Welcome to 2024. It is time for resolutions and action on all those law firm marketing initiatives you promised to complete in 2023. I understand your pain. We all have good ideas and a desire to succeed in our efforts. However, despite good intentions, many law firms get stuck, particularly when generating consistent and valuable content.
Today is a new day, and I want to guide you in implementing an effective law firm content strategy.
First, let’s define “content strategy.”
In the simplest terms, content strategy is the ongoing process of translating business objectives and goals into a plan that uses content as a primary means of achieving those goals.
But it’s more than that. Effective content strategy is about creating and sharing content that helps people solve problems, find answers, learn, and grow. Tactics include everything from blog posts to videos, eBooks, infographics, and social media posts. Content should help your law firm’s clients understand how your services work, why they matter, and how those services solve their legal problems.
In this post, we will examine the essential elements of content strategy, best practices, and common mistakes.
Where Do You Start?
Gone are the days when law firms could wait for a referral or a client to “find them.” Today’s clients expect law firms to provide targeted and beneficial information via blogs, social media platforms, newsletters, and more. Clients want to read content that directly applies to their situation and helps them solve problems.
Committing to an inbound content-focused marketing program will inspire long-term client relationships when the content aligns with the needs of your target audiences.
Where do you start?
Blogs.
Blogs are the most powerful content marketing tool available to law firms as they showcase their expertise, build relationships with potential clients, and increase their visibility online. Unfortunately, blogs were only present on around 27 percent of law firm websites, even though around a quarter of law firms that had a blog said they were aware of at least one client procured as a direct result of their blog. (Credit: American Bar Association “Profile of the Legal Profession” report)
For inspiration, check out 50 Best Legal Marketing Blogs and Websites in 2024 (feedspot.com) for ideas on content, placement, and layout.
Content Strategy – An Integrated Approach
Even though blogging is an excellent first start, content goes far beyond posting articles on your website. Specifically, content should touch multiple points—your website, landing pages, infographics, brochures, newsletters, videos, social media (LinkedIn), etc. Unfortunately, many law firms believe a static website is the answer to all their marketing and business development needs.
A robust content strategy will provide additional benefits, including:
- Drive organic website traffic through SEO content.
- Increase website authority through consistent and timely blog content.
- Reach more followers on social media.
- Increase social media presence and engagement.
- Generate backlinks from outside websites.
- Grow an email list and run effective email campaigns.
- Reach potential clients through video content.
- Grow a referral network through high-value content and outreach.
Let’s look at an example of an effective law firm content strategy. Venn Law Group, a Charlotte-based business law firm, incorporates several elements into its content plan. Not only does the firm provide consistent thought leadership through blogs, but it also uses video to educate its audience and provide real-world examples of how legal issues can impact business. Additionally, the firm furthers awareness by posting firm announcements and links to its content via LinkedIn and Facebook. Finally, the firm recently launched a monthly newsletter aimed at its current clients as a way to increase engagement and cross-sell other practice areas. The results are significant.
When comparing 2023 to 2022 traffic, organic reach increased by over 300 percent, and referral traffic increased by 120 percent.
Common Content Mistakes Made by Businesses
As with any activity, rushing to complete a task will always produce a sub-standard result. Creating and sharing content is no exception. Every piece of business-related information should be well organized and purposeful. Therefore, don’t fall into the trap of producing content for the sake of content.
Consider these common errors:
Writing and publishing content for the sake of publishing. As we noted, content must have a purpose and a direction. What is your intent? Will the reader care about the information? Is it timely? Am I providing value? If not, then you’re wasting your time.
Ignoring the importance of SEO. Your content should be friendly to the search engines and appeal to their algorithms. Text-heavy legalese doesn’t work. Learn how your audience searches for information. Think of keywords and phrases.
Additionally, educate yourself on how AI is impacting SEO. If you lack in-house SEO expertise, partner with an SEO specialist who can offer guidance. It is not enough to write content for human beings; you must also appeal to search engine best practices.
Not defining your target audience. You cannot create a compelling marketing message if you can’t define your buyer’s persona. You must understand the needs, desires, and pain points of your target audience(s) before you draft your content. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time and effort.
Inconsistent posting. We have seen numerous law firms suddenly focus on intense content creation, only to find this activity wanes when they get busy with client work. For a content strategy to be effective, it cannot be sporadic. Commit to a regular publishing schedule.
Not reviewing content performance. Finally, a common mistake is failing to monitor analytics. Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn all offer analytics about user engagement. Evaluation and re-tooling are part of every content strategy. Don’t overlook this critical step.
Formulating a Content Strategy That Gets the Job Done
At the end of the day, the goal is to grow your firm’s followers and boost engagement—and this cannot be accomplished simply by random posting via one channel. Instead, ensure that your content strategy is comprehensive and addresses multiple media and approaches to promotion.
Knowing where to begin developing a content strategy might feel a bit overwhelming. However, the marketing experts at YGL Enterprises are well-versed in law firm marketing and welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your content strategy. Reach out and schedule a consultation today.
Yvonne Levine, president of YGL Enterprises, Inc., is a strategic marketing consultant who collaborates with professional services and small and mid-sized businesses to develop and execute successful marketing strategies, branding initiatives, content creation, and digital marketing plans. By helping businesses devise a targeted strategy first, this approach creates a strong foundation for tactical decisions, which drives brand awareness and positive results. Follow Yvonne on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Yvonne Levine, president of YGL Enterprises, Inc., is a strategic marketing consultant who collaborates with professional services and small and mid-sized businesses to develop and execute successful marketing strategies, branding initiatives, content creation, and digital marketing plans. By helping businesses devise a targeted strategy first, this approach creates a strong foundation for tactical decisions, which drives brand awareness and positive results. Follow Yvonne on LinkedIn and Facebook.