Let’s start by getting one simple yet vital piece of information out on the table: Legal services are products, just like anything else. You hope you’ll never need a lawyer, but most people will at one time or another, and the simple fact is that there are a lot of attorneys out there vying for those cases. So how do you or your firm leverage the power of content to stand out from the crowd? That’s what we’re here to discuss.
For starters, I probably don’t need to remind a lawyer or someone in the law profession of something so obvious, but please do make sure my advice here is in step with the laws in your state. Some states put strict limitations on what you can and cannot say in Web copy regarding your services. Certain claims and advertising language are frowned upon in certain areas. That said, there is plenty of
Element #1 – Understand the Stages of Selling
Lawyers – particularly trial lawyers – understand the importance of persuasion. Take the time to think about what you want to say, just as if you were delivering an argument in court. What you say and how you say it will sway the “jury” (in this case, the person stumbling upon your website looking for legal services) into either calling you or looking at another site. So how do we get them to do the former and not the latter? We do it by understanding that this is a buying process and that process has three distinct stages, regardless of the product, service, or industry: the information stage, the shopping stage, and the buying stage.
-
The Information Stage
If you want to get past the information phase with your prospects, the information you provide has to be concise but thorough. Site visitors need to understand what you’re offering, and they need to be quickly and clearly assured that you can help them. A site that presents a number of “how-to” scenarios with links to a blog, for example, shows prospects that you have the knowledge necessary to assist them, as does having a variety of content geared toward information visible on the first click.
-
The Shopping Stage
Once they reach the shopping phase, most prospects want to do a little comparing. They want to be able to compare what you’re offering to what another firm in their area can provide. This is the perfect time to direct them to fill out an online assessment form to make a preliminary determination of whether they have a case. Always proceed from the assumption that they do at this stage and use this opportunity to capture all relevant contact information, including name, address, phone number, and, most importantly, email.
-
The Purchase Stage
If prospects fill out your online assessment, they should then be taken directly to a page with resources that will solidify with them that they have made the right choice in working with you. At this stage of the game, you can be a little more self-congratulatory and tell them about cases you’ve won or offer them information on relevant case studies. It’s at this point that you want to make sure that you have provided contact information so that prospects can call you. Since you already asked them for theirs, this goes a long way toward establishing a sense of mutual trust.
Element #2 – Drive the Concept of Urgency
“The law places limits on the amount of time you have to take action in many civil cases” or other similar phrases can really work in your favor. Don’t just encourage people to call – tell them they need to call now or today. Make your call to action very direct and straightforward. The client doesn’t have to do a lot of legwork; he or she simply needs to initiate contact so you can get to work on his or her case.
Element #3 – Go After the Hot Buttons
- You could miss the chance to pursue your claim.
- You could lose the chance to collect money that is rightfully yours.
- You could wind up paying all your medical bills out of pocket.
- Someone else might get hurt due to that person’s negligence and what if YOU did nothing to stop it?
Other hot buttons include things like pride and greed (think of the seven deadly sins). While you clearly only want to pursue legitimate claims, your prospects need to know that it’s all right to want to collect some money or earn a little vindication. Play to those things that stroke the ego; make them understand that they’re not just entitled to a positive outcome, they deserve it. They were wronged, and it’s OK to want the person who wronged them to pay.
Element #4 – Posture Yourself as the Protector
Good legal blogs are loaded with content that explains how to avoid lawsuits in the first place. “How to Avoid Accidents with Motorcycles” or “How to Rid Your Home of Common Personal Injury Hazards” are great examples of website content writing themes that can accomplish this objective. Offer genuine, sound advice and always end with a call to action that motivates the reader to pursue your legal services. “If you or someone you know has fallen victim to a distracted driver in a motorcycle accident, call us today for a free consultation and find out what the law has to say about your case.”
There are many other things to consider when putting these four tips into action, but these suggestions form a solid foundation for legal copy that gets attention, and, more importantly, earns you new business. In later blogs, we will examine the specific language of legal copy and how you can be not only compelling, but also relatable – a huge consideration when trying to attract new business in the online marketplace.