Blog / How to apply the right tone for each online channel

If there is just one piece of advice to give when producing online content, it is "be authentic". The tone of traditional print marketing and advertising in the legal profession could best be summed up as "authoritative", but the Internet is by and large a less buttoned-up medium because it is inherently more personal and sometimes downright relaxed. If your law practice adopts the right tone to match your online content channel, you will make a more personal and emotional connection with your audience and will see better results.

Just as in life, there are differences in the manner in which you address your audience depending on your purpose and the online platform you are writing for. Just as you would not employ the same style when writing an email to your daughter at college as you would to her college professor, different marketing channels require different tones.

The most buttoned-up tone you'll use in your online content will be in your longer form pieces, such as articles and white papers, because the objective of these articles is to inform the reader and demonstrate thought leadership in the process. More planning goes into structure, sentences require proper construction and you'll provide detail and support to your statements.

Blog posts by comparison, are more conversational in tone. In a blog it's perfectly acceptable and expected that you will write not only the facts, but your perspective as well. Your personality - whether that of your firm's brand or your own tone - is what makes the best connection with the audience you hope to reach. It's acceptable to add humour in your blog posts--the same flavour you would use when addressing a professional group. Remember that there are many other legal bloggers in your field, and an effective way to cut through the clutter and build your following is to display warmth and a distinct point of view. These characteristics are as important as your ability to inform and educate.

If you're contributing a LinkedIn Pulse article, the same general rules apply. This is a professional audience of prospective clients, peers and influencers, and your articles can have a very positive impact on your brand. The purpose of these articles is to inform, start a conversation and demonstrate expertise.

Twitter, with its 140-character soundbites, sits firmly at the other end of the online spectrum. It has its own abbreviations and communication style. To get a taste of what we mean, do a Google search for popular thought leaders in your practice area that have large Twitter followings. What you will discover is that many of them tweet about not only legal subjects, but also their families, hobbies, even what films they've just seen. It is perfectly acceptable on Twitter to tweet about non-business-related topics, and to share videos and Instagram photos. The takeaway here is that you can tweet on a personal level and still maintain a professional persona.

If you decide to expand your content marketing reach by exploring different online media, get together with others at your firm and look at the businesses, firms and people you follow online and why you like them. This will guide to discovering your unique tone for every channel.