As the saying goes, old habits die hard. This is no more true than in the arena of law firm marketing in the web 2.0 world. Too many lawyers are still clenching tightly to the traditional marketing concepts. Randy Brown’s latest post about the counter-productive effects of self-promotion is spot on.
But lawyers’ blogs are not the only culprit of being “billboardy”. Newsletters, websites, and lawyer advertisements, are also guilty.
Thus, establishing a strong web presence becomes a double-edged sword. While everyone might know who you are, they know you for all the wrong reasons. Marketing one’s legal services is one area that the old P.T. Barnum saying doesn’t apply. Not all publicity is good publicity.
Make sure you aren’t becoming a social media billboard (SMB)!
Here’s how to avoid the SMB trap:
1. Never talk about yourself. You might be thinking this seems counterproductive. The truth is, that by being informative, you are indirectly talking about yourself. Think of the last time you read something you really liked by an author of whom you had never previously heard. Chances are that if you enjoyed what they wrote, you found out who they were. That’s what lawyer marketing 2.0 is all about. Provide valuable information and you will be remembered.
2. The Internet has ADD. In lawyer marketing 2.0, you don’t have a lot of time to keep reader’s attention. In fact, some services like Twitter, limit how many characters you have to convey your message. Be informative, but be concise. I always tell lawyers to think back to their attack outlines in law school. Lot’s of information, not a lot of room.
3. Keep current, but not consumed. In addition to being concise, you have to stay current. In lawyer marketing 2.0, no one is going to wait a week, let alone a month, for your next great post. That being said, don’t get consumed or overwhelmed by lawyer marketing 2.0. My friends at Hubspot offer the following advice, plan out a couple good blog posts per week (2-3). Do the same for your social media efforts. That way, you maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your lawyer marketing 2.0 efforts.
4. Lighten up. Be interesting. The sea of information deepens with every passing second. To rise to the surface, you have to be interesting. Check out this post comparing SEO to dating. When you’re having fun, it shows.
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AttorneySync is a law firm Internet marketing consultancy that specializes in law firm websites, legal blogs, and professional law firm seo strategies. 
