The reason why law firms and other businesses choose to invest vast sums of money in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is apparent. The logic fits. You get on the first page of Google, large numbers of people see you, and you’ll bring in clients. It’s why it’s more than a $20 billion industry in the U.S. alone. 

But behind the curtain lies the secret of how it fails more than succeeds. If there are 12 spots on the first page of Google, the first four will be paid sponsorships. These will get ~10% of the clicks. The first three organic results (unpaid) get ~60% of the clicks. Even if you are on the first page of Google and are the last organic result, you’re getting less than 1% of the traffic. You and ALL of your competitors are fighting for those coveted three spots.

How SEO Works 

SEO is a method for improving your website’s visibility on search engines such as Google. When people need legal services and have no one to ask, they’ll likely turn to a search engine. When one of these people searches for a term related to your firm (e.g., “Best Estate Planning Attorney in Boston”), SEO will determine whether your website appears in the search results. 

The vast majority of people associate SEO with keywords. They assume that if they use phrases like “best estate planning attorney in Boston” in their content, then they will rise to the top of the first page. SEO uses several different techniques in addition to keyword optimization. There’s backlinking, on-page optimization, meta tags, UX experience, and internal linking. 

SEO is a guess that tries to play to Google’s complex algorithms that determine rank. Although Google has never made its algorithm public, people assume that Google analyzes your content’s quality, keywords, and the number of websites that link back to yours. The most important thing to remember is that Google updates its algorithms reguarly, which could disrupt your previous SEO results. 

Why SEO Likely Won’t Work For You 

The main reason that SEO won’t work for you is that it is highly competitive. 15 years ago, ranking higher in a few key areas was easier. However, the amount of people using SEO has increased significantly. The obvious conclusion is that standing out has become much more complicated, especially for small businesses (and firms) that don’t have the budget or resources to outspend larger ones. 

Now with the rise of AI, SEO is getting even trickier. Search engines are now using it to determine results and rankings. Google uses AI in what they have dubbed the “search generative experience.” You may have seen it. It answers your questions without the need to click on websites. This increases the challenge for SEO marketers because their content will create answers. The searcher may not need to view the website regardless of its rankings. 

ChatGPT and other AI systems give people the option to bypass search engines. People want answers, not a list of websites that could provide them answers if they look hard enough. Backlinking, also a key component of SEO, is much more challenging now. Years ago, you could get another website to write a blog and include links to your website. Like keywords, there are simply too many people doing it to be an effective solution. 

Choose Content Over SEO

Content marketing is designed to nurture your relationships with your past clients. It keeps you top of mind and generates referrals. Because no one has your network, you have an opportunity to use marketing that actually works. Want to learn more? Contact our friends at Spotlight Branding to see how content marketing can be a more effective strategy for your firm. 

Before you read anything else, visit our friends over at Spotlight Branding, schedule a consultation, and pay them for marketing service. Did you do it? Probably not. You haven’t gotten anything out of this article yet.

So then why do so many lawyers use social media as nothing more than a digital billboard that constantly tells people to call their office? And so many of you wonder why social media doesn’t work for you.

The impetus behind content marketing is to provide value to your audience before asking for anything in return. (Sometimes you won’t have to ask at all.) When you do this, you build trust and nurture relationships, which are components of long-term success. By sharing educational and useful information, you attract and engage people, making them more likely to choose your firm when the time is right. 

The Power of Giving 

Giving is a central piece of content marketing. Your content should share valuable information so future clients can solve problems and make informed decisions. This could be through blog posts, videos, newsletters, or social media content. You position your business as a helpful resource by consistently providing valuable content.

Continuing to give valuable content keeps your audience engaged and builds loyalty. When people see that you consistently provide helpful information, they are more likely to return to your website, follow your social media channels, and open your emails. This ongoing engagement strengthens their relationship with your firm.

Consistently putting out blogs, resources, videos, and other content helps prospective clients understand how your firm is uniquely positioned to resolve their legal issues. It also enables you to build loyalty and retention with clients you have previously worked with—who can also refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues. 

The internet completely disrupted the way customers research products and make purchasing decisions. Historically, companies relied on traditional sales and advertising tactics such as TV and print ads or face-to-face relationship building to drive sales. Seth Godin referred to this as interruption marketing. But the internet has made information broadly available so people can do their own research without needing to engage directly with an organization unless they want to.

