Lawyers are becoming quick learners in the blogosphere
Saul Ewing partner Robert Louis didn't know what a blog was three months ago. Now it is a key marketing tool for the 60-year-old trusts and estates lawyer.
"I talked to some of the younger people here and after they explained to me what a blog is, it struck me as a good way to get small bits of information to people without burdening them with a five-page memo," Louis said.
So in July, Louis started "Personal Wealth Law News," one of three blogs -- short for weblogs -- that can be accessed through the Saul Ewing Web site, and joined a rapidly growing number of lawyers using the blogosphere for marketing purposes.
Louis' blog updates readers on the latest trends in personal wealth law. A recent entry asks whether the estate of Leona Helmsley, the billionaire hotel owner who died last month, would have to pay federal estate tax for a $12 million trust to take care of her beloved dog (while her four grandchildren were guaranteed nothing). Louis offered a 150-word item asking whether the taxes would be paid from the residue of the Helmsley estate.
Blogs as marketing tools are being taken seriously by the legal, medical, banking, real estate, and other old-school professional categories. Podcasting is coming up fast as a new area of new media they can exploit.
Need a VBR for approaching this category?
You could start by citing the article above. Why not offer the opportunity to become the official source of legal advice on the radio station websites? Of medical knowledge? Financial advice? If they have an existing blog/podcast, we can repurpose the feed on a landing page within our own website. If they do not, we can assist them in producing the content.
While they may state they already have their own blog, nothing matches the power of the Radio as a way of telling the public about its availability, nor the built-in audience our websites can contribute in growing their audience. It's worked for Ask The Beauty Doctor and for Your Micro Minute. There are currently podcast pitches in the field for a "Green" report and a Money Minute.
Who will be next?
