If you have the time, the focus and the desire, a law firm newsletter can be your first line of communication with long-lost clients and colleagues.

This week we asked: Do you send out a newsletter?

1. Yes, and I truly think through the content – 12%

2. Yes, but it’s somewhat thrown together – 19%

3. No, I don’t have time – 41%

4. No, but I would like to start – 28%

My Thoughts: More than 65 percent of you don’t send a newsletter and the ones who do admit to not giving it the attention it truly needs. Not surprising.

Here’s the key- If you’re going to create a newsletter, create one that gels with the rest of your marketing materials… and with your firm. Better to send out 4 great newsletters a year than monthly communications that go straight into the trash (digital or paper!). Your clients should have a common ground (something we discussed long ago when creating a marketing plan) so cater to them. Give them a great article on something of importance to their business or personal life. Give them important updates on news and laws that affect them. Profile an attorney every other newsletter to give it an editorial feel. Enlist a good graphic designer to make it inviting and professional. Give it the attention it deserves.

So what got me focused on newsletters? I was browsing Copyblogger, and came across a great post that included this gem:

There may be seven thousand reasons why your newsletter won’t get the response you’re looking for. Most of those reasons have the same common problem, though: readers just don’t like it.”

Simple but true.

Black Pearl: The post I came across “5 Reasons Why No One Is Reading Your Email Newsletter,” is full of great information. And don’t forget to read the comments!