The Right Time to Ask 

After consistently giving value, asking people to book a consultation is appropriate. When you read blogs, you will notice that the last paragraph is when someone is trying to sell you something. By the end, your audience trusts you and is more likely to respond positively to your request.

Content marketing is important today because it reaches clients who do their own research. Compelling content motivates prospects to learn more and ultimately convert. Create a content strategy that supports your firm’s overall marketing plan. A content strategy typically includes audience personas, topics, channels for distribution, and a publishing schedule. 

How About Now?
Now is the right time to ask. If you got any value out of this article about content marketing and would like to continue this conversation with us, we would be happy to do so. We’ll discuss how we can write blogs, create social media posts, make videos, and create educational and value-based content for your firm.

In the marketing world, you’ll often hear two terms floating around that may seem like nothing more than two ways to say the same thing: A marketing “plan” and a marketing “strategy.” However, there is a very distinct difference.

  • marketing strategy is your overall philosophy towards marketing. It encompasses the various tactics, avenues, etc. that you intend to use and the overall result you want to achieve. It is your “Why” when it comes to your marketing.
  • marketing plan is a roadmap of the details, actions, and steps you will take to execute the marketing strategy. It is your “How” when it comes to your marketing.

Think of it like this: One marketing company (say Spotlight Branding for example) helps law firms increase referrals and attract the right clients. Other marketing companies might focus on getting law firms to page 1 of a Google search, generate a certain number of leads for the firm, or book a certain number of speaking engagements. These are all different philosophies—none more “right” or “wrong” than the other—that guide the way we go about our business.

In your firm, your marketing strategy can be whatever you believe is important and can be a mix of referrals, lead generation, PR, and more. Your marketing plan is how you are going to go about executing it. Will you hire a vendor(s) to accomplish your goals? Do you have an in-house marketing team to go to work for you?

Regardless, you need BOTH a strategy and a plan, otherwise nothing may ever get done.

Every December reporters at industry magazines and newsletters look at the year ending and summarize the highlights. Then, they look ahead to the trends and legal issues for the new year.

This is a great moment for you to look into the future and predict what the next 12 months will bring for your clients’ industries.

If you want to be the attorney that reporters call to get a clear view of the outlook in 2025, you have to introduce yourself to journalists in a professional manner and share your perspective.

Follow these steps to be considered an authoritative and reliable source for comment on topics that will affect business owners and corporate executives, per your area of practice. 

Begin by focusing on these hot topics:

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Competition
  • Consolidation
  • Legislation
  • Recent litigation
  • Regulation
  • Technology

Add other ideas that reflect developments in the industries where your clients operate.

These are the themes you will offer to the reporter when you introduce yourself as someone with their eye on the horizon and their finger on the pulse of the market.

You will be seen as a professional who is alert to the concerns of industry leaders and tuned into market trends. 

Remember, whether or not your predictions come to pass, it’s highly doubtful that anyone will remember precisely what you forecast. Still, a reporter will recall that you offered your thoughtful outlook and will seek you out for an update on the next year.

When you think about search engines, everyone quickly mentions Google, but YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. It has over 2 billion active users and deserves a place in your marketing plan. It’s a solid platform that allows you to create valuable, educational content that your past, current, and future clients can use. However, it is important to recognize that leveraging YouTube involves more than just uploading videos. Let’s talk about how to incorporate video content into your marketing strategy and how you can use it. 

YouTube’s Place in Your Marketing Plan 

YouTube fits perfectly into a content marketing strategy because it allows you and your firm to provide answers to your clients’ common questions. More people digest content in this format because it’s engaging and requires minimal effort. Nine out of every ten marketers who have videos are on YouTube, and some statistics show that video accounts for about a third of their budget. Think of it as a means of being in a place where people actively search for information and answers. In addition to educational content, you can also add client testimonials. 

Incorporating YouTube into your firm’s marketing plan involves more than creating videos; it consists of providing meaningful content that speaks to your audience. 

  • Build a visual presence for your brand by customizing your channel with a branded banner and professional-looking profile image.
  • Provide answers to common questions through educational videos that help explain complex subjects or legal concepts.
  • Increase your brand’s visibility, as YouTube videos are often featured in Google’s search results. This can drive additional traffic to your website, improve SEO, and help potential clients discover you more easily.

