Why User-Generated Content Needs to be a Part of Your Law Firm’s Online Marketing Strategy

Did you know that marketing accounts for over 10% of a law firm’s budget? As every law firm leader knows, marketing activities don’t come cheap. That’s one reason why user-generated content (UGC) is getting more attention and more traction among law firms.

User-generated content is defined as any type of content – from videos to tweets to testimonials, and everything in between – that is created and shared by unpaid contributors. UGC is the act of your followers or fans promoting your law firm for you. It’s highly effective for many reasons – mostly because 76% of people believe in the average person’s content more than paid advertising. Did we mention that it’s free? There’s more to user-generated content than that, though. 

6 Ways that User-Generated Content Will Help Your Law Firm

Simply put, UGC can make your job a lot easier. Any time your law firm gets promoted without you having to do the heavy lifting is a time that resources can be applied elsewhere. Additionally: 

1. It’s client centric – and that builds trust

Today’s clients are more savvy and don’t want to be bombarded with advertising. They are looking for organic interactions and connection with real humans. That’s one reason social proof is so crucial – people are much more likely to trust other individuals’ opinions of your firm than your own staff. Client testimonials are a particularly powerful tool for building trust. 

2. It creates community

UGC can bring your audience together in a way that other forms of marketing can’t. There are countless examples across social media of brands leveraging consumer content to create viral campaigns based on being aligned with their company. Just think of Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign. When users share content that they, themselves created, they feel like a part of a like-minded community. 

3. It’s inexpensive

We already mentioned that UGC is free. One of the greatest challenges for today’s content marketers is finding sufficient resources for content creation. UGC saves the money, time, and effort of seeking out, creating, or publishing content. 

4. It provides a higher ROI

UGC is essentially word-of-mouth, which can result in a significant increase in conversions (having people speak on your behalf is incredibly powerful). That performance, along with the almost non-existent cost, leads to one of the highest ROIs of any marketing channel. 

5. USG helps with SEO

The fact is that search engine optimization matters all the time, across every digital channel. According to Kissmetrics, “25 percent of search results for the world’s top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content.’” UGC, especially in the form of reviews, can boost your SEO value. Simply put, placing your law firm in more places online will help you to be found more often. As a bonus, spending some time analyzing your UGC can help you to zero in on important keywords for other content. 

6. It helps to fill your law firm’s social media feed

Running out of ideas, or short on marketing staff? UGC provides great fodder for your law firm’s social media channels. Run a contest, start a conversational forum, ask for photos, etc. Whether you ask people to submit unique content, reviews, or ideas for something happening in your firm, every post that someone creates helps keep your feed robust and active, which builds engagement and can help you to add followers. 

Related: 10 Social Media Trends Law Firm Marketers Should Watch in 2021

Takeaway

User-generated content provides real and valuable opportunities to connect with your law firm’s target audience online. USG also provides good fodder for social media channels and for your website. Potential clients and past clients are all good candidates for creating content that will help boost your firm’s exposure and deepen relationships.

Need help generating content – or asking your followers to generate content – that resonates? We can help your law firm develop quality content that will move the needle for your firm. Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve better results through online marketing.