The first few months of 2023 saw substantial technological advances that have prompted important conversations about the future of marketing, content creation, and many other industries. Although artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been around for years (i.e., Chatbots appearing on your website to field questions from site visitors, using Grammarly to review your legal documents for errors, etc.), the release of AI-powered content generation tools like ChatGPT sparked ethical questions throughout multiple business sectors. In some instances, experts raised questions about the purpose or relevance of some human-powered jobs—if ChatGPT can write quality website content, why should your law firm devote time and resources for a human to complete this task? Since the release of these AI technologies, several shortcomings and drawbacks have surfaced. However, as these tools evolve at a dizzying pace, it’s worth taking a look at the future implications of AI technology in the legal marketing sector. This post will explore some of the top law firm content marketing trends to watch as we move into the second half of 2023 and beyond.
Consistent Branding Remains Key
Before the proliferation of the internet, there were only a few options for marketing your legal services. For example, you could place an ad in the phone book, purchase a billboard or bench space to use as advertising or send information through the mail. Now, law firms face a wide variety of marketing opportunities, ranging from e-newsletters to blogs to social media posts. As your law firm refines its digital marketing strategy, it’s essential to prioritize consistency across all platforms. This approach, also known as an omnichannel strategy, focuses on creating a consistent and high-quality client experience across every channel to ensure that your former, current, and potential clients grow to identify your brand and view it as trustworthy. For instance, developing a brief yet impactful mission statement that you can incorporate into each blog post, newsletter, or social media update encourages your viewers and followers to view your firm as reliable, trustworthy, and professional. Repeated exposure to your consistent branding efforts maximizes the chances that someone will turn to your firm first when a legal issue or question arises.
Email Marketing Can Still Be Effective
With so many marketing strategies to choose from, many people and businesses assume that email marketing is an outdated tactic. However, a thoughtful and data-driven approach to email marketing can increase client engagement and build lasting relationships with those your firm serves. First, it’s important to recognize that visuals and aesthetics play an integral role in whether a viewer spends time reading the email or moves on to the next task. Your law firm should consider creating a monthly newsletter highlighting recent changes to relevant laws and legal procedures, celebrating the cases you’ve won, and addressing common client concerns and questions. Packaging this information in a visually appealing newsletter and sending it to your client list on a monthly basis is a solid way to keep your firm top-of-mind. As you design your email marketing strategy, it’s best to avoid bombarding clients with too many emails—sending occasional, meaningful email updates is much more effective than sending too many cluttered email communications that lack relevance and focus.
Prioritizing the Client Experience
Now more than ever, people are gravitating toward content that speaks directly to their interests and concerns. The majority of people spend considerable time on social media, growing accustomed to curated content that aligns with their hobbies, values, and viewpoints. Law firms that create content with their clients in mind tend to attract and engage more potential clients, as viewers appreciate reading content that has been customized to address their questions and concerns. As you craft a social media or blog post for your law firm, take some time to consider what topics most appeal to your clients. You can even survey some of your former and current clients to understand their primary interests, then develop content in response to their questions. Consistently prioritizing the client experience will set your firm apart from other law practices, and customers in your area will grow to appreciate and prefer your client-focused marketing efforts.
Refreshing and Repurposing Outdated Content
Once you have set up a website to market your law firm, it’s common to assume that it will not need to be revisited until the law changes or other updates occur. However, search engine algorithms like Google reward websites that invest in regularly repurposing and refreshing their content. If a few years have passed since your website went live, it may be time to update the content and tweak the format of each practice area page. Not only will this task re-energize your website and make it more user-friendly, but it will also signal to the search engine algorithms that you have updated your content and made it even more relevant to those searching for legal information in your community. You can also go back to older blog posts to inspire new posts on the same topic, linking the pages to one another and becoming even more SEO-friendly in your digital marketing strategy.
Showcasing Your Humanity and Authenticity
As the proliferation of AI-generated content continues, most people still prefer and respond to human-powered marketing efforts. Although tools like ChatGPT can write decent (and even factually accurate) paragraphs about a legal topic, readers can’t help but report that something seems “off” or “missing” as they review the AI-generated content. For now, posts and newsletters crafted by humans come off as more authentic, reliable, and engaging to viewers. Artificial intelligence is adapting incredibly quickly, but humans are still more effective at writing thoughtful, authentic, and reliable content to resonate with readers. As your law firm incorporates time-saving AI tools like a chatbot feature on your website or an AI-generative tool to brainstorm potential blog topics, it’s best for humans to write the actual content.
If your law firm is looking for an updated and effective digital marketing strategy, the LegalRev team is here to help. Call (800) 893-2590 to discuss your goals and options with us today.
