Top 12 tips for maximising the benefit of your legal content

Whether you buy in legal content from an external source or you generate it yourself, making sure that your articles get maximum exposure all depends on what you do with them.

Uploading the article to your website is just the first step, you then need to think about how you can maximise its distribution and raise the profile of your solicitors and your law firm.

Anjali Moss, content manager at Berners Marketing, gives her top 12 tips for maximising the full potential of your legal articles.

1.‘A picture paints a thousand words’ – using relevant images to accompany your articles can endorse your message as well as making it easier for readers to digest than just a page of plain text. Invest some time researching stock photography, which can be a relatively cheap way of building a library of images that sit well alongside your branding. Alternatively, commissioning your own portfolio of images from a professional photographer can take you to a different level.

2.Show off your staff – clients are likely to have researched several lawyers in the area online before deciding which one to call. They are more likely to approach a lawyer who demonstrates their expertise, has a good track record and speaks a language they understand. Publishing articles in the name of a fee earner will showcase them as a leader in their field. Personalise the article by adding their photograph, position within the firm and contact details.

3.Creating links – adding hyperlinks within your article creates an opportunity for the reader to explore your website further such as other related service pages and fee-earner profiles which improve the flow on your website, and the length of time the reader is exposed to your marketing messages. Do not send the reader off your website.

4.Localise your article – 40 per cent of searches are local such as ‘divorce lawyer in St. Albans’. If you can incorporate the location(s) into the beginning of your article, it will help in the search engine results. Your website content management system may allow you to tag your article when you upload it with tags for certain fields such as the area of law, or your geographic location.

5.Write a snippet – this is the initial text that appears before someone clicks to read the main article. If you do not supply this, usually just use the first few words of the article will appear. Instead, if you compose your own snippet, you can entice the reader with your own short synopsis of 150 characters with a great hook. Check that this is interesting enough to make the reader “click for more”. You may need alternative versions, for example, a B2B version for LinkedIn and a B2C version for Facebook.

6. Post on LinkedIn – if you have an article published on your website, keep your LinkedIn followers updated by posting a link on your company page, and make sure the author solicitor adds it to their personal profile.

7.Tweet all about it – a good article should include enough material to generate a few tweets with a different focus:

  • title or topic;
  • author with picture;
  • questions raised or answered;
  • next steps; and
  • penalties.

8.Add it on Facebook – B2C content can be used to target private clients on Facebook. Presentation is key, so use a relevant image and write a short snippet (see tip five) which forms the link to the main article. Just a few likes or shares from fee earners can extend the reach of the post to hundreds of people. Respond to comments on posts and foster positive interaction with existing clients as well as new targets.

9.Create an emailer – email marketing is popular with business clients who like to be updated about changes in the law and relevant advice through their inbox. Create an emailer template in your house style that you can use to send articles either as a single or as a multi-topic newsletter to clients on your database.

10.Put it in print – the virtual world is not the only place for your legal articles. Private clients, and particularly the elderly, appreciate receiving a printed newsletter in the post to read at their leisure. The recipient is also likely to pass on your branded newsletter family and friends. You can also keep copies in reception, for clients to read and take away.

11.Media – local newspapers, glossy county magazines, village newsletters all need regular content and legal advice sections are popular. Do not forget to send to your local radio stations and trade journals that may be interested.

12.Plan your upload strategy – a law firm website often has several sections. Plans all the places you can add the content such as:

  • news;
  • resources;
  • downloads;
  • links to and from service pages; and
  • links to and from profile pages.

For more information on maximising the use of your legal content, including email marketing and printed newsletters, contact Anjali Moss at Berners Marketing on 01785 859 995 or email anjali.moss@bernersmarketing.com.

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