Blogging, Technology

Is It Really All About Content?

It's all about communication...

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electronic discovery ediscovery computer magnifying class searchWith all the marketing discussion about content, content marketing, getting people to see your content and measuring the ROI on your content, you’d think legal marketing on the Internet revolved around content.

It does not. The Internet and developing business via the Internet for lawyers, when used most effectively, is about communication and networking.

The Internet was conceived in the 1960s to enable multiple computers (people) to communicate on a single network.

The Internet came of age for Americans in the 1990s with bulletin boards, Usenet groups, listservs and American Online, with its message boards.

Popular sites on the early Internet included the likes of the Motley Fool (investor’s community) and iVillage (women’s community). Message boards where people exchanged information and shared ideas were the heart of these communities, not content.

AOL and its co-founder and CEO, Steve Case, were spearheading the Greenhouse project where entrepreneurs were given $300,000 to launch communities on AOL similar to David and Tom Gardner’s Motley Fool. McKinsey Consultant, John Hagel’s book, “Net Gain: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities,” was the model for such marketing by networking through the Internet.

The New York Times’ Steve Lohr reported then:

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…America Online’s focus is on fostering interest-based communities on line. The company has many suppliers from the world of traditional media, including ABC, CBS, The Atlantic Monthly, Wired, The New York Times and many others. But the service’s members spend 60 percent of their time communicating with one another.

“This medium is about participation, and not just a place to find information and download bits,” said Kathy Ryan, a vice president.

Legal came of age online during this time in the same fashion. Thousands and thousands of people were asking and answering questions on six sets of multiple message boards on AOL. Only a few of us, as lawyers, participated. The lawyers who did built a name and relationships — and as a result grew their book of business.

The public and lawyers were also widely participating on Usenet groups, especially on subjects such as immigration.

What did all of this have in common? Communication.

Content, in the form of an article, was an afterthought on AOL. There were folders where people could upload content. I remember finding a piece from a doctor on the residual impact of a temporomandibular joint injury. It was fantastic. But I found the article as a result of exchanges on a message board.

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Pushing articles and other content at people via the Internet would have been rude and turned people off. We were listening and sharing in order to help each other. Trust was earned and relationships were built in the process.

The most popular site on the Internet today is Facebook. Like AOL and the communication mediums of the 1990s, Facebook is about communication.

Business development for good lawyers begins and ends with building a name and building relations. It’s done via communicating and networking.

Strange thing that the Internet was conceived for communicating and networking.

So use it. Content, sure. But realize content is just a vehicle to enable communicating and networking, not the end goal.

Kevin O’Keefe (@kevinokeefe) is the CEO and founder of LexBlog, which empowers lawyers to increase their visibility and accelerate business relationships online. With LexBlog’s help, legal professionals use their subject matter expertise to drive powerful business development through blogging and social media. Visit LexBlog.com.

LexBlog also hosts LXBN, the world’s largest network of professional blogs. With more than 8,000 authors, LXBN is the only media source featuring the latest lawyer-generated commentary on news and issues from around the globe. Visit lxbn.com now.

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