Situation/Objective:
When executed correctly, legal blogs are a great way for law firms to deepen their connections to new and prospective clients. Doing it right, however, is not easy. The blogosphere is littered with legal blogs that, for one reason or another, fail to attract an audience.
That hasn’t been a problem for the blog of the restructuring practice at one major AmLaw100 firm. HC advises all of its blogging clients to create a unique angle or hook through which to approach their substantive topic. To stand out from the pack, HC’s client settled on an approach that would employ humor and lighthearted writing to make the sometimes-dense subject of financial restructuring accessible to a large but sophisticated audience.
HBC taps into reader creativity to boost a legal blog.
To begin, HC and the firm drafted colorful bios of its blog contributors that showed off their personalities as well as their professional expertise. To takes things one step further, the head of the firm’s financial restructuring practice introduced weekly haikus providing a comical, if not entirely poetic, glimpse at the world of high finance. This edgy and irreverent approach to restructuring matters could be thought of as risky—but it was one that fit the personality of the practice group, and one that would be received well among its target audience of hedge funds, prop desks, and workout groups.
The launch was a huge success. However, since many new blogs reach a traffic plateau after six months, Hellerman Communications was charged with giving the blog a jolt during the summer “slow season.” The goal was to use earned media coverage to increase awareness of the blog and encourage readers to return to it frequently throughout the summer.
Analysis/Strategy:
While there were any number of approaches to the assignment, HC recognized that the firm’s business goals and the long-term success of the blog would be best served by a campaign that would: (i) build on the blog’s novelty, particularly its weekly haikus; and (ii) give readers a feeling of involvement with the blog and the firm.
HC recommended that the firm create a contest inviting the submission of original haikus for a chance to win Yankees tickets. The recommended contest, in which the winner won Yankees tickets, had the ancillary benefit of having a natural summer-long timeline.
Readers were given three chances to submit haikus to the blog—in June, July, and August. Each submission period resulted in a winner and several of the entries were highlighted on the website. Email alerts were used to tease readers to visit the site to enter, and again to check the winners at the end of each entry period.
Results/Execution:
The summer contest was a huge success, generating high-profile publicity in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, AmLaw Daily, ABA Journal, ThomsonReuters Legal News & Insight, and Wall Street Journal Bankruptcy Beat blog. The firm also received countless positive comments from its readers.
In its first year, the blog garnered 12,811 visits, of which 61% percent are new visits. Encouragingly, 52% of visits are a result of direct traffic, with only 24% coming from referring sites and 21% coming from search engines. Of those visits coming from search engines, the most popular search term is “basis points blog.”
It is clear that the blog has established itself as a go-to source in its niche and is enjoying impressive word of mouth, thanks to the creativity of its authors, readers, and HC.