Making Money While Giving Away Information

Frank A De Vito, III — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:49:15 GMT

Since lawyers make a living from their knowledge, giving away information may not seem like the smartest idea.

But, in fact, lawyers can find real value from educating consumers for free in the short term, as long as it leads to long-term lead generation. The trick is turning into a thought leader through blogs and other social media outlets.

Today, consumers expect to find answers when they have questions. It doesn't matter if they need an answer during business hours or at 3 a.m. If they can find you and decide you are a credible source of information in their time of need, whenever that time may be, they are more likely to call you when it's time to hire a lawyer.

But that means you need to have an active online blog presence. Blogs are one of the outlets most likely to answer queries that consumers have. According to the Attorney Selection Research Study by The Research Intelligence Group (TRiG), more than three-quarters of adults, 76 percent, who have looked to hire an attorney in the past year used an online source at some point in the process. Nearly 30 percent of respondents used a legal blog to gather information about their legal issue or case, and 21 percent turned to legal blogs when finding a lawyer.

So what does that mean for you, Mr. or Ms. Attorney? It means you need to create an online presence to show your thought leadership.

That way, the knowledge you give away now will more than pay for itself in the future. If you need some advice on how to create a blog that highlights your expertise, contact a LexisNexis Law Firm Marketing Specialist for a free social media evaluation.

devitof1

Making Money While Giving Away Information