Law firm marketing, like all professional services marketing, is in the midst of a digital revolution. Traditional techniques for generating leads, cultivating prospects, and making connections are becoming less and less effective. Today, many law firms are being found and vetted online. Technology, your potential client’s immediate expectations, and changing demographics are driving professional services to the center of the online marketing environment. Customers expect to be educated by searching brands (and yes, your law firm is a ‘brand’) and services that match their needs. If your brand or content is nowhere to be found, your competitor will show up instead. A growing number of firms are finding success with content marketing and promoting it through social media. Those refusing to notice the change will find themselves at a disadvantage.
Content marketing (also referred to as education marketing) is the means of attracting clients and leading them to your company instead of paying to reach them. It is the process of creating content that customers and clients want or need can be published or shared in any media format. Your law firm can create compelling and relevant messages by using a few basic guidelines in developing your own approach.
You are the expert. First, in order to create content that builds relationship and earns trust with your clients, your law firm must fully understand the marketplace and establish a targeted niche. You want your potential client to see you / your firm as a subject matter ‘expert’. A firm that provide general solutions that don’t fit the client’s needs will find little value and quickly conclude that the match is not a good fit.
Avoid the pitch. While content marketing can reference your firm and/or its services, that should not be the focus. Each blog post should address questions a potential client may ask: How to I resolve / address / get rid of my legal issue? How can I make it more cost-effective? How can a lawyer help? The answers connect your intangible services to your clients. Hence, you are building trust and pre-qualifying the interest at the same time. Now, clients know exactly what they’re getting before they make the contact or start working with you.
Add the human touch. More and more clients find it easier to do business with law firms that connect with them on an emotional scale. While it’s crucial for your content to be professional, social media, blogs, and videos are opportunities to show a personal side to your practice (in a thoughtful, strategic manner). Adding humor and personality also helps your firm to stand out. If you want to truly maximize content opportunities, think video, graphics and other visual mediums that are more likely to go viral beyond a blog post. People are more inclined to respond, repost, share and retweet to content that includes a little flair.
Overall, the key to effective content marketing is providing content that talks with your customers rather than talks at them. For professionals in the knowledge business (like law firms, consulting, and financial services), content marketing is a no-brainer. You are your own best media and PR machine.
For more information on how to develop and stick to an effective content marketing and social media campaign, contact the legal marketing experts at WebPresence, Esq. today.
