Legal Marketing: 10 tips when writing for an online audience

Guest post by: Tom Matte
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Writing effective online articles requires a much different approach than any other type of writing so leave the "legalese" for your legal briefs; here, your words should be short and your message clear and direct.

Online readers scan quickly for content and move on if they don’t quickly see information of direct relevance to them. Your copy writing and editing must be concise, easy to scan and objective.

This type of writing may seem simple but is harder than it looks. Remember these 10 tips when writing for an online audience:

Brevity is key. Readers want to find information quickly, get the facts and get out. Don’t you?
Your post should be information rich. “No frills” writing will allow you to create a substantial amount of information into a few paragraphs.
Keep headlines short, simple and focused on the point of the article. Include key words that will help get your article picked up by search engines.
Sum up the main point of the article in the first paragraph. This lets the reader know exactly what the article is about and what knowledge they can expect to take away at the end. A lot of recent studies have shown that very few people actually read web copy. Most people skim first to see if they think it is worth their time. So make sure you not only make the first paragraph eye-catching, but also make it easy to read.
Readers will be turned off by promotional writing, so don’t sell. Blogging is a much more subtle type of marketing – the purpose is to establish yourself as a thought leader in your area of specialty by sharing your expertise. The minute you talk about your firm’s benefits, readers lose interest.
Use meaningful sub-headings (not “clever” ones).
Use keywords. Think about the words that your prospects are most likely to use when looking for your services. For a labor attorney in Atlanta it might be “labor” or “law”. Sounds obvious right? Your keywords are usually rather short and simple. But determining these keywords, and using them liberally on your site, will increase the chances of your prospects finding you, rather than your competition, when they need a labor attorney.
Use bulleted or numbered lists. Readers love them.
Keep your articles within 350 to 450 words, or about 3 to 4 short paragraphs. And make sure you proofread them!
Include at least one high quality graphic.

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About the Author: Tom Matte

RSS for Tom's articles - Visit Tom's website
As CEO of Max Advertising and author of The Matte Pad, Tom focuses his endless enthusiasm on crafting creative and lasting marketing campaigns that differentiates his law firm clients, clearly communicates their messages and ultimately grows their practices. Whether a 10-person firm or one of the Am Law 100, he has worked with firms of all sizes. From branding and logo design, to advertising, collateral, websites and social media, Tom integrates it all together to create a cohesive and effective marketing strategy â€“ one that helps his law clients grow and succeed. Tom frequently serves as host, presenter or attendee at legal marketing events and tradeshows. Tom showcases his experience as a creative marketing strategist, shares best practices for creating a legal marketing campaign and presents his ideas on conversational branding and the changing face of marketing. Tom's Associations: Legal Marketing Association, Leadership Buckhead, Georgia Healthcare Association, Second Wind Zoom Groups, Rainmaker Council, Creative Growth Group, Association for Accounting Marketing

MAX Official Website: http://www.maxadv.com

The Matte Pad: http://www.tommatte.com
Click here to visit Tom's website.

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