If you’re a small law firm looking to grow your business, you may have encountered the (admittedly opaque) phrase “content marketing” while exploring your marketing options. 

If you, like most lawyers, aren’t fluent in marketing-speak, this post will explain what content marketing is and how it can be a potent tool for law firms with limited marketing budgets.

Content marketing is an umbrella term that incorporates the following elements (among others):

• Blogs

• Website text

• Social media

• Email marketing

• Search engine optimization for website text and other online content (i.e., making your content easily findable online)

• Online profiles (Super Lawyers, etc.)

• News releases

• White papers

• Ebooks

Need help promoting yourself? That’s why we’re here! Muse Communications was named one of Texas’ best legal public relations firms by the readers of Texas Lawyer. Contact us to schedule a consultation.

Become a Source of Genuine Value

The essence of content marketing is to promote your subject matter expertise (whether it’s labor law, family law, or any other practice area) by providing consistent, relevant content of interest to your clients and prospective clients. That could be answers to FAQ-legal inquiries, updates on new regulations, pending legislation that could affect your industry, interesting trends your clients need to know about, or just your “hot take” on a news story that intersects with your practice area.

Content marketing is primarily about two things:

• Building a reputation as a source of genuine value in your practice area; and

• Staying top-of-mind among your clients, prospective clients, and referral sources.

It is not primarily about self-promotion, although you can always include some tasteful self-promotion as part of your overall content marketing strategy.

Stay Top-of-Mind Among Referral Sources

Most lawyers tell me they get their clients through word-of-mouth, whether through referrals from other lawyers or previous clients. Content marketing allows firms that don’t have big-firm branding budgets to stay on the radar among referral sources through regular, non-intrusive communications.

Here’s an example of how a firm could use content marketing over a few months:

• Write a recurring blog post about an issue of interest to your clients. That could be about a recent court ruling or an “evergreen” article that answers a prospective client’s frequently asked questions (e.g., What’s the difference between a P.C. and a L.L.C.?).

• Promote your blog post on your firm’s social media channels.

• Issue a news release and/or write a blog post about any recent awards or positive client results you have obtained (assuming you’re not bound by confidentiality issues).

• Secure testimonials from recent clients to include on your website.

• Compile your blog posts, award/result announcements, and testimonials into a quarterly e-newsletter to your email list of clients and referral sources. Note: Although including promotional content in your e-newsletters is fine, the emphasis should be on non-promotional, purely informational content. Email providers such as Mail Chimp and Campaign Monitor provide low-cost (sometimes free) options for creating branded emails and maintaining your email list.

These are just a few examples of how a small firm can use content marketing. There are also white papers on subjects of interest to clients/prospective clients, ebooks (more in-depth than white papers, but the same concept), videos, and podcasts.

Ugh. Another Email?

Some lawyers worry about getting lost in the noise and being just another ignored email in an inbox. That’s a valid concern, but one that can be addressed.

If your inbox is like mine, it’s a barrage of special offers from retailers, newsletters I signed up for but don’t always read, and fundraising appeals. Occasionally, there are important communications from friends, family, and clients. I delete or ignore the stuff I know I don’t need, but I read a few because they almost always tell me something I need to know. Or, I need dog food, and PetSmart just sent me a coupon.

The difference between the emails that get read and those that don’t is relevance. If your subject line is well-crafted and your email content is relevant to the reader, your audience is more likely to open your message.

Good Content, Consistently

In other words, content is queen. Provide good content consistently, and you’ll get read. As an added bonus, your emails remind your contacts that you’re out there doing good work.

One important note about content marketing: it is not a 30-day ROI. You might get some referrals immediately, but it will likely take a few months before your efforts bear fruit, depending on how often you publish and what kind of resources you devote to your marketing efforts.

Because my motto is “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good,” I endorse starting small and growing from there.

Do something consistently, and once you see the benefits, you will be motivated to devote more resources to the cause.

Where Does SEO Fit?

Search engine optimization (SEO) can be an important element of content marketing. It helps drive traffic to your site by answering search engine queries relevant to your practice area.

However, SEO may be a low priority for your firm, depending on your practice area. Many lawyers in practice areas that target consumers — family law, criminal defense, bankruptcy, and trusts and estates, for example — rely heavily on SEO because their prospective clients will likely do an online search for a lawyer. 

If most of your best cases come from referrals, however, SEO is probably not a primary factor in your firm’s business development efforts. We have nevertheless found that if a website provides a wealth of good information relevant to prospective clients, it may rank highly on search engine results, even if SEO isn’t the firm’s main objective.

Content marketing is a powerful tool even small law firms can leverage to establish themselves as trusted authorities. With dedication and a strategic approach, it can become a cornerstone of your law firm's business development strategy.

Amy Boardman Hunt is all about helping lawyers find their voice and showcase their expertise. When she’s not doing that, she’s trying to find great hiking spots in Dallas. If you know of any – or you need a legal marketing muse – drop her a line at amy.hunt@muselegalpr.com.