Thought leadership has become an overused word in law firm marketing. But when it’s done right, it can be a highly effective part of a law firm’s client retention strategy.
According to LexisNexis’s survey of small firms in 2023, 80% of those surveyed see client retention as their major concern in 2024. But from my experience, this isn’t true just for small firms. Law firm CMOs and marketing directors – from mega to small firms alike – have shared with me that a big part of their focus this year is on bringing the voice of the client into all that they do (more details to come on those conversations).
One way to elevate your clients’ experience with your firm is to create and maintain a quality, robust content program that provides genuine thought leadership, and ensure that it actually reaches the right people.
Meg Pritchard, an exceptional law firm content marketing strategist for leading law firms, repeatedly says that “clients want more from their law firms than the same old conventional content.” When you take time to understand the pressing issues your clients face, create strategic and robust content around it and ensure that they receive it, you’re proactively providing valuable information and analysis to them that they don’t have time or energy to figure out for themselves that can position your firm as a trusted advisor.
Here are some ways to get started:
Ensure your firm’s lawyers are aware of the content the firm is actually sharing with clients and where. Is the firm sending out regular newsletters, LinkedIn posts, videos and/or blogs? Lawyers should know what exactly the firm is sharing, as there are many ways they can repurpose this content for their own clients.
Personalize the content. It’s likely that an article one lawyer or group of lawyers wrote is relevant to other lawyers’ clients. Work with your firm’s marketing team (or your fractional marketing team) to share the article and key points with all lawyers at the firm. Encourage them to share it with personal notes to clients, identifying any key issues that will affect them directly. Your marketing team can help your lawyers with this. “This article made me think about this issue we talked about – let’s keep our eyes on it.” This is not only thoughtful, but shows that the firm is paying close attention to their needs.
Get your clients’ feedback about what keeps them up at night and address anything important to them that you’ve missed. Does getting client feedback sound scary? It doesn’t have to be. There are a number of ways to do this informally and formally. We’ll cover that next week.
