The practice of law is a noble profession, but like all professions that require revenue in order to survive, solicitors need to have a marketing plan if they are to grow their client base. However, because the term ‘marketing’ is often used interchangeably with ‘advertising’ (which has ethical implications in many jurisdictions) some solicitors avoid self-promotion.
While a law firm’s marketing plan can often include advertising as one of its elements, it generally involves other activities that aim to show prospective clients what solicitors can do for them: digital newsletters, website content, blogs and press releases.
In the increasingly competitive field of law practice, it is no longer enough to provide the best legal services in town – and in this digital age, online marketing for lawyers and law firms has become vital to their survival.
Content strategy
Website content is one of the most important marketing tools that a firm can have – and one of the least expensive. Some tips:
- Relevant content: Clients and potential clients have questions and problems that lead them to search online for an attorney. Understand what these concerns are and create content which adds real value to your website. Relevant content also improves search visibility for the terminology used, and search rankings that help deliver more potential clients to your website – your 24/7 ‘virtual receptionist’.
- Targeting clients: Many law firm websites avoid marketing to a target audience and tend to create content that calls out instead to their competition. Identify the people who will need your expertise and create content that will not just engage them, but motivate them to contact you.
- Volume and quality: Content that is published frequently and regularly helps to establish and reinforce your authority in a specific field of law. A solicitors website that publishes engaging and relevant content can also build trust among clients and prospects, boosting loyalty and promoting word of mouth referrals among clients. When creating articles for law websites, it is essential for legal content writers to express complex principles and legal language in simple terms.
- Content for sharing: Content also drives social media which is an indispensable aspect of Internet marketing for businesses and professions. Web pages must not only be optimised for search engines but must also integrate social sharing buttons and profiles to boost viral activity involving solicitors website content.
Law firms these days must include written content updates as part of their overall marketing plan, and ensure that it is budgeted for, and published. If writing content is out of your comfort zone, and will take you away from your core business, then outsource its creation.
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