Content marketing is a great strategy for law firms, but it can easily turn into an ineffective time suck if not done well. Firms shouldn’t jump into content marketing just because it’s the latest trend—content has to be timely, relevant and useful to your audience in order to be effective, and that takes time and dedication. Above all, your content needs to be high quality.
The key to creating quality content is using an authentic voice. Legal professionals are often used to writing in a formal, technical style. That type of writing typically won’t translate to e-newsletters, blogs and online publications. A more conversational tone will capture readers and make your content relatable. Once you’ve perfected your voice, using it consistently will make readers feel as if they know you, and they’ll turn to you for information again and again.
Creating a content marketing plan that works for your firm takes trial and error, but there are some time-tested tactics that other firms have found success with. Here are three action items you can implement today.
- Determine your expertise. Even if you focus your work on a widely practiced area of law, no other firm or attorney has the exact same experience that you do. Look to important or favorite cases you’ve handled and ask yourself what insights you can glean from them. What interesting perspective can you offer to your audience?
- Re-purpose major court rulings and legal news items. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for every blog post. Offer your opinion, commentary or predictions on recent developments in your field to engage in the conversation. If you follow the news, half of your content marketing work is done for you.
- Think beyond words. Try using photos, video, podcasts or infographics to share your message. Multimedia content is a great way to grab readers’ attention and humanize your content, especially on social media.
