your blogs. All this is based upon a 1-year agreement. Now the best part: You get a guarantee which simply states that if your not TOTALLY satisfied at 6 months, you may terminate and receive a refund of any portion of your fee that YOU BELIEVE TO BE FAIR! Now how can one argue with that? Just think of the costs of your latest ad in the telephone books for your firm and you can see that this form of marketing can bring you much more for much less in dollars!

I would highly recommend lexBlog to any and all attorneys who are thinking about opening up their practice and their ideas to the Internet and to creating a blog content to show the populace that their firm is the right one for them. You will be amazed at the results and the comments you will get on your blog!

To get started with lexBlog, contact them at www.lexblog.com or send an e-mail to Kevin O'Keefe at [email protected]. You will certainly be glad that you went with a proven turnkey solution to your blogging experience and happy blogging to you!

Google describes a Blog as: “a journal that is made available on the Web. The activity of updating this blog is known as blogging and, likewise someone who keeps a blog is known as a blogger!” Typically, blogs are updated daily by the use of software that allows people with little or no technical background to maintain the blog; however, while attorneys are the best at what they do ' ie, the practice of law ' they have no clue when it comes to marketing skills for their firm, or technology and how to effectively design a blog!

Well, recently all this has changed ' and for the better, I might add. A Seattle based company called lexBlog is now the number one provider of professional marketing blogs for the legal profession. The best thing about them is that they are a completely turnkey solution, so that you get a cost effective solution that gives your firm a custom blog marketing plan, with a professionally designed custom blog site, training, marketing and search engine optimization, all with your own ongoing support.

Now law firms must keep in mind that blogging is a skill, just like the practice of law, and doing it the cheap and dirty way ' publishing on an inexpensive blog platform ' sometimes does more harm than good. Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and with a bad platform you can do lots more damage to your firm's first impression. Even if you provide lots of really good content, you must use the skills of blogging to enhance your firm, otherwise, you lose!

So you've decided to do a law firm blog. Now you can spend hours, days and a year learning how to pick up the necessary skills; or with the tools provided you by lexBlog, you can be up and running in a month's time with a design and blog that makes you look first rate.

I got in touch with lexBlog's president, Kevin O'Keefe, and in short order he had my new blog up and running. In a few short sessions, I was able to change and control my content without any problems. O'Keefe knows the marketing problems of attorneys, since he practiced for 17 years. He also founded a leading legal Web site, sold it to Lexis-Nexis, and served as the VP of business development for Martindale-Hubbell.

The most important thing that Kevin taught me was the fact that a good blog is important, BUT effective Internet marketing of that blog is the key to success in blogging.

I asked him what exactly did that all mean for me. The response was simple – you must optimize the blog for the search engines, ie, Google, etc., register the blog on a dozen blog engines, obtain links to the blog, and monitor the lawyer's posts to the blog to make certain that they are being done correctly to be indexed for the search engines. This seemed like he was asking an awful lot of me – a legal practitioner with hardly enough time to read the latest advance sheets, let alone start to monitor blogging. I was reminded that unlike a Web site, a blog would get me better results since a Web site has promo content on the lawyers and law in my firm, but a blog has everyday relevant content that the public can see, read, digest and use. And since it's regularly updated and commented upon, it's always current and useful.

I was also reminded that the new blog would be a compliment to my firm's Web site and that it's more like an educational magazine for my clients and others than material about who we are or what we do. The best thing about all of this is that Kevin assured me that since lexBlog is a turnkey solution, they would make sure that I was optimized properly to be at the head of the search engines and remain there for all to find. He also made sure that I understood how to word my content and that lexBlog would monitor my blog for the proper language so that the engines picked up my blog and properly placed it, all which took a lot off my mind and made me feel secure in the fact that my blog was going to be handled in a proper fashion by experts who knew and understood the legal marketplace.

lexBlog's mission statement also made me feel very comfortable.

It said: “using the latest technology, provide lawyers an easy to use, effective, professional and interactive Internet marketing presence that enhances a lawyer's reputation as a reliable and trusted authority.” With this in mind, I felt that now the general Internet population could see and read what it is exactly that my firm had to offer in my area of practice.

The cost for all of this was not as high as I had imagined it to be. There is an initial payment of $1500 for consulting, design, set-up and training; and if you desire subsequent blogs, they come at a cost of $1200. After that, there is a monthly fee of $200 for licensing platform and ongoing tech, marketing and publishing support for each of your blogs. All this is based upon a 1-year agreement. Now the best part: You get a guarantee which simply states that if your not TOTALLY satisfied at 6 months, you may terminate and receive a refund of any portion of your fee that YOU BELIEVE TO BE FAIR! Now how can one argue with that? Just think of the costs of your latest ad in the telephone books for your firm and you can see that this form of marketing can bring you much more for much less in dollars!

I would highly recommend lexBlog to any and all attorneys who are thinking about opening up their practice and their ideas to the Internet and to creating a blog content to show the populace that their firm is the right one for them. You will be amazed at the results and the comments you will get on your blog!

To get started with lexBlog, contact them at www.lexblog.com or send an e-mail to Kevin O'Keefe at [email protected]. You will certainly be glad that you went with a proven turnkey solution to your blogging experience and happy blogging to you!