What content should you be creating for your firm?

Social media content: A silly gimmick or a useful tool to market your law firm?

If you answered a useful tool, you would be correct. However, deciding what to share in the digital marketing sphere can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to keeping up with the trends. So, what type of content do you need to post?

In reality, there is no definitive answer that will work for every law firm or business (which is where digital marketing professionals come in), but there are general content buckets that make starting the process easier. For businesses just beginning their digital marketing journey, it is important to look to similar firms to discover what you like. For firms that are already implementing digital marketing strategies, an analysis of the types of content being shared is a great way to evaluate and analyze what content may be missing.

Types of Content

When it comes to types of content, we can look at general topics in four content buckets:

1. Informative and Educational Content
2. Engaging and Interactive Content
3. Relevant and Timely Content
4. Personal and Authentic Content

Each of these buckets, while general, defines key ideas that can aid in the strategy and planning of digital content. In addition, they do not only apply to social media – these content buckets can positively influence other sectors of digital marketing including email marketing and blogs.

Take a moment to review your current content efforts – are these content buckets reflected? Do you plan on implementing any of them? One thing to note is that not all items within the content buckets will be relevant to the needs of a single law firm. For example, personal and authentic content may be difficult for a firm with a large number of attorneys or team members spread across a large area. If this is the case, however, there are still ways to incorporate the elements of each content bucket that benefit businesses.

Let’s dive deeper into each of the content buckets and look at what content fits in each.

Informative and Educational Content

• Legal tips and advice: Incorporate practical information on common legal issues.
• Case studies: Share success stories or interesting legal cases.
• Explainer videos: Use visuals to simplify legal concepts that are more complex.
• Infographics: Data and statistics can be presented in a more visually appealing manner.
• Blog posts: An opportunity to provide more in-depth commentary on legal topics.
• Practice Spotlights: Share information on the practice areas your firm services.
  • This includes content on how the audience can contact the firm and any educational firm updates.

Engaging and Interactive Content

• Q&A sessions: Create content that answers questions from the audience.
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses: Show your firm's culture and team (videos are a great tool!)
• Webinars: Host live or pre-recorded webinars or interviews with on useful or relevant legal topics.
• Less common interactive content for law firms:
• Contests and giveaways: Encourage engagement and build your audience.
• User-generated content: Share posts from satisfied clients.

Relevant and Timely Content

• Industry news and updates: Inform your audience on legal updates and news.
• Seasonal or holiday-related content: A fun way to engage members of your audience and the firm.
• Current events: Address relevant legal issues in the news.
• Community involvement: Highlight your firm's contributions to the local area or beyond.

Personal and Authentic Content

• Attorney profiles: Help your team stand out by introducing attorneys and firm team members – add a face to the names that your audience hears about.
• Client testimonials: Share positive feedback that accurately describes your services.
• Humor and personality: Show how your firm is unique by infusing humor, personality, and more personalized anecdotes to connect with your audience.

Why is social media content important for your law firm?

At this point, we have discussed what type of content will work best to support your law firm, but the question of why it is important remains. What is the benefit of putting time, effort, and funds into your social media content?

• Build brand awareness: Increase visibility and recognition.
• Attract potential clients: Reach a wider audience and generate leads.
• Establish credibility: Demonstrate expertise and trustworthiness.
• Improve SEO: Drive organic traffic to your website.
• Foster client relationships: Build trust and loyalty.
• Generate referrals: Encourage satisfied clients to recommend your firm.
• Stay competitive: Keep up with industry trends and best practices.
• Provide value: Offer helpful information to your target audience.
• Showcase your firm's culture: Share your unique personality and values.
• Monitor industry trends: Stay informed about legal developments.
  

Next Steps:

Where do you go from here? Remember, you don’t have to put all of this content together on your own. A team of digital marketing professionals can not only perform an analysis of your current efforts, but they can also recommend which content buckets are most important for your firm.

Are you an individual attorney interested in bolstering your digital presence? When it comes to strategy, individual presence can be different from firm presence, especially in the balance of content. Learn more about highly effective marketing habits for lawyers.

About the Author

 Emily Roman has 5+ years of experience including copywriting and graphic design. She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a B.A. in English Literature. Learn more about Emily.