She’s working in a medium-sized firm. She’s nervous.
She’s feeling like an anonymous cog in a wheel, and she’s struggling to gain visibility within the firm or, more importantly, outside the firm.
She feels like she’s invisible, and she’s worried about the future.
Her firm, like many, has begun laying off lawyers—again. It was common five years ago to let lawyers go. She wasn’t around back then, but she heard the stories of the dark days when lawyers left the building with a cardboard box. It’s déjà vu all over again.
She’s ambitious but not daring. She likes the security (yeah, I know—what security?) of the law firm job, but she wants to grow her reputation in her local community.
What Can She Do?
We talked and went through some ideas. We talked about getting involved in bar association activities and community groups. But that’s not going to help in her situation. She’s involved in a practice area that isn’t something local lawyers handle, nor do they have a need to refer matters to someone like her. It’s the same deal with community groups. This isn’t a consumer or small business practice area.
She needs visibility in front of particular people in a particular profession. I’d explain further, but that would reveal more than I should.
We talked about starting a blog. She was certain that her firm would oppose her proposal, but she decided to present it anyway. She wanted to start something of her own, and she’s willing to pay for it herself.
She pitched the idea, and the firm agreed. She was shocked. Times really have changed.
How She Started Her Blog
She’s setting up the blog now. She’s hosting it on Bluehost, and she used its one-click WordPress install to get it up and running. So far, she’s using a standard theme that’s included in the WordPress install and adding articles before she tells anyone it’s up and running. I think she’s testing herself to see whether she’ll stick with it before she goes public.
She’s using a domain name she purchased and owns. She’s paying about $15 a year for the domain name, and it’s something she can keep forever. Her agreement with the law firm is that the site and its content are hers to own and keep. The firm wasn’t concerned about ownership and encouraged her to do her own thing.
Now, we’re talking through a plan to help her get her blog in front of decision-makers. The core of the strategy is providing valuable information and insight. She’s not shooting for providing the latest news or developments. She’s working to synthesize recent cases and news into actionable information. She wants to explain the meaning of things that happen rather than feel obligated to report everything that changes.
She has a good plan. She’s committed, and she got the right approvals from the people she’s reporting to at her firm. She’s good to go. Her plan is likely to work if she executes as she intends.
How Blogging Will Make Her Visible
What’s going to happen soon is that she’ll gain visibility in an important arena. She’s going to do it while holding onto her job and her salary. She’s going to start generating business, which makes her role even more secure. She’s on the right track.
Her blog will provide other benefits as she publishes her work. She’s going to:
- be more secure in her position as she gains authority in the field,
- gain visibility in other firms,
- get targeted by headhunters and other firms and get offers,
- generate business on her own, and
- be tempted to leave the firm and take her practice elsewhere or do her own thing.
Her blog is going to make the invisible much more visible. She’s going to come out of the shadows and into the light.
Why am I so confident that it’s going to work? How do I know that people are going to take note?
Well, you’re reading my blog, right? It works. I feel the impact daily.
She’s going to make it happen as well. All it takes is a few minutes of technical mumbo-jumbo and lots of thinking and writing. She’s already a thinker and a writer, so we’re more than halfway there before we even get started.
If you’re invisible or worried that you’re headed that way, then there’s no time like the present to put yourself out there, and a blog is a great way to make it happen. This is a great time to showcase your expertise.
