Mistakes to Avoid When Doing Content Marketing for Lawyers

Consider what this could mean for you: 

You unlock your tablet and see the ROI you’ve been waiting for – your law firm’s content marketing ROI. And you see more consultations, higher lead conversions, and an increase in revenue to show for it. 

Then you sit back and scroll through new inquiries from your website’s contact form, Linkedin comments, and newsletter responses. Your biggest worry is how your team will respond to all your future clients.

It’s great to imagine this level of success, but the truth is, when you unlocked your tablet today, you saw your KPIs were still lagging. 

Despite trying a list of marketing strategies and techniques, you can’t seem to hit your goals. 

Leading educators from The Content Marketing Institute found that 3 out of 4 B2C marketers report content marketing success. 

So, where are your efforts falling flat? Why are you not seeing the same results?

Compelling SEO and content marketing brings profitability and predictability. That is, a predictable number of new leads and a predictable growth rate.

You’ll find this success through a foundation of solid content and by adjusting your marketing until you have people’s attention.

FAQs: Content marketing for lawyers

What mistakes am I making with my law firm content marketing?

The mistakes you’re making with your law firm content marketing may not be in your content.

Content marketing blends search engine optimization (SEO), your connection with clients, and your valuable information.

People may love your content, but you’re wasting time and missing opportunities if you’re not using it to gather their email addresses.

Content marketing for law firms goes beyond creating content – it’s creating content so people can find and hire you.

Before you go any further:

One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your content marketing is failing to manage your expectations. 

You can’t adjust your approach and expect to see results overnight. It takes time to develop content and even longer for it to reach and resonate with readers. 

It’s worth it, though:

You’re leaving a breadcrumb trail across the internet that people will find and follow for years. Once you publish dozens of blogs, social media posts, articles, and newsletters, you’ll have a web of leads funneling to your phone.

The key here is to stay consistent until you start seeing results. If you stop posting because you’re not seeing that ROI, you’ll lose any traction you were gaining.

Here are ways you can check your expectations:

• Expectation #1: I’ll post content daily to get my name “out there” ASAP.
• Reality: I’ll develop a manageable schedule that allows me to post consistently.
• Expectation #2: I’ll write as much content as possible to get people’s attention.
• Reality: I’ll focus on creating quality content that’s helpful for my clients.
• Expectation #3: Churning out 5 1,000-word blog posts every week will be easy.
• Reality: It’ll take time to develop my content marketing skill set.

You want to publish as much helpful information for your clients, but it’s unrealistic to think you’ll give up your billable hours to write it, optimize it for the search engines, and promote it.

Do you sometimes wish you had a copywriter on-call? 

Our law firm copywriting team can write 5Xs faster with clarity and precision, delivering stress-free success to your firm. We know the realities behind content marketing and use our insight to attract more cases to your firm.

Still, want to give the DIY approach a go? Follow our insider tips.

How to improve your law firm content marketing

To get and track results from your law firm’s content marketing, you need a plan (also known as a marketing strategy). If you already have one, then it’s time to make adjustments.

Steps to develop your content marketing strategy

1. Review your existing content
2. Establish your SMART goals
3. Identify your clients’ needs
4. Plan your resources
5. Create a posting schedule
6. Measure your results as you go

Look at your current content marketing success and see where you can gain insight.

If you’re getting comments on blogs but not getting calls, your website content isn’t enticing. People aren’t reading your blogs and racing to find your contact form.

Stick to what’s working for your blog but try:

• Using a different call to action (CTA)
• Moving your contact form to your home page
• Linking a downloadable glossary (accessible to people who enter their email address)
• Responding to each comment with a link to your services page
• Spacing out your blog promotion across social media platforms

Cracking that code takes time. Stick to the components that are working and improve the ones that aren’t showing success. Your goal is to grab someone’s attention and keep it until they’re on your client list.

And if you’re still disappointed every time you look at your tablet…

You may be making these law firm content marketing mistakes:

• ​​Underestimating the necessary investment 

• Failing to meet your clients’ needs

• Losing readers at the start

By addressing your current content marketing setbacks, you can identify where you need to focus your attention. You won’t see progress toward your goals without making changes and implementing new tactics.

Mistake #1: Underestimating the investment

You know the results you want to see from your content marketing. But do you know how much you need to invest to achieve them?

The Content Marketing Institute found that B2C marketers dedicate an average of 26% of their total marketing budget toward content marketing.

And the most successful content marketers dedicate 40%.

Your specific goals and your firm’s size determine the amount you should spend on content marketing.

But:

When setting aside part of your budget, remember that you’ll need people to plan, produce, and oversee your content. 

