There are only a few industries where the service being sold is actually a particular type of expertise. The legal industry is one such sector. People will choose a law firm based on the knowledge and credibility displayed by the attorneys within it. This makes it essential for the experts within your firm to develop their own personal brands. Many people don’t begin that process because they don’t know how. Follow these steps to carve out your own personal brand through content marketing for lawyers.content marketing for lawyers

Content Marketing for Lawyers

1. Develop a Brand Mission Statement

Good content is based on an understanding of larger goals. Creating such a mission statement is your first step. Your personal branding mission statement should include who you are, what you do, what you stand for, and what your unique value is. You’ll also need to consider your firm’s brand since you’re tied together publicly. 

2. Create an Editorial Mission Statement

Connected to your brand mission statement will be your content mission statement. This item will include your core audience (who you plan to help with your content), what you’ll deliver/information you’ll provide, and the things your audience will know from reading your content. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, just be clear on these three elements. 

3. Describe Your Brand’s Content Marketing Objectives

Your content marketing goals are different from your own personal goals. The objective of creating content isn’t to get a raise or a promotion. It should be about attracting and retaining an audience and driving profitable action. Once you adequately express your goals, you can zero in on the correct audience. Many people choose goals like: 

  • Building brand awareness
  • Earning brand trust. 
  • Increasing brand loyalty. 
  • Attracting strategic partners. 

4. Research Your Target Audience

What does your audience really want? First, you need to know who they are. Where do they live and work? What are their challenges? Where do they spend time and do their research? Then start detailing their interests and behaviors. Remember that these people will vary based on your goals. For example, if one of your objectives with personal branding is to attract strategic partners, you may plan for a different audience than the end-user of your legal services. You can start by creating an ideal client profile with this free guide

5. Find Your Content Sweet Spotcontent marketing for lawyers

As you consider your content marketing interests and the needs of your target audience, look for areas where they align. This will be the ideal area to develop content in. This is also where you’ll think about the right content formats and distribution channels. For example, you might find that your audience enjoys podcasts, so you should focus on building a subscriber database. Or, if you see that many of the people you’d want to target attend a certain industry event, you could apply to be a speaker there. 

6. Build Out a Content Calendar

Once you’ve identified your content subjects, formats, and channels, it’s time to create a program calendar. As you work on your calendar, it’s important to be realistic and not overly ambitious. Consider a “minimum viable” calendar, where you detail the least amount that you can create while publishing regularly. For some people that might be once a month, for others once a week. You might start by committing to one blog post per month. Remember that if you attempt to take on too much and fail, you’ll be more likely to give up. Focus on quality and consistency over quantity. 

7. Set Measurable Goals

Along with your content calendar, add dates and deadlines to the goals you already created. For example, a quality goal is something like “Gain 50 email subscribers by the end of the quarter.” It’s key to attach measurable (but realistic) goals to all of your tactics. You can always adjust your goals as you work on your personal branding, but start out by setting a few and tracking performance. 

Takeaway:

In addition to these steps, make sure to hold yourself accountable. Unlike your larger firm’s content strategy, your personal branding with content marketing for lawyers will require you to work alone. This means you have only yourself to report on your progress. Don’t let yourself push off the necessary work. Set deadlines and create reminders on your calendar. Then get started! For some inspiration, make sure to follow our blog and sign up for our newsletter

Or if you’d like greater assistance in creating a content strategy, reach out to us today for a free consultation.

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