A key problem many lawyers have is making the connection between generating content and using that content to move prospects through their sales funnels.
It is tough measuring the success of your social media tactics if you don’t set them up in the first place to support the lead generation goals you have set yourself.
We all suffer from information overload, and getting people hooked on what you say means you really have to give them something that is really valuable or which points them to a specific activity that you want them to be part of (e.g. a webinar).
When you first create blogs and write articles, it is really easy to get carried away and start churning out content which might be nice to have BUT which does not build your authority.
Successful lawyers have got around this problem by including the following steps as part of their authority building exercise:
- Be very clear in your communications about your specialism and how you help people solve their problems (remember – specialism is not “I am a family lawyer” but more on the lines of “Specialise in settling divorce cases quickly with minimum fuss”);
- Map out the key steps clients should take to achieve their ultimate result – this makes it easy for you to plan your blog posts and the content you provide;
- Think about the specific steps you want your prospects to take once they enter your sales funnel – e.g. can they download a free report that outlines the biggest mistakes people make related to your specialism and how to avoid them;
- Make sure the articles you write focus on one specific issue – it is easier for people to digest information that specifically addresses one important rather than trying to cover so many points in one article;
- Make it clear in your posts what prospects can expect if they have an initial exploratory meeting with you. This doesn’t mean telling them what advice they will get, but the service and specific follow up steps they will get from you which helps set some expectations about you and your legal services.
If you never get into lead generation mode when using social media and don’t have a well-structured sales funnel that you use as reference for blog posts, it will be difficult to match your blog posts with the goals you set yourself for attracting new clients.
It is not enough to simply write nice articles or about something that you simply like. You have to make sure your blog posts actually address frustrations and pain points that prospects or clients have and, more importantly, map out how you want them to respond to your posts.
You need to nurture prospects as they move through your sales funnel until they are ready to ask you for your services, and your blog posts are a powerful way of helping you achieve that.
