Content is the fuel that motivates your marketing, cultivates your customers, and stimulates your sales.
Whether you are producing content as a marketer, or a lawyer attempting to generate additional clients for your law firm, you will soon realise that the adage ‘content is king’ is a concept you must learn to embrace.
Content marketing for law firms is used for brand promotion, to build client trust, and to showcase legal advice or opinions. When this is done well it can generate new business opportunities, and encourage your company to progress through Google’s ranks. When it is done poorly, it can lose clients, divide lawyers, and become a wasted investment.
So, how do you create engaging, interesting content about law, in order to capture the attention of readers?
• What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing seeks to engage its audience through tools such as, blogs, articles, chat rooms, forums, vlogs, videos, images, and so on. These methods give the basis for captivating your audience, and encouraging them to want more.
Your content must be engaging, interesting, valid, and informative in order to encourage users to come back time and again, and to advance the law firm that it represents.
Some law firms (and other businesses) will pay writers to create appealing articles, and content. Whether this content is good, or bad, is open to debate, and the challenge that faces most law firms is how to create good content.
• Good and Bad Content
Not all content is born alike. Some sites (or writers) have the ability to produce beautifully crafted blogs that engage with readers on an emotional level, drawing you in, and keeping you hooked. Some sites don’t.
Good content will reward your marketing efforts with increased hits, higher Google ratings, and new clients.
The frequency with which you update your content can also affect the popularity of your postings, content, and website. Some companies will only update their content once a week, whereas large international companies can update their web presence on an hourly basis.
How frequently you decide to update depends on the scale of your marketing campaign, your firm’s budget, and the size of your law firm. The larger the firm, the more frequently you are likely to update. However, don’t be tempted to update just for the sake of updating, especially if the quality is not as good as it should be.
• When & How Should a Law Firm adopt Content Marketing?
Law firms are a business, just like any other. This means that they must keep up with new business practices that are currently popular in a bid to increase profits.
Modern law firms deal with many aspects of an individual’s life; ranging from family law, to legal disputes, or investments. Clients need these services, and information about them, to make informed decisions. Content for law firms should revolve around well-produced articles that engage with client’s needs, and that make legal content interesting, and appealing.
Content marketing for a law firm is essential in today’s online world. The knowledge required for a firm to successfully market itself can be considered around these six points:
1. Market your firm’s opinions – court rulings, high profile cases, business legislation, and so on, are a valuable marketing tool. Stay current with events on a national, and international scale, posting your firm’s views on these topics through social media posts, articles, and blogs.
Original commentary on these issues will generate interest in your firm, give potential clients an insider view to your firm, and build a rapport with readers.
2. Quality content – is of the upmost importance, and should not be substituted for quantity. Successful content relies on your firm’s ability to deliver quality material to readers, and potential clients. While a wide audience is desirable, make sure you are aware of your target clients – don’t post about obscure topics that aren’t related to your firm just to reach a new audience, chances are they won’t require your services.
3. Attractive Content – while a law firm may conduct serious business, the same principle doesn’t necessarily apply to your content marketing. If your tone is too serious, heavy, and ‘lawyerly’ you risk putting off potential clients. Instead, keep a light tone, encourage a natural voice, and develop a brand style that fits with your law firm.
4. Human touch – is vital in appealing to the emotions of your audience. Consider who your target audience are, or who you wish to target, and write to appeal to them. What sort of legal advice will they require? How can you relate articles to them? Use a conversational tone, remembering your brand style, and natural voice.
5. Focus on your niche – if you are a firm that specialises in corporate law write articles about shareholders rights, company mergers or acquisitions that have reached news headlines, and contract agreements, that apply to your law expertise, as opposed to articles that are unrelated to your firm. Directing your content to specific audiences is likely to improve your ROI, and help you stand out as experts in your field.
6. Features – will help to enhance the visual appearance of your content, making it more appealing to your audience. Use relevant images, photos, and videos, to support your written content. You can fine tune your brand style through use of specific imagery, and focus on your niche topic.
Successful content marketing will allow a law firm to develop its brand style, build a rapport with new audiences, exchange information with potential clients, and boost business.
It can offer an opportunity to highlight your firm’s expertise in certain areas, and can open channels of communication with potential clientele through comments, or Q&A posts.
Don’t forget, that just because your content is based on law, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be entertaining to the audience. They are more likely to return to your website if they are emotionally charged to do so.
Concise, focused planning for content will ensure you use creative, innovative text and images to capture your audience’s attention. Look for new developments in your field that would be of interest to potential clients, advertise your big cases, discuss nationwide rulings, and be entertaining.
Content marketing for law firms shouldn’t be boring, it should be thought-provoking, and attention-grabbing – that is its purpose after all.
