I found on Kevin’s LexBlog some tips from Allison Shields and her post on how to get your site noticed (it applies to blogs too):
- Practice ‘education marketing’ – make sure that your website and your other marketing materials provide value to those in your target market. Educate them about your area of practice. Let them know that you know what their needs are, and that you have a solution that will benefit them.
- Remember the ‘so what’ rule – for everything you write on your website, stand in your clients’ and potential clients’ shoes. As you’re reading, ask yourself ‘so what?’ Why should your clients or potential clients care about what you’re saying? Focus on what’s in it for them, and speak in their language – using a lot of technical legal terms will confuse your readers, and they may not come back.
- Make sure to have not only good content, but current content, on your site. If you want people to come back, they have to have a reason to think there will be something new for them when they return. Offer them something THEY want – be a resource for your target market. Become the place to go for people who are seeking answers in your area of concentration.
- Don’t try to be all things to all people – carve out your niche. To get noticed, you have to be different than everyone else out there. Showcase your unique talents, skills and personality. Make sure web visitors know why you are the one that understands their particular problem.
For me, education marketing, find your niche, and current content are key (Allison has many more tips on her blog). For example, on my personal blog, I don’t stray too far from tech and blog-related stuff. Sure there is an occasional non-tech post, but not often. But the same token my science blog is about … yeah, science. I personally use the “so what” or “this means” whenever I’m writing a marketing document or presentation. So in practice do something like … Selling point [think to yourself “which means”] we have a cure for the common cold.
What’s your best tip for getting noticed? No, outright bribery doesn’t count. Okay, sometimes it does.
>What’s your best tip for getting noticed?
This is totally subjective, but I have a sense that when I’ve been personally, emotionally affected by something that relates to other people’s experience, e.g. unbleievably bad customer relations from a company that probably preaches great customer service, I get a strong reaction and comments that are heartfelt. That says to me that those posts are more noticed.
Comment by Des Walsh — August 22, 2006 @ 4:14 am