In the world of legal copywriting, more is usually better. How you add content makes a difference – but in many cases, one of the main goals is to create enough of an explanation around the brand that readers start to understand how a law office works, and what they can expect as clients.
It’s easy to find examples of law firms that simply haven’t invested in content marketing in a significant way. Many of these are brand-new, individual practices, but even clearly established firms sometimes lack context when it comes to what’s on their websites.
Practice Areas: Adding Narrative
Suppose you go to a law firm site and see a set of bullet points or menu tabs telling you what the law firm does. This law firm offers criminal defense specialization. Yes, but how?
Readers are hungry to find out what approach a law firm brings to a particular practice area – what the attorney’s philosophies are, and what the issues are that matter to them. They want to get a glimpse of how these skilled professionals might work on their behalf if they’ve been charged with a crime and are in a tough spot.
The same holds true for other practice areas, from immigration to family law to various kinds of business litigation. Readers are browsing the web for a reason – to try to figure who’s going to represent them in court. So developing narratives around practice areas make a big difference.
The Menu Approach
One way to highlight practice areas involves installing pieces of content in menu destination pages directly. This way, someone clicks into a particular practice area tab, and they get practical, relevant information about that service that the firm provides. They understand the online road map and how to navigate the site better — and are able to more fully understand some of the context of the initial conversation that they might have with a lawyer on that particular topic.
Blog Work
Another method is to integrate practice area explanations into the law firm’s blog.
A legal office can take some of the most relevant questions to a particular practice area, and write blog posts around those that show aspects of how attorneys think about cases. It helps to have the relevant keywords and ideas in the headlines, so that the reader can understand what they’re clicking on and how it relates to their own needs and legal search.
Real Legal Marketing can help with all of this – and more. We understand the visibility challenge that firms are up against, and how to really innovate to reach an audience. Law firms that have to focus on core operations while improving their web footprints find our services vitally helpful in reaching a target audience, bringing in new clients, and building a better reputation in a community. Talk to us about a plan to promote your law office in a better way.
