Content Marketing, in both its digital and traditional guises, has been around for several years and the time is right for the legal profession to start taking advantage of its un-tapped power to attract and retain new and existing clients.  Traditional avenues of advertising are increasingly losing their power. We can now skip through advertisements on television, people receive so much direct marketing in the post that it is usually binned without a second glance, and when was the last time you noticed a Google Ad when you were surfing the internet? So what exactly is Content Marketing and why has it become such an important and increasingly popular mechanism for various types of industries to connect with their customers in a way that they have not been able to do so previously? According to the Content Marketing Institute’s website the definition of Content Marketing is: “a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action”. There are a many types of Content Marketing approaches but some that are recommended for the legal profession are:

• A regular blog or articles page on your firm’s website
• Videos of your staff, specialist practice areas, and topics of interest (vlogs)
• Using social media
• A firm magazine or newsletter
• An online community forum

The wonderful thing about this approach to enhancing your business is that you are limited to what you can do only by your creative imagination. So does it work?  In short, yes and highly effective it is too. Consider some statistics from 2013 which highlight how successful Content Marketing is.

• Per month business to business companies generate 67 per cent more leads by blogging
• 68 per cent of consumers will spend time reading content from a company that they are interested in
• One of the top three reasons people follow companies on social media is based on engaging content
• Traditional marketing costs 62 per cent more than Content Marketing
• If your business website includes video material visitors are likely to spend 100 per cent more time looking at it.
• 90 per cent of consumers find custom content useful and 78 per cent believe that organisations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them.

Whilst this gives you a snapshot of the statistics, the research shows overwhelmingly that Content Marketing works; but how can law firms use it effectively?  Given that the law profession has traditionally been reluctant to use mainstream advertising for promotion; Content Marketing provides the perfect “soft sell”, information providing approach to marketing that law professionals may feel more comfortable with. Here are a few ideas that you can start using immediately to present prospective clients with tailored information which will encourage them to use your firm’s services. Make the Most of your Website Your firm’s website is your 24/7 international shop window.  It is much more than simply a page where future and existing clients go to find phone numbers and email addresses.  You can dress it up, make it stand out and encourage people through your door with just a little effort and imagination. Start with the content basics.  Ask yourself the following questions;

• Have you outlined, in detail, each practice area in a way that really talks to and resonates with your prospective client?
• Is there a FAQS (Frequently Asked Questions) page giving answers to basic questions such as where to park and whether your firm takes on Legal Aid work?
• Do all your staff have full biographies on your website, including a snippets of personal detail which subconsciously encourages readers to make a connection with the people they are reading about?
• Have you included photos of your firm’s staff, location and offices?
• Are your firm’s contact details visible and accessible on every page?
• Are all the pages inter-connected and is the website easy to navigate around?

Start a Blog (or regularly update the one you have). Now you have established the basics on your website, a valuable next step is to consider adding a Blog. The secret of good blogging is the quality of the content you include.  Paul Hajek who runs the Solicitors Online Success Story website states:  “You should consider turning your law firm and in particular your law firm’s website in to a valuable source of content. Think and act like a publisher.”  In legal circles the word “blog” has proven unpopular, some feel the word demeans the concept of the work law professionals do.    If you feel that ‘blogging’ is not a word that compliments the image of your firm then simply call your information page “Articles’ or ‘News’.  The key is that you are publishing excellent content on a regular basis that creates the perception that your company is on the leading edge of the fields of practice in which you operate. Update your blog at least once a week.  This practice will also help with your firm’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  Search engines, especially Google love fresh, relevant, regularly updated content and reward sites that provide it with high search rankings. If you don’t have time, consider hiring a specialist who can do this for you. Incorporate Videos Into Your Website If a picture tells 1000 words a video tells a million!  Video is undoubtedly the future of Content Marketing.  Consider this: YouTube now receives more than one billion unique visitors every month. There are many different ways you can incorporate videos into your firm’s website.  Filming a day in the life of your office, video biographies of your staff, vlogs; these are just a few examples.  By using video you will make your website stand out from the crowd and ensure potential clients remember your business. Learn the secrets of Social Media and how to manage it to your best advantage Social media is a great way to interact and engage with your firm’s potential and existing clients.  However, due to the enormous amount of time updating social media can take up it is advisable to have a clear strategy for managing your communications.  Whilst some may not like the idea, in the new era of digital online presence, as a minimum all firms should now have a Facebook, Google + and Twitter account that are updated regularly.  Here are some basic rules for creating an effective social media strategy:

• Be social.  Respond to comments and messages and try to encourage conversation and interaction if people make the effort to communicate with you.
• Be polite.  Thank people for following your firm on Twitter or liking your Facebook page.  Retweet appropriate and relevant texts.
• Update regularly but not too regularly.  Some companies recommend updating your Twitter account and Facebook page four times a day.  Updating this regularly can turn people off and you run the risk of them deleting you off their list.  The golden rule for updating social media is – update only when you have something useful and informative to say.
• Use Google +.  Updates on Google + are crawled and indexed almost immediately and can help boost your SEO.  Both Facebook and Twitter restrict Google from accessing too much of their data.  So although they are essential for marketing,  Google + is the social media platform that dominates search results.  Make the most of it.

Content Marketing is a cost-effective, powerful way to connect with your law firm’s potential customers.  Most importantly, it is a win-win strategy for everyone.  By using Content Marketing your firm can increase its visibility, expertise and revenue and your readers gain access to valuable, authoritative, interesting information which will encourage them to engage and work with your organisation. This article will be published in the April edition of Canterbury Tales (The New Zealand Law Society (Canterbury) Magazine). Corinne McKenna (nee Larkin)is the owner of McKenna Legal Copywriting which specialises in copywriting, content marketing and social media management for the legal industry.  She has an LLB and worked as the South Island Account Manager and Training Consultant for LexisNexis for eight years.  She now lives in the United Kingdom with her husband and two sons.  You can visit her website at www.mckennacopywriting.co.uk.