If you write and interact online or on your phone ā which is everyone ā youāre engaging in digitalĀ marketing. Why not put some strategic thinking behind your efforts to get more leads and clients?
“But it seems daunting,” you say. “I donāt know where to start.ā I empathize. Thereās a lot of information out there, some of it even good. And, frankly, youād rather spend the time serving your clients. The thing is, you can do both.Ā Hereās a look at a low-stress digital marketing effortĀ to get you started.
The Five Elements of Digital Marketing
Sounds like a science class or a Bruce Willis movie, but itās just your basicĀ content, optimization,Ā social, advertising and metrics. And I mean basic. You can go deep on each of these elements, and as you grow you may consider getting help. But, for a DIYĀ solo or small firm lawyer starting out, save time and lower your stress by sticking to the basics.
Letās go through each of the five elements and identify your minimum level of investment to get the results youāre looking for.
1. Content
āContent is essentially everything your customer or prospect touches or interacts with,” proclaims Ann Handley in her book “Everybody Writes.” This includes yourĀ website, blog, newsletter, e-books, white papers, infographics, case studies, webinars, video, podcasts and so on. These are your content assets.
But donāt be overwhelmed. Start with a blog.
Commit to writing once a week. A practice Iāve developed is to write a draft on Sunday night, sleep on it, and polish it on Monday before publishing. Make writing a habit-forming process.
What should you write about? Content thatĀ speaks to the issues your clients and prospects are facing. Over time, your library of content will build trust, enhance your expertise andĀ influence and,Ā ultimately, drive business.
YourĀ blogĀ content can then beĀ repurposed to other digitalĀ marketing assetsĀ using the concept of COPE: Create once, publish everywhere. A particularlyĀ resonant blog post can be expanded into a webinar that is recorded andĀ divided into bite-size videosĀ acrossĀ related pages on your site. This can be done inexpensively by hiring a freelancer from a service like Upwork.
A compilation of your blog posts and other contentĀ becomes yourĀ monthly email newsletter. This is important.Ā People generallyĀ need legal help only a few times in their lives.Ā It is critical to stay stop of mind for when those moments arise.
- Minimum effort to get results: Blog and newsletter.
2. Search Engine OptimizationĀ
Write it and theyĀ will not come. You need some eyeballs on your great content.Ā You do this by optimizing for search, through SEO. This scares people, and Iām not immune. Best to keep it simple when youāreĀ handling your ownĀ optimization.
First, use WordPressĀ forĀ your website and blog. This is a no-brainer. The software isĀ optimized and ready to go right out of the box and allows you to easilyĀ add and edit content. There are also plugins to extend the capabilities andĀ functionality ofĀ yourĀ site. Like the Yoast SEO plug-in. Go ahead and install it.
Next, make a list of five to 10 keywords you wantĀ to rank for.Ā This is what your nicheĀ practice isĀ all about. Then, when you create any piece of content from blog posts to webpages, optimize for one of those keywords.Ā This includes the SEO title and meta description. SEO-degree-holding experts are probablyĀ wringing their hands by now as this stuff gets much deeper and complicated,Ā butĀ these few basics steps will go a long way toward getting your content read.
- Minimum effort to get results: Use the WordPress platform andĀ Yoast SEO plug-in with aĀ 10-keyword optimization strategy.
3. Social Media
First and foremost, social media is about engaging andĀ sharing and building relationships. This includes sharing your own content.Ā Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the obvious big three. But depending on where your clients engage online, you may want to consider other platforms. Beware theĀ slippery slope. Social media platforms can quickly become a drain on your time. And, your clients sure as heck donāt want to see you appearing inĀ their feedsĀ every minute instead of working on their cases.
- Minimum effort to get results: Facebook, LinkedIn, and the occasional Twitter. Use tools likeĀ Buffer or Hootsuite.
4. DigitalĀ Advertising
Sometimes referred to as SEM or PPC or any number ofĀ acronyms, this is simply paid online ads.Ā These keyword-driven mostly GoogleĀ campaigns can be set up quickly and generate immediate results to a landing page. But youāll need some help with this. Instead, try paidĀ social.
Facebook advertising has taken off. It allows you to zone in on your target audience and itās super easy to do. Just enter your credit card, choose how much you want to spend (start with a $50 test), create a target demographic and boost your post. Yep, itās that simple. Can it get more complicated? Sure, but startĀ small. Remember, weāre trying to keep this low-stress.
You can test a paid effort on LinkedIn and Twitter as they also allow you toĀ createĀ finely targeted campaigns from a simple post or tweet.
Great benefit: This also helps to meaningfully grow your follower count.
- Minimum effort to get results: Post a link on your Facebook page to a page on your site,Ā preferably one where the visitor can take a desired action likeĀ submittingĀ a form for aĀ consultation or to download an e-book or white paper or register for a webinar. These submissions then become leads that you can nurture with your newsletter.
5. Metrics
Even with this low-stress effort, you need toĀ know whatās working and what to change. Use Google Analytics. The deep level ofĀ analytics available would make aĀ statistician grin ear to ear. But youĀ donāt need to go crazy here.
In Google Analytics, look at Behavior:Ā Session, Users, Pageviews, New Visitors, Average Session Duration, Page per Session, Bounce Rate, and Acquisition:Ā Channels, and Referrals. Together these numbers will provide insight into which posts and pages areĀ resonating, whoās reading them, whatās gettingĀ visitors to your site, and how readers are navigating your content.
- Minimum level of investment: Review your GoogleĀ Analytics dashboard weekly andĀ monthly andĀ make contentĀ decisions based on theĀ monthly analysis.
There you have it, a low-stress, DIY digital marketing effort for solos and small firm lawyers who are starting to build their practice.
Illustration Ā©iStockPhoto.com
Subscribe to Attorney at Work (It’s Free)
Get really good ideas every day: Subscribe to the Daily Dispatch and Weekly Wrap. Follow us on Twitter @attnyatwork.