In the past, we've outlined best practices for e-marketing, integrated e-marketing systems with other marketing technologies, and even discussed the use of artificial intelligence in your email marketing strategy. But even with all the pieces in place, if your email marketing metrics are still disappointing, what else can you improve? Now let's talk about the 10,000-pound elephant in the room: your content .
In many law firms, content is typically created by lawyers. This can be a challenge because lawyers are legal writers by trade and prefer a certain style of writing that may not be desirable for e-marketing purposes. Therefore, the marketing department will try to shape the content as effectively as possible.
So, if a marketer is faced with a partner who is convinced that posting 5,000 words (including 1,000 words in footnotes) about the latest regulatory changes is the best way to communicate with clients and prospective clients? What should you do? Here are five suggestions and talking points to help you build consensus and buy-in to improve your company's publications and content marketing.
1. Best of the Bunch
Take a look at your company's recent publications by practice area. Are there one or two groups that consistently provide concise, well-written content that isn't buried in legal jargon? Then you might want to look at their metrics. If your email list is in good shape, your open and click-through rates should be among the highest in your company.
These people should be cited as examples of how to write marketing content correctly. As a marketer at a professional services firm, you know that harnessing the competitive edge of professionals can be a powerful tool for changing behavior. If he can find one or two practices with good metrics and connect them to that content, he can set an example for the rest of the company.
2. Train young people
We understand that today, as employees have grown up with unparalleled access to the internet, email, Twitter (now X), and LinkedIn. Companies need to tap into the tech-savvy, sponge-like nature of their younger members and leverage them by creating content that resonates with clients. They will already understand the importance of concise messaging as the key to effective communication.
3. Analyze your mailing metrics
Lawyers tend to write articles on behalf of other lawyers. As marketers, we need them to write for people from all walks of life. Remember, most CEOs probably don't have a JD. A quick analysis of their mailing list may help convince you that they're not just emailing other lawyers. For lawyers who write, it's important to understand that well-written, relevant articles are often the ones most likely to be circulated throughout the firm.
For example, human resources and marketing departments are often the “beneficiaries” of warnings from law firms. Writing with too much legal jargon can be counterproductive for these groups. For lawyers who are still hesitant about changing their writing style, remember that lawyers read newspapers, magazines, and even novels. Some of the most important and complex issues of our time, such as foreign policy, terrorism, taxes, economics, and health care, are communicated daily in these publications without the use of footnotes.
4. First is not always best.
It's important for your clients to know that your firm is aware of recent developments, but simply sending them a regurgitate of new regulations will not ensure that your firm understands the law's impact on your client's business. It is not always possible to convey what is happening. Sure, you want to be the first to receive emails about that topic, but that's not all. “What does this mean for me? Should I be concerned? How can I prepare for or minimize risk for my company?”
When it comes to content marketing, speed and depth are both important. Alert immediately and explain to your readers why it's important. The lawyer can then write a long, detailed article for an outside publication and forward it to her mailing list.
5. Size matters
65% of digital media consumption Occurs on mobile devices. No matter how much time you have, no one, including your own lawyer, wants to read her 3,000 words on their iPhone. As a matter of fact, today's professionals use their mobile phones to watch instant hit content. This means you can quickly understand the content and move on to the next content. This means we need to meet them where they are and create content that's easy to digest as well.
A great way to discourage lawyers from creating long, dense alerts is to highlight your billable hours. Long articles take time to write. Cutting the size of your article in half not only cuts your time in half, but ultimately increases your readership by twice as much.
