Content marketing can’t survive on blog posts alone. If you haven’t updated your tactics in a few years, you’re falling behind the competition.
Your clients have more resources than ever when making a decision. In fact, nearly half of all consumers look at three to five pieces of content before committing. Without serving your audience with the content they need, you’re leaving money on the table.
We’ll help you craft a marketing funnel that builds trust and inspires decisive action. Video, blogging, live events, and free content are a few ways you can stay competitive. We’ll explain the content marketing funnel, then give you tactics you can use in 2023.
Three Questions to Ask About Your Content Marketing Funnel
The tactics you choose work best when mapped to the content marketing funnel. This foundation ensures you target every aspect of your potential client’s buying journey.
The content marketing funnel guides potential clients toward hiring you. It ensures your content is helpful no matter where they are in their journey. From top-to-bottom, this funnel contains the following stages:
- Awareness: Someone who isn’t sure how serious their problem is, doesn’t know they have one, or doesn’t have one yet.
- Evaluation: Someone who knows they have a problem and is considering hiring a lawyer
- Conversion: Someone who is ready to hire you to solve their problem
These stages map to the top, middle, and bottom of the marketing funnel.
This entire journey is your client’s lifecycle. Ask yourself the following questions to make sure your funnel hits all three stages.
Am I Making Potential Clients Aware of Our Services?
Awareness is exactly what it says on the tin – making clients aware of your services so they know you exist.
The United States alone has over three hundred million people using social media. As such, your law firm could be missing out on chances to connect with people. Social media for lawyers is a prime tool for promoting your services or talking with people.
Crafting engaging blog posts starts with remembering your content marketing funnel. One-third of people start their search for a lawyer online. In most cases, they land on top of funnel blog posts.
Are you trying to raise awareness for people who don’t understand the extent of their problem? Do you want to help visitors to your site evaluate your services and choose more wisely? The best blog posts combine the marketing funnel with a targeted keyword strategy.
@mattthelawyer Any questions about personal injury? #fyp #lawyersoftiktok #law ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
Short videos are another accessible way your target audience will learn about your firm. For example, Dolman Law Group is a law firm with an active presence on TikTok. Matthew Dolman demonstrates his experience as a personal injury attorney in short videos. These TikToks directly answer common questions from their followers or debunk myths.
Am I Helping Them Make an Informed Decision on Hiring a Law Firm?
Middle of funnel marketing involves educating your potential client on the value you offer. An informed client is more likely to feel secure about their decision.
Helping people get the info they need to make a decision is a great way to build trust with them. When you earn a potential client’s trust, they’re more likely to consider working with you.
E-books or case studies are a few examples of middle-of-funnel marketing. Educational materials reduce your chances of working with less committed people.
Miley Legal is a prime example of a law firm that provides free content for visitors. They offer free case reviews and books on subjects such as dog bites or motorcycle accidents.
Am I Making it Easy For Clients to Contact The Firm?
If it isn’t easy for people to reach you, you will lose out on new leads.
Bottom of the funnel marketing is where you make it easy for people to work with you when they’re ready. People who are in the bottom of your funnel are ready to hire you. They just need convenient options for reaching out for legal services.
Attorneys like The Levin Firm provide an easy way to get in touch with a lawyer. Their 24/7 live chat gives visitors the ability to ask questions or talk to a professional quickly. They also provide a free consultation button right on the front page for swift access.
For another example, see how David Bryant Law makes it easy for visitors to get in touch. The site instantly opens up with a greeting for visitors. This positive first impression is followed by a contact button front and center.
Content Marketing Tactics Your Law Firm Could Try
Content marketing revenue hit $66 billion back in 2022. We’re here to help you rake in some of that financial success with these tactics below.
Entertaining Videos to Help With Retention
Did you know the average person is exposed to at least 4,000 advertisements per day? Video marketing is an effective way to improve retention for your potential clients.
Video shorts are a bite-sized marketing method for people in the awareness and evaluation stages. They’re useful for informing and entertaining without taking up too much space. This tactic first took off with Vine and is seeing a resurgence with TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
UgoLord is one example of a popular lawyer on TikTok who resonates with his target audience. His snappy and bold approach makes understanding complex legal issues easier for many.