Successful content marketing for lawyers takes more than paying for a new blog post every week. 

Great content is an investment

And you have to prepare for it when you’re restructuring your marketing strategy.

SEO-focused marketing specialists at Siege Media report that 46% of businesses want to increase their content creation spending in 2022.

That’s because brands that use content marketing have 7.8x more organic traffic, according to content strategy software developers at Kapost.

If you’re not investing in your content marketing, you won’t see the numbers you’re looking for. You add clients to your firm’s caseload by making space in your budget.

Mistake #2: Failing to meet client needs

If you’re not speaking to potential clients, they’re not reaching out to you. Your goal is to provide information worth reading, which means it’s relatable and relevant for your clients.

Semrush, a platform dedicated to marketing research, reports that 55% of content marketers saw the most success when they improved their content quality.

Content marketing is more than just content. Even the best visuals only go so far.

Without a base of solid content, the rest of your marketing efforts will falter. 

Write with passion and purpose

People seek information when they need answers. If your content fails to address their needs, it has no value. Your primary goal is to support your clients.

Readers can tell if you’re “writing for SEO” and trying to use your keyword as often as possible. Your keyword is the topic you’re trying to “rank” for, or show up first in Google’s search results.

Writing for SEO, also known as keyword stuffing, disengages readers because it reads robotically. A company of digital marketing advisors, Advisor Websites, shows how keyword stuffing negatively impacts SEO, too:

That’s a lose-lose. Instead, keep your readers in mind when writing your content. Focus on ways to connect with them and ensure you’re writing posts they’ll benefit from reading.

Mistake #3: Losing readers at the start

Here’s a secret:

Your next client isn’t a lawyer in your practice area. And they don’t know “legalese” or legal jargon.

When you sit down to write, ask yourself: did I know what this was in middle school? Write to people who don’t know anything about law – there’s a reason people are seeking your advice.

Your content isn’t the place to show off every big word you know. If you’re educating readers about a topic in your field, define it.

Even better, provide an example or link to a web page that goes into greater detail. If someone reads your posts and doesn’t understand your content, they won’t read your next post. 

Talk with your readers instead of talking at them, and turn information into bite-sized pieces. This allows readers to digest your insight and then act on it.

Why it’s essential to gain readers’ attention:

How will someone see your contact information at the bottom of your blog if they never reach the end? 

If your reader quickly scans your content and clicks their “back” button, you’ll see that page’s bounce rate increase. A bounce rate represents the percentage of people who view a page and leave without reading further or viewing more pages on your website.

Google Analytics offers a clear view of your bounce rates per page:

Bounce rates indicate your content’s success in holding people’s attention. If you’re seeing high bounce rates, don’t give up hope.

Siege Media analyzed over a billion sessions across all traffic sources and tracked over 700 million bounces to find that the average bounce rate is 50.9%.

Don’t base your success on one web traffic analysis metric. Instead, factor it into the greater picture of your content marketing.

A high bounce rate may signal that you’re not meeting your audience at their level. Try adjusting your content for clarity and see how that impacts your success.

How to do law firm content marketing the right way:

When you’re creating content, write to your next potential client. Just that one person.

Write to them with compassion, and show that you “get” where they’re coming from.

You know your clients’ struggles. That insight means you can speak to their experiences and create a space where they feel heard.

Creating this space lets people know they can come to you for help.

But even when you know your clients well, writing content isn’t always easy…

The law firm copywriting team at We Do Web Content makes it easy.

We can’t say this enough: 

You have to put time into content marketing for it to work. 

How will you dedicate time to creating content once it starts generating a stream of leads? (Hint: you won’t be able to.)

According to The Content Writing Institute, 55% of B2C marketers outsource content marketing. Content marketing fuels your revenue when you put out valuable information.

By working with a team dedicated to lawyer content marketing, you get all the benefits without the headaches of content development.

And that’s the difference – a team of law firm copywriters. 

People aren’t interested in reading the same law firm web content they’ve read in 100 other places. They also recognize when you’re cutting corners and dumping impersonal, irrelevant content online. This approach does nothing for your bottom line.

At We Do Web Content, we start writing once we learn about you and your ideal client. We take on your success like it’s our own.

By working with us, you can take back the countless hours you spend combing through details, troubleshooting marketing tactics, and thinking of your next blog post topic.   

You should only have to glance at your tablet to check in on the firm when you want to.

Call us at (954) 425-9081 or reach out to us here so we can make that happen.

Be sure to check out our glossary of content marketing terms to deepen your marketing strategy knowledge.

 

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