Commenting as Part of Your Marketing Strategy

As you know from working with your clients and presenting your cases at trial, it’s important not only what you say, but when and where you say it. The same is true for the Internet. However, your comments on the Internet can work for you long after you have published the post.

Commenting on cases in the news can work to highlight your expertise and opinions. When posted efficiently your name can be in front of the news media, which can be helpful when they are looking for a comment on the subject from a local attorney.

Comment marketing works best when following four points.

1. Timing
When it’s in the news, it’s time to act. Many news blogs and websites have a cutoff for comments. Commenting early keeps your post at the top, usually right after the story. Posts on social sites (ie: Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) are also excellent sources for law and case related comments. (More about Social Media in the article “The ‘Social” in Social Media Marketing).

2. Content
Make your point in under 300 words. Many comment areas have character limits, so if you become accustomed to 300 words, you will fit most comment areas. When permissible, link back to your website. Read the T&C of the sites before you comment so you know which ones will edit your post, remove your website link, or require you to use a verification log in.

3. Location
Be selective where you comment. High Authority sites (as explained in Social Media for the Small Law Firm) can increase your website ranking. These sites usually have a consistent very high traffic volume of visitors who then potentially may see your post. Posting on small blogs and low ranking sites may give you space to comment with very little actual value to you. Small sites usually have non-moderated commenting, which can potentially lead to a negative light being placed on your comment.

4. Consistency
Commenting occasionally will end up being more of a time waster than an effort of value. Being consistent by commenting several times a week, if not every day, will prove to be a better investment of your time.

Most attorneys are already busy with their cases, blogging and internet socializing. Finding time to blog a complete blog subject every day can be time consuming, which is one reason why some many people fail to do it consistently. Effective commenting can be a substitute, however, it can also be a time investment.

Timely commenting requires staying on top of law and case alerts, researching cases on the legal and news wires and establishing accounts of high authority sites. Using commenting as part of your marketing works best with a plan.