@ugolord Replying to @ugolord PART 2: He paid for it so it’s not like he stole it…right? Watch to find out! (Part 2 s/o to @R1ndom!) #lawyer #lawyersoftiktok #lawtok #stitch with @freddyssanchez ♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor
Coming up with content for several short videos may seem hard. But if you’re using other content marketing tactics, they can support this one.
You can use ideas from your blog, social media posts, conversations with clients, or start a legal podcast to fuel short, entertaining videos.
Stepping Outside the Box With Memes
The legal industry still has a reputation for being stuffy and inaccessible. Memes and viral-style videos can overcome this hurdle with a casual, humorous approach.
Memes are often shared to get across a point or bond with people over similar experiences. As long as you’re not being unprofessional or too vague, feel free to get creative. If you can toe the fine line between relevant and humorous, you’ll stand out immediately.
Out-of-the-box marketing finds fresh and creative ways of connecting with your audience. This stage is best for awareness due to the short and snappy nature of memes.
An example of a lawyer who uses viral-style videos is Erika Kullberg. She uses a light-hearted yet educational approach to everyday legal scenarios. One of her most successful running series is on airline legal issues. She portrays herself as a flier who solves everyday problems with the help of her TikTok:
@erikakullberg What airlines don’t want you to know about getting “bumped” #lawyer #travel #money ♬ original sound – Money Lawyer Erika
#lawyer #travel #money ♬ original sound – Money Lawyer Erika Live Events to Generate Trust
Just 34% of people trust the brands they use. Live events allow you to stack the odds in your favor with through authentic interactions. This tactic is useful for bringing people into your funnel at the awareness stage.
Your prospective clients are rarely happy about having to contact a lawyer. Paperwork, meetings, and the complexities of the field make the process confusing.
Live events put you right in front of your audience in a casual setting. Instead of smoke and mirrors, you can answer people’s legal questions or soothe their concerns.
If they ever need an attorney’s help, they look back on how you made things simple. That kind of trust leads to eventual conversions down the road.
Blogging With an SEO Content Calendar to Build Authority
Blogging is still a viable way of bringing in clients but is more effective with a search engine optimization strategy. With over six million blog posts published daily across the web, standing out is hard. SEO increases the chances of the right people seeing your content.
SEO and blogging for lawyers are bigger than just keywords, traffic, and search rankings. It ensures your blog posts are formatted for Google so that people can easily find them. It also involves choosing legal topics your audience actually wants to learn about.
SEO for lawyers helps you turn your brand into an authoritative source that people can trust. As you find and rank for relevant keywords, you’ll be able to get in front of more of your ideal clients. The informative content you create will show them the value of hiring you to handle their cases.
Just like video, you can repurpose legal blog posts into e-books or short podcasts. You can even serve up valuable content through an email newsletter or repackage it for your social media channels.
Giving Potential Clients Free Content to Give Them a Taste
When was the last time you got to sample food before purchasing it? You probably appreciated getting the chance to create an informed opinion.
Free e-books or infographics give potential clients informative materials without investment. These materials are crucial for the evaluation stage so potential clients can make the right decision.
Even better, they’ll be able to use these materials at their leisure. That ongoing value is priceless and only serves to make your firm look more helpful.
Making Live Chat Accessible and Approachable
Live chat may not involve content creation, but it can help increase conversions. Adding it to your site gives people an outlet to reach you no matter what content they’re consuming.
Accessibility and approachability are semi-related concepts that work better together. The former makes it possible for potential clients to work with you. The latter makes potential clients feel comfortable with you.
Live chat is a solid conversion tactic. It’s an easy way for potential clients to connect with a professional right on your site or blog. At least 75% of people want to talk to a real person instead of an automated service.
Broaden Your Content Marketing Tactics Today
Broadening your content marketing tactics helps create new ways to reach your audience. This means more chances to connect with those who need your firm’s expertise.
Switching up your message delivery will help you reach people in more resonant ways. Your firm has the responsibility to meet potential clients halfway. Blog posts are appealing to potential clients who want to review your work at a slower pace. Podcasts and videos are ideal for people who are too busy to sit down and read.
We dedicate our marketing firm exclusively to personal injury lawyers so we can save you some time. We’ve been helping attorneys choose the best content marketing tactics since 2013. Contact us today for a consultation so you can reap the benefits of content marketing.
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