Everyone loves a freebie. But most of us don’t like giving things away.
Solicitors are in the business of providing advice. Because your expertise will make a real difference to personal lives or commercial interests people are prepared to pay for it. But many solicitor websites offer apparently valuable information for free. Things like:
- User-friendly answers to legal problems
- Downloadable letter templates and forms
- Procedural guides
- Business law briefings
- Employment handbooks
Why do firms give this advice away for nothing?
CAN YOU AFFORD TO GIVE AWAY YOUR EXPERTISE FOR FREE?
If the principal aim of your website is to generate new clients, providing information that reduces a potential client’s need to contact you might seem counterintuitive. But the potential client who finds impressive, authoritative information on your website for free may well be inclined to pay for more in-depth advice
So look at the information you provide as an investment. It is a way of beginning to build the trust that’s essential to any successful solicitor-client relationship.
MORE THAN MARKETING COPY
In a world where there is already masses of legal information available online, you can’t just provide basic information. For your investment to work you need to give away high quality information that clients actually need and have a use for.
Creating long form, useful content requires commitment. Not easy when resources are stretched. But bear in mind, your potential clients will be well versed in online search. They tend to approach the blatant, hard sell of many law firm websites with scepticism.
By producing impartial guides and articles you can promote your firm in a more subtle way. Site visitors, impressed with the value of what you are prepared to divulge free of charge will begin to think of your firm as one they would like to have on their side.
THE CAVEATS
You might be sharing this kind of material without charge. But you still need a return on your investment. Don’t play all your cards. You should present your opinions and explain what you can do in particular cases. Never forget the primary purpose of creating guides and other informational content is to generate clients. You can increase the chances of this by:
- Ensuring visitors are required to supply contact details before downloading content so you can follow up.
- Making it easy for readers to find their way back to your website or contact page as easily as possible from the ‘free’ content. This means incorporating clear calls to action regularly within the content.
We work with small and medium-sized firms of solicitors to create handbooks, guides and other downloadable content that helps their firms stand out from competitors. To get in touch call Andrew Morgan on 07881 904285 or contact us online.
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