8 things to remember when creating your law firm’s online content
Updated 5 June 2020
Has your law firm built a brand new website and you’re populating it with all your content? All your knowledge and experience can be collated on your firm’s website and shared across all your social channels.
But it’s not simply a matter of putting heaps of content out there. It has to be the right content, targeted to the right people and added in the right way; both from a technical aspect plus a user experience aspect. All these elements together will maximise the potential of your online marketing.
We’ve put together a little cheat sheet of 8 things we think are super important when creating your law firm’s online content.
1. Have you clearly identified your target audience?
Remember, each piece of content you have on your online platforms could have a unique target audience and you need to craft that content for that specific audience.
For example, assume your firm does commercial and business law plus family law. The type of content you provide to your commercial clients might be a little more formal and your family law content might display more empathy and plain English in a conversational manner.
2. You should include imagery and other rich media on your website and social media channels
No-one wants to visit a website or social media channel that’s just full of blocks of text. It’s important to consider images, video, infographics and the like that are relevant to the content you’re sharing. We call this 'rich media' and it's good for your user and good for your SEO.
3. Ensure you are providing a mix of engaging content on your social media channels
If your content is very similar all the time and/or simply repeated each week or month, your audience will soon lose interest. Create a “content calendar” so you can ensure you have a good mix of articles and other content to share on a regular basis.
Note: it's OK to repeat promotion of website content on your social media channels as long as you don't do it all the time; for example, posting the same content every week or every month. You can also refresh it with new images or reviewing it (rather than completely re-writing it) each time you re-post it.
4. Have you included a “call to action”?
A call to action is a piece of content crafted to encourage your visitors to perform a specific act; for example, to call you or complete a form.
It’s a critical step in the "sales funnel" and one that is often overlooked. It may even be as simple as making your phone number or email address easily accessible so visitors can contact you instantly if they wish to.
5. Write your own content
You’re a law firm and your website and other communications are likely spruiking your expertise and experience in the law and legal services. How can someone else write this for you?
Your own content written by you will be far more valuable to your readers than some over-arching article that has little detail about your area of expertise. Your online visitors will learn to value your content if they know lawyers write it, and they’ll continue to use you as a trusted source.
You should curate your own content but you could use a copy-writer or agency to proof your content and suggest amendments in style or enhancements for SEO purposes. But ultimately, it will be your own original work.
6. Commit to the long haul – consistent, relevant and regular publishing
There is no point building a website and populating it with your carefully crafted content if it then sits idle for months at a time.
For your online visitors to maintain their engagement with your content and for Google to find you a worthwhile destination, you need to publish consistent and relevant content in a substantive way on a regular basis. Having a blog on your website is one of the best ways to achieve this.
Further, you need to commit to your online marketing plan. It could very easily take 12 months or more to start to show returns. Don’t simply give up after a few months – your determination will deliver results if you do everything right.
7. Don’t over commit to the number of online platforms you’re on
There is a temptation to spread your content far and wide. The truth is, you’re far better off mastering your website and perhaps two to three social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube or perhaps Twitter). Our experience shows these have been the most successful channels for law firm marketing.
Each social media channel has its own unique purpose and audience. If you spread yourself across 5+ channels at once, you’ll be Jack of all trades and master of none.
8. Monitor your progress and measure your results
As an SME law firm, it’s likely you’re regularly monitoring the progress of your staff, your clients’ files, your finances etc… As a small law firm, you’re nimble and lean about the way you run your business.
Your online marketing initiatives should be no different. Once you’ve put your digital plan in place, it’s important to also put in place systems to monitor the success of what you’re doing. If something’s not working as well as it should, and you’re monitoring and measuring it, you’ll be able to make changes quickly and effectively to get better results.
Likewise, if you’re not monitoring and measuring, you could be throwing money down the drain.
Get help
Looking for assistance with any aspect of your digital marketing? We'd love to help.
Share this page...