The Internet has become the biggest marketing tool for law firms and accounting firms, for our Law Lab members. For years, posting content on your website was enough to attract new clients. Nowadays, you need to focus on your “Organic Marketing” by posting content on different websites to get higher rankings in Google and other search engines.

Writing blog posts is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. For many years, it has been the primary way that I have done my advertising. If you’re thinking of gaining more leads, you may want to investigate this method of marketing.

Here are some of the “DO’s” of this type of marketing:

1. Define Your Reader (Perfect client): 

Who is your client? This is commonly known as your Avatar. Envision your customer or your perfect client. What are their trouble points? Where do they struggle? These “struggles” will be the topics for your blog posts.

2. Google Docs as a Tool:

I use Google Docs to write articles using dictation and compose my articles during my morning walks.  It is an incredible shortcut, but it does require rewriting and editing.

3. Videos:

Every post should have a video. Sign up for a free YouTube channel.  Be sure to turn your camera on for the videos. You are humanizing your firm by showing your face.  Your potential clients will learn to “know” you this way.  People buy from people they like.

4. Blog Post Length:

Shorter posts are okay, but longer ones generate more leads! From an article on 99 need to know blogging tips, “The optimal length for a blog post is 2,250 – 2,500 words”. Longer posts give you the opportunity to demonstrate you have the expertise. Many times I have had people tell me not to give away all that I’ve learned. But I can’t entirely agree—the more you share, the more likely you will get that client.

5. Check blog posts view on all devices:

Make sure that your content looks good on all devices—especially your mobile phone. Fifty-percent (50%) of all content is read on a mobile device.  Add captions too.  People want to watch without the sound.  

6. Share your content on your Google My Business (GMB) page.

The GMB page will help Google know who you are and help you with search engine optimization (SEO) on their search engine. Remember Google is king.  It takes a bit of time to set this up.  Google will send you, by mail, a postcard to validate your business.  I share my posts on GMB every week.  Google loves a fresh and updated website.

7. Post Regularly:

If Google is king, consistency is the queen. Consistency in posting your blog is essential. I recommend posting every week.   Try to use a workflow to create multiple posts, then videos, the posting them on your website and schedule them. It takes time  to create these and doing these tasks in bunches makes light work of the task at hand.

Below, I will share with you the things that I’ve done wrong. I’m hoping that this will help you avoid some of the things I’ve done and put you on a path to success.

Here are some of the “DON’TS” of this type of marketing:

1. Disorganized Messaging:

Having your messaging all over the place is the worst thing you can do. I have been guilty of this. My Avatar or perfect client is defined as a partner from a mid market law firm with multiple attorneys on staff. I start out super-focused but the next thing you know, I am targeting my marketing and blog posts towards accountants and bookkeepers. What I have done is I’ve shifted from helping my client in my blog post to helping my fellow accountants and bookkeepers. I lost my focus, and I lost sight of my Avatar.

2. Time:

Between my blog post every week, video, and all the tasks involved with creating it, you need to schedule approximately six hours towards this marketing strategy. Make sure you have time blocked out in your schedule.

3. Outsourcing the work:

I outsource some of the formatting of my posts to a virtual assistant.  Outsourcing can also be hiring a ghostwriter. I tried a few times to hire writers to handle this work but you could instantly see that it was not my voice in the blog post. The posts never really performed well and were very “salesy” and were stuffed with keywords. While you should be using keywords in your blog posts, it shouldn’t look as if the post is just a way to use them.

4. Check your blog statistics:

You want to look at your stats on your website for how well the posts are performing and how many views your videos get. While we all like to see the views climb, it is imperative that you follow where your leads are coming from. I ask, “how did you find me?” If the answer is google or your video, I know this organic marketing is working. Good content that provides value to my potential client will create leads.

What works and doesn’t work when it comes to marketing:

Another really important aspect of marketing is knowing what is effective and what is not working. It should all be tested and measured. This is an area that we find with legal clients that they skip or forget.  In the video below, I mentioned two firms, Uber and e-Bay that found out the hard way that the paid marketing was NOT working. The article I mentioned regarding whether your marketing efforts are effective can be found here.

Additional Resources:

The marketing program, Hubspot, has an excellent blog resource for getting started doing blog posts. And don’t forget to promote your posts on social media. I share my post every Sunday in Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, Twitter, and my business Facebook page.

Finding Topics

My last tip is about getting topics for the blog posts. Check out webinars that your client may attend or listen to podcasts that your client may be listening to. You’ll discover what you can write about to show you are an expert in your field.  Sometimes these ideas come at you in a flurry.  Many of mine come on walks in the morning.  Whenever they come, add them to a note-taking app for future reference.

Wrap Up

I hope this article gets you thinking about this method of marketing. This may seem like a daunting or overwhelming task, but you can do this! Don’t be frightened by the six hours it takes to complete a blog post and video. If you are dedicated to doing this, the leads will come. I promise!  It will bring clients in the door for you! 

If you are intrigued by the fact that an accounting firm could assist you with your marketing efforts, we are not your typical accounting firm. We do legal accounting and much, much more. Call us today!

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