Why Lawyers. Can t Deny Content. Marketing Stats

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1 Why Lawyers Can t Deny Content Marketing Stats

2 Introduction 90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that organizations providing customcontent are interested in building good relationships with them. Why do most lawyers dislike the concept of marketing? Furthermore, how can marketers convince these lawyers that content marketing is, in fact, necessary and could actually do a lot of good for their business reputations? In this white paper, we ll provide in depth answers to these questions and discuss the importance of content marketing statistics, key legal marketing strategies, how to leverage various types of content, and much more. Read on to learn how to turn lawyers pro-marketing and enhance their thought leadership tenfold. The Typical Lawyer s Viewpoint on Content Marketing For most lawyers, many marketing actions are not a natural inclination. The combination of personality and training results in a high proportion of lawyers not liking to engage in marketing activities. However, all lawyers can benefit from content marketing. By creating targeted content such as blog posts, white papers, and social media posts and pushing it out through the right channels, attorneys can position themselves as thought leaders in their specific areas of law, which will inevitably lead to more clients. The challenge is making lawyers feel good about adopting content marketing techniques, even though it s naturally out of their comfort zone. So, how can legal marketers accomplish this? With numbers. Why it s Necessary to Provide Stats Lawyers value evidence and credentials. So, in order to truly convince attorneys to employ content marketing tactics and believe they ll be effective, you simply need to show them statistics. Lawyers are professional negotiators, so legal marketers need to prove to them that content marketing works by showing them the cold, hard facts. Offering stats makes it harder for lawyers to argue against your points. How Lawyers Can Benefit from Content Marketing So, what does the current legal marketing world look like? Law firms employ one full-time marketing person for every attorneys, on average. Marketing staff size will vary depending on the type of legal practice, number of years in business, and other factors. The average law firm marketing budget spent on promotional campaigns is approximately 2% of gross revenue, according to the legal consulting firm of Altman Weil. Year-over-year growth in marketing s contribution to revenue is more than 6x higher for leaders compared to followers (10.2% vs. 1.6%). Clearly there is room for legal marketing growth, and stats will foster the advancement. Here, we ll provide you with some key statistics that illustrate how lawyers can, in fact, benefit from incorporating content marketing into their business strategy. 2

3 97% of law firm websites fail to deliver any kind of personalized content. (Rocket Matter) 90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (CMO Council) 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site. (Content Plus) 77% of CMOs at top performing companies indicate that their most compelling reason for implementing marketing automation is to increase revenue. (Gleanster) 75% of companies using marketing automation see ROI within 12 months, 44% within 6 months. (Groove Digital Marketing) 68% of companies deliver at least 1 webinar a month, and the number of companies following this trend grows steadily every year. Year-over-year growth in marketing s contribution to revenue is more than 6x higher for leaders compared to followers (10.2% vs. 1.6%). (Kapost) Content marketing can position lawyers as industry thought leaders. Interactive content, such as apps, assessments, calculators, configurators, and quizzes, generate conversions moderately or very well 70% of the time, compared to just 36% for passive content. (Ion Interactive) It s beneficial for legal marketers to leverage various types of content. Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links. (HubSpot) Indexed pages and indexed links translate into higher rankings with the search engines, and that means more website traffic to your site. Also, an additional benefit blogging brings to search engine optimization is content freshness. Google is looking for new and fresh content. The more you blog, the more likely your site will rank highly on the search engines. Only 1/3 of law firm websites are optimized for mobile devices. (Rocket Matter) Mobile devices accounted for 55% of Internet usage in the United States in January. Apps made up 47% of Internet traffic and 8% of traffic came from mobile browsers, according to data from comscore. On April 21, 2015, Google rolled out a new algorithm update that sinks mobile-unfriendly websites rank in search results on tablet and mobile devices, giving priority to mobile competitors. Legal marketers need to show lawyers these numbers in order to convince them that content marketing actually works and that it s in their firm s best interest to start using it. Lawyers will be skeptical until you offer them measurable results that will make them feel more confortable and even open their minds. The Value of Producing Various Types of Content Currently, 91% of B2B companies and 86% of B2C firms use some form of content marketing. Typically, it s more difficult to convince older, more established lawyers to try something new content-wise, such as webinars, podcasts, video, blogs, white papers, case studies, infographics, or social media posts. Newer, younger lawyers understand the importance of being active on social media and continuously branding themselves. Attorneys social media use continues 3

4 to grow, but only modestly, according to just-released findings of the 2013 American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey Report. 59% of lawyers said that their firms maintain a presence on a social network such as LinkedIn or Facebook. 23% of respondents said that their firms do not maintain a presence on social networks, and 18% had no idea whether they did or not. Legal marketers should repurpose content and leverage channels, like webinars, to reach the target audience. Webinars are effective because they have the ability to engage and educate the right people people who are genuinely interested in the topic. Strong legal webinars have the ability to position lawyers as thought leaders, improve sales, and build their brand. So, it s no surprise that 68% of companies deliver at least 1 webinar a month, and the number of companies following this trend grows steadily every year (e3webcasting). Business development, thought leadership, and client retention content can repurposed and delivered in an engaging webinar. These types of interactions can help to humanize law firms and make clients feel more comfortable with the services offered. Connecting to clients on a personal level will keep the business top-of-mind. What it Takes to be a Thought Leader A thought leadership strategy is a must in today s legal services marketplace. If done well, its execution will develop existing and prospective client relationships. Thought leadership not only extends visibility, but it can demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a client s business. In order for lawyers to position themselves as industry thought leaders, they need to create compelling content. Storytelling is an excellent way to accomplish this. People relate to stories. They see bits of themselves in your protagonist. They associate the antagonist and conflict with the problems in their own lives and they share in the joy and reward when the main characters finally achieve their goals. When lawyers develop their story, they need to identify how their services help their customers. What problems do they solve? What benefits (not features) do they offer? What differentiates their services from competitors? Typically, telling stories through content creation is a bit out of a lawyer s comfort zone. So, how can storytelling for lawyers help to successfully leverage their content? Here are 4 key questions they should be asking themselves: 1. What is the story and narrative behind everything you do as a company? How can you get to that story instead of to just the cold, hard facts? 2. How do you actually connect with people in the language they understand best, the language they can visualize in a story-like context? And, how do you create the stories that will cause a change in behavior or a change of perception? 3. What types of stories appeal to your content marketing personas? (Content marketing is key. Currently, 91% of B2B companies and 86% of B2C firms use some form of content marketing.) 4. What about the stories your audience is already telling? How can you incorporate them into your content? Content marketing is necessary for lawyers who want to connect with clients on a more personal level and position their firms as understanding, educational, and reliable. Not only does it improve the business website s visibility in search engines, but it positions lawyers as people who really care about helping their clients the way they want to be helped. 4

5 Key Takeaways This paper demonstrates why content marketing is beneficial for lawyers and how to effectively sell lawyers on this notion. By leveraging statistics that demonstrate the importance of thought leadership and providing educational, compelling content in various forms, legal marketers can turn skeptical lawyers into marketing advocates. Make lawyers feel good about content marketing something that will genuinely enhance their business and do it in a way that ll impress them. BeaconLive At BeaconLive, we believe in success through education and communication. Whether you are delivering virtual CE events or building a collaboration of ideas, BeaconLive s technology coupled with our event services team can provide you with the professional experience that you deserve ! 607 North Avenue, Suite E WakeÞeld, MA 01880!