How to get it so wrong!

Many of our clients will know that here at Edgeworks we are very fond of blogs, especially their ability to help build an effective online 'thought-leadership' programme. They are particularly useful for professional service companies, who need to build trust in their brand in order to successfully market their services.

Well, as some of you may already be aware, there has been a story doing the rounds online that really is a masterclass in how not to launch a blog.  In short, the London law firm Watson Farley & Williams launched a trainee blog to much fanfare and was even trumpeted on Legal Week as follows:

Watson Farley & Williams has launched possibly the most fashionable law firm marketing initiative to date, by getting its trainees to write a weekly ‘weblog’ on the firm’s website.

However, all was not as it appeared and the site was no more than a list of pdf documents and was rightly named and shamed on many sites including the popular Human Law which also includes links to further criticisms.

Given that Watson Farley & Williams got it so wrong, what lessons can we learn from their mishap? Without stating the very obvious which I'm sure we can all identify, I think the last word should go to Binary Law who provide some salutary advice and I quote:

This is not a blog: anyone familiar with blogs visiting it will see that it exhibits none of the hallmarks of a blog. Approach via their Publications page and you’ll see that it’s just a category in their CMS.

This was misguided spin: blogs are hip, so let’s call our initiative a blog.

So what lessons do we learn?

1. Know your stuff. Find out what blogs are about before you claim to have one.
2. Call a spade a spade. Your effort may be worthy, but sell it for what it is.
3. A corporate blog should aim to engage, not deliver thinly disguised PR.

And a lesson for journalists/bloggers: check the source, don’t just regurgitate their PR

Having recently visited the Watson Farley & Williams so called 'blog' I'm amazed that they have continued to post, despite all the negative publicity!

I'd be very interested to hear their marketing managers perspective on how they intend to deal with all this attention and what plans they have for the site.

Happy Blogging!