Pete Sullivan
BridgeTower Media Newswires
No profession appreciates the power of language and understands the value of time better than the legal profession. It’s no surprise, then, that lawyers are absolutely “killing it” when it comes to embedding content as a key component in their marketing and business development strategies.
Content marketing, defined
Content marketing is a strategic approach to your firm’s online marketing. It means applying the art and science of storytelling with the purpose of building your firm’s reputation and bringing new prospects to the top of your sales funnel.
Consumers of legal services use the internet to search for answers to their questions. In fact, did you know that more than 70% of all buying decisions are made before a prospect ever contacts a supplier? The same is true in the legal profession. This is where a well-structured website can make all the difference.
When your website provides relevant, engaging content that addresses clients’ issues, your firm establishes itself as a thought leader and practice area authority in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Here are five reasons why lawyers and law firms embrace content marketing:
• Quality content attracts quality clients
Content marketing is different from other forms of marketing. Its power and effectiveness come from its ability to interact with consumers. The constant barrage of billboards and banner ads, on the other hand, quickly becomes the noise consumers avoid instead of the knowledge they embrace.
Purchasers of legal services come to the internet with complex questions in search of answers. When your targeted content educates, informs and provides details about what they should do next, you’ve met your clients precisely where they are in their purchase cycle.
In other words, your content is attracting quality clients who are as interested in finding you as you are in serving them. Because your answers align with their questions, you have already developed a sense of trust before you’ve even met.
• Content eliminates barriers to entry
Not long ago, only the big firms with vast resources could promote themselves and market their achievements. Now, money is no longer a barrier to entry. Firms of all sizes can compete for clients on an equal footing.
But just because you have an online presence doesn’t mean clients will start beating down your door. Quality clients are smart clients. They (and search engines like Google) know the difference between fresh, relevant insights and shameless attempts to throw a bunch of legal jargon against the wall, hoping some of it will stick. In fact, both Google and your audience will punish any such attempts.
The key is to understand your clients: who they are, the challenges they face and the kind of guidance they need from you. By putting yourself in their situation, you’re able to differentiate yourself by the depth of your awareness and understanding of their challenges.
• Content reveals your expertise . . .
When you directly address the unique legal questions of your target audience, you’re not only demonstrating a solid grasp of the issues, but also extending a helping hand — perhaps even a lifeline — to let them know you stand ready with the legal guidance they need.
The knowledge and information you impart distinguishes you as an authority within your specialized practice area, and the expertise you reveal through content quickly transforms into thought leadership across the industry.
Establishing thought leadership through content development is one of the best ways to raise your profile — as opposed to pouring your budget into advertising. Lawyers best demonstrate their knowledge, skill and experience by discussing consequential court rulings, pending and recently enacted legislation, and hot topics in the news and popular media.
• . . . and your personality
As the old saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Content is extremely effective in revealing your personality, describing your work style, and offering examples of experience handling matters similar to those your target audience is facing.
Attorneys and clients don’t have to become best friends as they work together, but they do need to develop a mutual level of comfort and trust with one another. After all, clients often share the most private details of their personal and business lives with their lawyer.
Use content to tell your story; position yourself as someone who understands their challenges and stands ready to help them. They’ll quickly pick up on your approachable style and trustworthiness.
• Content is always “on the job”
Good content never sleeps. Clients with vexing legal questions don’t either.
So the ability of your high-quality content to meet clients wherever they are in their purchase decision – and whenever they decide to go shopping – allows you to remain “top of mind” with your target audience.
Content marketing is unlike advertising. It’s not a sales pitch. When done correctly, content marketing is focused on connecting with current and prospective clients, sharing your practice area knowledge and skills to help them address their most vexing legal challenges.
Finally, don’t confuse content marketing with providing free legal advice. Because every client comes with a unique set of challenges, the insights you offer can address only the initial questions about a specific issue. But in doing so, you distinguish yourself from the competition as a knowledgeable and trustworthy resource and advisor.
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Pete Sullivan is the founder and president of lexperitus. He is a marketing communications writer and a legal industry blogger with nearly three decades of legal publishing experience. In his roles as editor, content developer, and project manager, he developed the efficient Content Through Conversation process to help busy professionals create cutting-edge content that reveals their expertise and elevates their brand.
