Email marketing should be part of your internet marketing plan. (See “The Big Three Internet Marketing Activities for Lawyers.”) Emailing new posts from your blog to a list of clients and prospects increases the return on your blogging time (and maybe money) investment. The best e-newsletter or blog does nothing for you if it doesn’t get read.
Lure Them in With Great Headlines
You’ve probably heard the term “clickbait.” That’s a snippet of information that makes you want to know more. It’s no secret that every e-newsletter you publish should have its own headline. Yet, my in-box is filled with messages from lawyers that might be better termed “delete-bait.” Here’s a sample:
- New Posts From the [sender’s name] Blog
- [Area of practice] News
- New Post on [blog name]
- News from [sender’s organization]
- The [sender’s organization] Newsletter Is Out
While it’s true that “new” is one of those words that lures people, these titles are sleep-inducing. They tell me nothing about the content, and they sure don’t make me want to click through. Too often the content turns out to be “me-formation:” I went here, I went there, I had a great time at the convention/conference/meeting.
Re-read your old posts. Did you create a custom headline for each one? Show your blog or newsletter posts to the most honest person you know — maybe your spouse? Does the headline make the reader want to read more or to yawn?
Make Good On the Promise Once They Click Through
Email is one thing, but if you are posting a tease on LinkedIn to get people to read a blog post on your website, you’re asking for a minimum of three clicks to get to the content. The payoff darn well better be worth it.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” People are busy. If you have wasted their time once, it will take a lot of work to get back those readers, those potential clients and referral sources. You’ve probably identified certain members of your LinkedIn groups who post regularly but don’t provide any valuable content, and you automatically delete those messages. You don’t want to be in that group. If you consistently provide valuable content in the body of your post, an attractive headline can keep people coming back to learn from your expertise.
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