One of YouTube’s greatest strengths is its vast user base. Regardless of your target audience’s age, needs, or location, YouTube offers customizable targeting options. Marketers embrace the ROI of video content because, on YouTube, you can always reach your target audience if you create the right type of content. 

Create Consistent, High-Quality Content

Regularly uploading videos builds an audience, keeps your brand top of mind, and encourages viewers to subscribe. High-quality videos with good lighting, sound, and clear messaging are more likely to retain viewer attention and foster engagement. Consider creating content like:

  • How-To Guides: Explain legal processes or frequently asked questions.
  • Client Success Stories: Showcase satisfied clients and the results you’ve achieved for them.
  • Service Overviews: Detail what you offer and how you can help.

Once you have several videos uploaded, create playlists. Playlists organize your content and make it easier for potential clients to find the necessary information.  For example, you can create playlists for different practice areas like “Personal Injury,” “Business Law,” or “Estate Planning.” Playlists also encourage viewers to watch multiple videos in one session, increasing your watch time and improving your channel’s ranking in YouTube’s algorithm.

YouTube is also a social network. Engaging with your viewers in the comments section helps build relationships and trust. Like other social media platforms, answering questions from the comments section is essential. If they are kind enough to leave a review, thank them and ask them to share your content. The higher your interaction, the more likely YouTube will promote your videos. Even if you ignore this completely, you will still have a presence on a large platform. People will look you up on YouTube after they are referred to you. It reinforces your credibility and expertise. 

Making Videos Is Easier Than You Think 

If you’re interested in creating more video for your firm, Spotlight Branding can help! You’ll receive pre-written FAQs to answer, and their account manager will arrange for a videographer to film you at your office. These videos will be posted on your website and YouTube. Contact their business development manager to learn more about their video marketing services.

Nearly every business claims to provide great client service—maybe even you make that claim (though most consumers don’t rate law firms particularly high on that scale). However, the ability to provide that level of service versus just promising it depends on a number of factors. Foremost is a great client experience. Let’s take a closer look at 5 tips that can help your firm exceed expectations and thrive no matter how tight or competitive your market.

Tip #1: Develop a Client-Centric Culture

In a client-centric firm, everyone strives to provide an exceptional experience. This includes a friendly voice on the phone, quick responses (more on that below), and exceptional products or services. For law firms, this might include free consultations, complimentary ebooks, and a website that speaks to its intended audience. 

Tip #2: Easy Communication with Rapid Responses

When clients want to reach you to book an appointment, ask a question, or even express a concern, how easy do you make it for them? Are your contact details available on a clearly labeled section of your website or do visitors have to go looking for them? The easier they are to find, the more you’ll come across as a firm that cares.

Proactively offering different ways of communicating with your firm is also important, especially after hours. You can provide customers with options such as email, Facebook messenger, an FAQ page, chatbot, and telephone support during business hours. Whichever options you offer, make sure you respond by the next business day at the very latest. For some queries, you can use automation for immediate results.

Tip #3: Show You Value Feedback

Asking for feedback is essential to ensuring satisfaction. Not only does it show that you’re willing to listen, but the responses can help you better understand the experience people are having with your business. Just make sure you act on what you’re told: by learning more about their experiences, you can improve the strategies that serve you well while discontinuing the ones that don’t.

Tip #4: Personalize the Client Experience

One of the best ways to ensure customer satisfaction is to personalize the service experience. Analyze each client’s history with your firm and recommend solutions for their specific needs. You can even send them a personalized “Happy Birthday!” Little gestures like that can mean a lot.

Tip #5: Show Them How You’ll Help Them Succeed

Telling prospects how you will assist them along their journey (especially after the main job they hired you for is finished) while explaining the next steps is a surefire way to keep them satisfied. Your clients will know exactly what to expect from you and how to contact you for help if needed. For example, great family lawyers offer support and guidance on getting back into the dating scene after a divorce or tips for coparenting with a difficult ex–spouse.

Conclusion

Consumer expectations are higher than ever. As clients become more empowered, their experience becomes even more important. In fact, clients with the most positive experiences spend 140% more and stay loyal for up to six years. A great experience strategy on your part can make a positive impact on customer loyalty, retention, and revenue growth.

Hello Legal Marketing Blog reader!

