2023 Formula: Content Marketing = MORE CLIENTS

Content marketing is how you get people aware of your law firm. This fact will continue to be true in 2023 (and beyond!) Firms with solid content marketing strategies see astronomical lead growth and improved conversion rates. Don't believe me? Check out your competition. Look at their website. Do they have a blog that they post on consistently? Do they share that blog on social media? I know they do.

Content marketing for law firms is not as simple as the occasional blog or weekly tweets. While online material like blogs, videos, and social media make up content marketing, strategizing is where things get complicated. To get the most out of your online activity, build a recognizable brand, engage prospects, and drive sales, you need a personalized strategy.?

To develop an inbound marketing plan, you need to understand just what content marketing is, how it applies to and benefits law firms, and what a successful strategy looks like. It is important to realize that your strategy is likely to change over time as prospective clients’ needs change and your law firm’s service evolves.?

What Is Content Marketing for Law Firms?

Content marketing is the practice of creating engaging content aimed at a targeted online audience. A successful content marketing strategy can increase a law firm’s brand awareness, establish authority and expertise, create an online community, and generate leads and clients. While the content and website design will vary among different law firms, the majority of lawyers strive to publish information to potential consumers.??

Content marketing is unlike traditional advertising in that you are not directly selling anything to potential clients. Traditional advertising includes print, mail, email, TV, and radio marketing. Instead, you are focusing on being an advocate and helping them through their legal troubles.?

Why Is Content Marketing Important for Law Firm?

Content marketing has the potential to provide organic search traffic to your website. This is often more effective than paid search traffic, as users who organically find you are more likely to need your services. With the right strategy, you could see a significant increase in website traffic.?

According to?The Wall Street Journal, It is estimated that nearly 70% or more of searchers skip past the paid search results at the top of Google’s search engine. (I know I do!) As a result, the higher up you rank in organic content, the more likely it is that you will generate leads. It is also important to note that 40 percent of e-commerce comes from search engines. Less than five percent of that is from paid ads.??

A content marketing strategy is also important for law firms because individuals and businesses are researching firms before making any decisions about pursuing legal representation or signing contracts. If your website provides valuable content that establishes you as an industry leader, those researchers are more likely to inquire about your services.?

How to Develop a Successful Content Marketing Strategy?

Developing a strong content marketing strategy takes time. The process can seem overwhelming at first, but it can be managed. There are also professional services available to law firms that can help design personalized marketing strategies. No matter how you decide to pursue your strategy, you will need to consider your audience, website, content, and social media presence.?

Understand Your Target Audience?

The first step of developing a successful content marketing strategy is understanding your audience. You need to know who your audience is, their challenges, and what types of legal services they need. If you can present solutions to their problems in a short amount of time online, they are more likely to become potential or paid clients.?

If you are uncertain who your audience is, there are different strategies you can implement. To identify critical consumers, consider the following:

• Look at who your current clients are.?
• Conduct surveys with existing clients or the general public.?
• Use online tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights to learn about who is looking at your online content.?
• Evaluate other law firm websites and social media pages.?
• Analyze your competitor’s target audience.?
• Create personas and run tests to see what works.?

Build a Quality Website?

A law firm’s website is the foundation of its content marketing. It is what builds a user-friendly digital presence. To build a?quality website, attorneys need to optimize for technical SEO, create a smoother user experience, and ensure they have detailed landing pages that highlight the services they offer.?

In terms of technical SEO, there are aspects of websites that allow them to be crawled and indexed by search engines. You want Google to find your website, acknowledge its existent, and rank it high for your target keywords. To improve your website’s technical SEO, focus on improving page loading times, increasing accessibility, and removing broken links.?

To create a user-friendly website, the design needs to make it easy to navigate. Website content should be separated into categories, also called taxonomy. The taxonomy of a standard law firm website includes sections for blog posts, services, locations, and attorney bios.?

Regarding landing pages, you need to have accurate, detailed information on the services you offer. Every practice area should have its own landing page. You can also have sub-landing pages. For example, if you represent car accident victims, you could have a primary auto accident page and subpages on distracted driving or driving under the influence.?

Focus on Content Creation?

Your content creation strategy needs to evolve alongside your law firm and its overall marketing goals. If you already have a website, evaluate the current content. Does it hold any SEO value? Are you targeting keywords your potential clients might use when searching for your services? Are your pages long enough for Google to recognize as authoritative??

If you find your current content is lacking, you have two options. You can revise what you have, or you can start from scratch. Either way, moving forward, you will want to regularly evaluate how your content is ranking and develop plans to improve what you put our for users to see.

A significant part of?content creation?is keyword research. This involves finding and analyzing potential search terms leads may use. To find relevant keywords, start by creating a list of topics and services your firm handles. Then, brainstorm keywords for those topics. What might people search for? You can also use online tools to find related keywords. Finally, tools like?Google Keyword Planner?can be used to narrow down your list. Try to choose keywords with a decent search volume and lower competition.?

There are different types of content that lawyers benefit from. Some of the most common forms include the following:???

• Blogs.?Blogs are informative to readers and excellent SEO opportunities for lawyers. You can cover relevant topics potential clients search for and target specific practice areas where you want to drive business.?
• White Papers.?White papers target potential clients and help lawyers establish themselves as experts in given practice areas. White papers typically contain multiple types of visual content, including text, photos, and infographics.?
• Infographics.?Infographics merge writing and visual design. They allow readers the opportunity to process data quickly and efficiently.?
• Newsletters.?Newsletters offer the opportunity to connect with potential clients and build long-term relationships. You can keep your audience up to date on what your firm is doing in the legal world and the community.
• Press Releases.?Press releases play a critical role in advertising your firm’s content online. You can optimize press releases with SEO keywords while delivering important firm information to your audience.
• Videos.?Video content is a growing trend in the legal industry. High production quality videos help potential clients grow comfortable with a firm.?

Utilize Social Media Platforms?

Social media is an often under-utilized resource by attorneys. Remember that the majority of your past, current, and potential clients are on a multitude of social media platforms. Among the most common are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.?

If you do not already have social media pages for your law firm, it is time to start. Facebook and Twitter are common jumping-off points. Consider what potential clients might want to see from you and set a posting schedule. Your social media strategy will evolve as you analyze reactions and comments.

If you can organically attract social media consumers to your website through posts and links, you will likely see an increase in traffic to your website. This is especially true if you target your posts to audiences you know need your help.?

How Law Quill Can Help Law Firms With Content Marketing

Balancing running a law firm and managing content marketing is a big undertaking. Fortunately, there are industry professionals with the knowledge you need who can take content marketing for law firms off of your plate. Whether you are looking for strategy guidance, content creation, or something else, Law Quill can help.???

We can help make your law firm stand out online. Pinky swear.

If you would like a free marketing strategy session, we would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free. Consider reaching out to?schedule an appointment today, listen to the?Legal Marketing Lounge podcast, or check out the bestselling book?Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms from Amazon today!

Annette Choti, Esq. has over twenty years of combined legal and digital marketing experience. She founded Law Quill, a full-service digital marketing agency for law firms and businesses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Annette is a sought-after CLE and keynote speaker for Bar Associations and legal events throughout North America. She creates and hosts the?Legal Marketing Lounge?podcast, and is the author of the bestselling book, Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so far from the law, if we are all being honest.??