If you haven’t embraced content as a key component of your marketing strategy, it may be time to look more closely.
Every year, law firms lose clients who move, pass away or leave for unknown reasons. A reliable content marketing strategy that continually replaces these clients with fresh accounts can ensure your legal practice continues to thrive in the years to come.
Google is a powerful traffic driver for websites that can get on the first page of search results. The number one result on Google receives an average click-through rate of over 27 per cent and is over 10 times more likely to be clicked on than a page in the tenth spot.
As marketers at law firms work to attract new clients, content marketing has become a valuable tactic to raise visibility in Google search results and generate leads.
Why use content marketing for your law firm?
Law firms face marketing challenges just like any other business, but if you’re not marketing your legal services, you could be putting future growth at risk.
Some of the marketing challenges you may be facing include:
- Competition for clients;
- Communicating your value;
- Creating awareness;
- Differentiating your services from other firms;
- Building trust with new clients;
- Establishing community connections; and
- Lack of time and resources.
When potential clients search for legal services online, they’ll likely turn to Google or another search engine to find a firm nearby. Companies that use content marketing by posting to a blog have over 400 per cent more indexed pages than those that don’t. This means search engines can crawl the website content and understand its relevance to search queries posted by users.
With the right content, you can attract this search traffic to your website and reassure potential clients that they’ve found a trustworthy resource. Your content can offer practical advice and helpful insights to demonstrate your expertise in your focus areas.
Content marketing is an investment that, when executed correctly, can drive revenue for your law firm for years to come.
15 best practices for effective content marketing for legal services
Law firms must develop tailored strategies to overcome their marketing challenges and attract a consistent flow of relevant search traffic to their website. Content marketing will help you convert this traffic into interested clients who are ready to explore a future with your firm.
A high-converting content strategy will combine steps that pull search traffic while also meeting the needs of potential clients for reassuring information.
Let’s look at some of the best practices for making the most of content marketing for your law firm.
1. Know your audience
When you understand the legal needs and concerns of your potential clients, you can craft valuable content that speaks directly to their pain points. Consider who you serve and the kinds of clients you’d like to reach. Build out topic clusters to address the specific issues you know will resonate with your target audience groups.
2. Create a content calendar
Have a publishing schedule for your content and follow it consistently. A publishing plan helps you deliver value and cover all relevant topic categories in your content. A calendar will also help you delegate the different tasks that go into building an effective content plan and keep your momentum going.
3. Do keyword research
Keywords help search engines understand what your content is about and who should see it. Thorough keyword research will help you determine the search terms potential clients may use so you can optimize your content for them and attract more traffic.
4. Choose topics that demonstrate expertise
Differentiating yourself from the competition will help you attract clients most likely to be interested in your work. Cover topics that align with your firm’s expertise and the legal services you provide to position yourself as a trustworthy source of information.
5. Educate and inform audiences
Most people who reach your website will appreciate helpful and relatable content. Help them recognize themselves in your content and demonstrate your knowledge in relevant areas where they need your support. Your content should show potential clients how you work and the problems you solve.
6. Use a mix of content formats
Try different content types to add interest and appeal to diverse audiences. Short articles on timely topics might be quick to produce, while longer form content can offer deep insights into more complex topics. Videos with transcripts may also do well. Be sure to consider accessibility to support as many visitors as possible to your website.
7. Leverage case studies
Potential clients want to know you can help them solve their unique problems. You can showcase past successes by sharing case studies that offer transparency into past wins. To protect your clients’ anonymity, you can share challenges and how your firm helped achieve positive outcomes without identifying those involved.
8. Showcase thought leadership
When individuals, companies and organizations have legal problems, they want the best representation possible. They’ll likely look for lawyers who are well-known and respected. Sharing insights and being visible in your community can help establish your firm’s partners as thought leaders in their areas of specialty.
9. Share answers to common questions
People turn to Google to help find solutions for their problems, often typing in search queries related to their current issues. You can boost your rankings by offering content that directly addresses common legal questions and concerns of potential clients. Answering commonly searched questions can also help you appear in featured snippets.
10. Share client testimonials
Potential clients often look for social proof — signs that others have been happy with your work. You can encourage satisfied clients to share their positive experiences in testimonials you can use to build trust with new audiences.
11. Feature team members
People want to build connections with other humans. You can add a personal touch to your website by sharing detailed profiles of your legal team and key support staff, highlighting their contributions, expertise and personal details.
12. Collaborate with community partners
Building connections with other professionals in your community can also bring in new clients. Partner with other experts to offer or host guest posts, interviews or discussion panels to help reach new audiences. This outreach can help build your referral network, encouraging more community members to recommend your firm.
13. Update content for accuracy
Keep your content organized to make necessary updates as laws change and guidelines evolve. Make it a habit to review content by category when significant shifts occur to ensure you offer accurate information and build credibility within your community.
14. Optimize for local SEO
Adopt recommendations for search engine optimization (SEO) on your site, including local SEO. You can use location-specific keywords to help attract searchers from your specific geographical area. You can also claim your Google My Business listing to help improve your rankings in local searches.
15. Test and adjust your strategy
Review your performance analytics regularly to measure and evaluate your content performance. You’ll begin to see patterns in where your content shows the best engagement and conversion rates, allowing you to adjust your strategy with the aim of repeating your successes.
The goals of your content marketing strategy should be to establish your law firm’s credibility, attract new audiences and build meaningful relationships with potential clients. By consistently delivering valuable insights that draw organic traffic, you’ll be able to achieve positive results for your firm. Want more information about how content marketing can help you attract more clients? Connect with a Postmedia expert today!
