Is content marketing an effective and appropriate strategy for legal professionals? You likely know the answer to this already: Content marketing is all about building an image of authority and expertise—and who, more than an attorney, needs to come across as authoritative and expertise? Branding yourself as the lawyer of true experience—the lawyer with real solutions—is the best way to stand apart from your competitors, and content marketing gives you the tools to do exactly that.
Of course, law firms can’t quite approach content marketing in the same way that, say, an online retailer might, or even a plumber. Attorneys need to create content that addresses potential client concerns and inquiries while also displaying the seriousness and the gravity—to say nothing of the empathy and compassion—that people like to see in attorneys.
How can attorneys and legal practice managers succeed in their content marketing endeavors? We might offer the following tips and techniques:
- You’ve got to hone in on your niche. There will be many opportunities to blog or to tweet about big legal developments in our world—but not all of those opportunities are going to be particularly relevant to what you do, or what your clients expect of you. For example, there may be a lot going on with healthcare laws or immigration reform, and those topics can prove some great fodder for your firm’s blog—if you focus on insurance law or on immigration. If you’re primarily a divorce lawyer, though, then these topics just aren’t as pertinent. Remember to stay focused on your vertical, and not to cast so wide a net that your firm loses its identity.
- Your blog needs to offer something valuable to your audience. Your expertise is valuable, to an extent, but it really needs to connect with the specific concerns or questions that your readers have. Return to the topic of health insurance law. Talking about changes in health insurance requirements is one thing; offering a step-by-step assessment of how this affects doctors, or how employers need to adapt their practices, is even better.
- Your content should offer solutions. You may think that a new law is wildly unfair to business owners, or to fathers fighting for custody of their children, or to first-time criminal offenders—and it’s fine for you to say that. You also need to give potential clients some reason to seek your legal expertise anyway, however—by showing them that you do have an answer for them, or that there are ways for them to achieve the best possible legal outcome to whatever issue they’re facing.
- Your content needs to be personal. Rather than blog about laws in the abstract, make sure to tie it to real people and real problems. Content marketing can and should show expertise and authority, but it should also demonstrate compassion. It should show that you care.
Content marketing is ultimately an investment in your clients and potential clients—an investment of our expertise, your empathy, and your valuable time. When done properly, this investment can yield incredible returns down the road.
The Red Ink 