Our friends over at Spotlight Branding are preparing for their 2025 Legal Marketing Trends Report (their 4th edition). This is one of the biggest reports in the legal industry, and they need your help.

Please click here to take the Trends Report survey and share your insight into several areas of law firm marketing from the kinds of marketing you’re doing to how you feel about all of it.

This data has been extremely helpful for law firm owners all over the country to see what marketing is working, what isn’t, and how law firms are actually marketing themselves.

Click here to take the survey, and you will have a chance to be entered into a drawing for one of several Amazon gift cards.

Word-of-mouth marketing is a timeless and powerful tool for influencing decisions and driving sales. In the past, this involved one person telling another or pointing them toward a product or service during face-to-face conversations. It has and will continue to be one of the most common ways law firms market their firms.

Today, the mentality behind word-of-mouth and the referral network remains the same, but platforms and reach have transformed dramatically. An online review or social media post influences hundreds or thousands. The transition from personal exchanges to digital dialogs has expanded the scope and impact of these recommendations.

The Relationship Between Word of Mouth & Content 

Online reviews and directories have become the new face of word-of-mouth marketing. Nearly half of consumers (46.5%) find attorneys through sites like Yelp, Avvo, Google, and others according to a Martindale-Avvo survey. These platforms allow users to share their experiences and opinions widely, significantly impacting the decision-making process of potential new clients. Instead of one-on-one conversations, these reviews are public and accessible to anyone anytime, increasing their influence. 

While many clients first become aware of a law firm because they got a referral from someone they trust, online research often validates it. As a law firm providing a service, your goal should be establishing credibility and expertise through your content. Why? This advances the prospective client from needing an attorney to booking a consultation. They are learning about you through the content you have put out.

Another interesting component of that survey was that less than half of those referred to a specific attorney hired them. Content plays a role in helping someone make their final decision. A referral brings them to you, but your content may keep them leaving. 

Engagement & Social Media (From a Law Firm’s Perspective)

Engagement is often seen as a confirmation that people are enjoying and appreciating your content. If a business posts on a wide range of platforms, they will look for likes, shares, and comments to see if their marketing is as effective as they want it to be. Social media is built around users posting reviews and sharing their experiences through stories, status updates, and videos. These posts then get shared, commented on, and liked.  

Does this extend to the legal industry? Not necessarily. Because many people will turn to an attorney during a difficult time, they may be less inclined to engage with a law firm’s content this way. As an attorney, your engagement may be low—which does not mean it is ineffective. Likes don’t translate to dollars. To have an idea if your content is working, ask the following questions: 

  1. Have I been getting more referrals? 
  2. Are the right kinds of clients contacting me?
  3. Has it been easier to get someone to become a paid client because they came in more educated and prepared to work with me? 

Even if the likes and shares aren’t there, your audience is still out there, albeit not as visible as you would likely want them to be. The Martindale-Avvo survey reinforced that, as a law firm, your audience is making decisions based on your digital footprint. People who contacted an attorney because of a website (36%) beat print advertising (10%) and TV/Radio ads (5%). 

The Pew Research Center also published data stating that more older people use smartphones and social media. Smartphone ownership has seen a marked increase across all age groups, with 96% of 18 to 29-year-olds and 61% of those 65 and older owning smartphones. Similarly, social media use has grown, especially among those 65 and older, who have quadrupled their usage since 2010, closing the gap with younger users.

Content Marketing Cannot be Overlooked

Word-of-mouth marketing has evolved, requiring law firms to adapt and thrive alongside it. The growth of online reviews and social media engagement has shifted how trust and credibility are built and maintained. Law firms must ensure their digital presence accurately reflects their expertise and reliability, leveraging content and client interactions to foster positive online word-of-mouth.

The digital divide is closing across age groups, and the opportunity to reach a broader audience is even more apparent now than a decade ago. Your digital footprint is a fundamental component of your marketing strategy, whether through detailed reviews, engaging social media content, or informative websites.

People want to work with the expert. If you run a general practice or are a door lawyer, then you are NOT an expert. It also means that you’re spending time doing things you don’t particularly enjoy doing just to keep business coming through the door. (We also realize you can’t explicitly call yourself an expert, but there are ways around that.)

However, if you’re reading this article, we’re going to assume that it means you’re ready to drop the dead weight and really pursue your passion. Here’s how to do it.

