How to Blog About a Business When You’re Not the Expert

The one question that we get asked at every client meeting is, “How are you able to generate copy and ongoing blog content for MY business when you are not an expert in my industry?” In so many words, we know that clients are essentially asking:

It’s a fair yet difficult question to answer and a totally blog-worthy topic to discuss.

The first thing we tell our clients is this: Our job is to create new introductions through their website. Their job is to sell their once the intro happens. The two activities belong to different sides of the business transaction. It’s the difference between being a great technician and properly marketing those technical skills.

So how does that work, exactly? 

You Don’t Know Me

Take a one-attorney law practice that specializes in estate law, for example.This attorney (our client) spent several years and tens of thousands of dollars on her education and passed the bar in her state. In her seven years of practice, she has become a successful technician in her field, covering specific areas of wills, trusts, probate, fiduciary responsibility, and more. She is highly regarded for the protection she provides her clientele and is considered an expert by all measures.

So, we know who she is, what she does and her credentials. And we also know that we are in her office, invited in as marketers and brand service providers to fill in the gaps in her marketing knowledge. Duh, right? Just because she is a highly-educated attorney does not mean she is a business expert in all areas of business. She requires help with billing, tax planning, accounting, lease negotiation, technology and—you guessed it—marketing!

Really effective lawyering (which is what her customers demand) and really effective marketing (which is what lawyers expect from us) are both difficult full-time jobs requiring much expertise… which is why we’re sitting in that estate lawyer’s office in the first place.

Make That Introduction

Back to content. Copy and lawyering (here comes the good part): We can write about many things related to her field and her services without making a promise or selling anything. To what end? You probably already know the answer: to attract the searching public to her website to make a brand introduction.

Did we go into the process of practicing law? No.
Did we write about her relationship in the field? No.
Do we bring up her knowledge of different judges’ personalities in the courtroom? No.

Those answers are all her professional domains that we are not qualified to write about. Those topics should be talked about between her and her client. But not on the website.

Why not? Because ultimately, she has to sell her expertise to her potential client. The searching public are typing in searches like, “benefits of having a will,” not, “KC lawyer who can deal with the fickle personality of probate judges.” Understanding how your audience operates is part and parcel with what we do as marketers.

So What Do We Talk About?

Our expertise as marketers is to get to the heart of any business’ message and convey that in an engaging, audience-friendly manner on your website.

Do we mention the benefits of having a will in place? Check.
Do we talk about what probate is and how an experienced attorney can help you navigate archaic state laws?  Check.
Do we talk about the potential tax consequences associated with certain trusts? Check.

Honey. Sweet, sticky honey.

As marketers, we work with our clients as closely as possible to get to the heart of that message. We sit down for one-on-one meetings. Many emails and phone calls go back and forth. We do research on the industry and what consumers are looking for and the best way to reach them, all without explaining the finer, industry-specific details. And then we craft the message… with your blessing, of course.

Once we attract them to your messaging with our marketing efforts, you take it from there—wowing your primed and ready clientele with your industry-leading knowledge that ensures a legion of loyal followers from that moment on.