Three Things You Should NOT Include in Your Law Firm Newsletter
If you dread writing your law firm newsletter each month because a) it’s not fun or b) clients are generally unresponsive to your efforts, you’re probably committing one of three legal marketing sins.
Remember, the point of your newsletter is to develop a relationship with your leads and prospective clients on their own turf. It’s so easy to just “start a newsletter” because a marketing guru tells you to, but you really must understand the “why” behind the “what” if you want to be effective and generate leads/referrals in this area.
So with that said, let’s jump right into the top three things you should NOT be writing in your newsletter:
- Case Briefs– It seems logical that a law firm newsletter would have case briefs of relevant decisions in your practice area, right? Wrong. While information on recent case law may be valuable to your clients, what you have to say about it is probably WAY over their head. Unless you can write on a third grade level and explain what the case means for THEM in plain English, leave complicated case briefs out of the newsletter.
- Promotional Hype– Your newsletter isn’t another opportunity to pitch your firm and services. You might get by with that here and there, but eventually the client will get sick of “being sold” and throw it in the trash. Instead, stick to useful content, tips and how-to’s that will improve or add value to their life in some way.
- Legalese– Again, you’re trying to reach clients on their level so try to leave complicated legal jargon out of the mix. And if you’re trying to educate your client on a certain area of the law and absolutely must drop a few legal terms, be sure to provide clear and alternate definitions so your prospects can actually follow along with the article.
Hopefully you’re noticing a trend here with my emphasis on words like them, their, etc. Understand that if you can bring the focus of your newsletter back on the client and away from the firm, you’ll be much more effective in bringing in referrals and converting existing leads.
And of course, if you still hate the newsletter process and can’t seem to unleash its true potential, then consider this a job to be outsourced! In today’s economy, a newsletter is one marketing tool that you MUST have, so commit to having one that works for you—even if that means bringing in outside help!
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.