1. Figure out your true passion (and make sure there’s a need!)

You can’t niche down unless you truly know what it is you want to focus on. This could be a practice area or just a certain type of client or business you want to work with. Whatever it is, make sure you can answer these two questions:

  1. What do I truly enjoy doing? (Or, what am I really good at?)
  2. Are there enough people who need my specialized skills?

2. Adjust your marketing accordingly

When you niche down, you can concentrate your marketing message on your specialty and narrow your target on those people who need that specific kind of help. In doing so, you actually end up eliminating your competition.

Think about it like this: If you practice family law, estate planning, and criminal defense, niching down to just being a family lawyer eliminates the other firms in your area practicing estate planning and criminal defense because you’re no longer competing with them for clients.

3. Shore up your referral network

Eliminating service offerings from your firm won’t be an overnight change. People may still come to you looking for help in areas you no longer provide. Resist the urge to just take care of it and instead refer that work over to another firm. Remember: you made a choice to drop certain practice areas because you didn’t enjoy them, so resolve to stop taking any other type of case that isn’t your specified niche.

Niching down is a big step and one that can be scary. But when you stick to it and concentrate your marketing message to make sure people know what your expertise is and how you can help, it will elevate your status in your community as THE expert. From there, the possibilities are endless.

Need help with the marketing side of things? Spotlight Branding can help with that. Contact them today to learn more.

Social media is a place where you can post whatever is on your mind and whenever the mood strikes you. While that might be the case for your personal Facebook or Instagram, your business accounts need a more strategic approach.

One part of that strategy is creating informative and relevant content that showcases your expertise and encourages people to click through to your website. The other part of that strategy is a publishing schedule that gets posts out there at times when they’re most likely to be seen. Like a lot of things in business, timing can make all the difference between a good post being seen or disappearing unnoticed.

How to Tell When It’s Time

There’s no “magic hour” for publishing social media. It all depends on when your target audience is active, and that can vary from one platform to the next. You can find some visitor insights within the analytics tools in the various social apps, but you’ll need to experiment to determine when your posts get the most engagement. Specifically, you’ll want to pay attention to:

  • When your users are most active
  • When they pay the most attention to your content
  • What type of content you’re posting or sharing

Let’s take a closer look at the trends for all of the popular social media platforms.

Facebook

Analysis suggests that the best times to post on Facebook are:

  • Weekdays at 3:00 a.m.
  • Tuesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 12 noon

With a 3:00 am post time, you may face less competition for engagement and attract attraction from users in other time zones, which means your post will live longer on a timeline and more likely be seen by early morning scrollers. You can also experiment between 9:00 am and noon, which is when Facebook users are most active, and see what response you get. 

Weekends, on the other hand, don’t see a lot of engagement with business posts on Facebook. Fewer people may be logging in, or they could be prioritizing personal content from friends and family. Whatever the reason, statistics suggest that your posts might not perform as well on Saturday and Sunday.

Instagram

With Instagram, posts made during the following time frames get the best results:

  • Mondays at 11:00 am
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
  • Thursdays and Fridays between 10:00 and 11:00 am 

It seems like mid-morning is Instagram’s Happy Hour, which could help you plan and maximize‌ ‌engagement. IG activity is apparently highest on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Sundays are less active.

Twitter/X

Every weekday (except Thursday!) at 9:00 am appears to be the best time to tweet. Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days ‌while‌ ‌Sunday‌ ‌should‌ ‌be‌ ‌avoided.

These recommendations might be related to how people use Twitter/X to keep up with the latest news. Those using social media for business are more likely to log in at the start of the day. Between 9:00 am and noon is the peak time for tweet consumption, so if you use X, try posting during those hours.

LinkedIn

Research suggests that LinkedIn posts are most effective between 10:00 am and noon on Tuesdays. Weekdays between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm are active times on LinkedIn, so try different posting schedules to see what works for you.

Conclusion

There’s no one perfect time for all businesses to post to any social media platform. You’ll need to test and experiment to find what works best for your brand and audience. Nevertheless, these recommended schedules could be a useful guide, and it is worth adjusting your posting strategy to see if your numbers increase.

One final note: These recommendations should be for that given day. You should be posting content every day and, if possible, multiple times per day. These windows, however, give you guidance on when to post on any given day.