The world in which we live has dramatically changed overnight. Your clients need you more than ever. They’re confused and anxious and wondering how the Coronavirus pandemic will affect their business and operations. This is not the time to act like business as usual or worse, to go silent on them.
One of the best ways to provide your clients and other interested parties with helpful advice is through content marketing – whether written or visual – to help them navigate this tumultuous time.
Generating and disseminating compelling content builds awareness and positions you as a subject-matter expert. Now while it may not lead to direct new business right awa, although it often does, it also helps to build your brand and stature. Every piece of content you write makes its way into Google, so when someone searches you, a list of your articles will appear. Better yet, if you use the right topical keywords in your content, it will help you become discovered in your area.
Law firms should use content – client alerts, white papers, podcasts, online resource tools and webinars -to help their clients in times of need, including right now as we navigate a global virus where many people will need to work from home or stay home for an extended period of time.
When developing content, answer the question, “How will the coronavirus will affect X…” or “What you need to know about X.” I’m confident nearly every practice area and industry can find a helpful way to tie this to the current pandemic. Think of the value you can provide to your clients and others who are looking for information online – many of your clients are waiting for you to inform them of how this crisis will affect their business.
Why should you publish an alert if a number of other firms have already done so on the same topic? Because your clients expect to hear from you and they want to. If you don’t write on a topic such as this, they will think either you don’t consider it important or you have nothing of value to say. They want to read alerts from you because they consider your advice important and useful.
I recommend that you push out content quickly than to wait and perfect it – good is often good enough when it comes to timely information like this. Look to see what your competitors are publishing, and do it better. Also, it’s important to strike the right balance between informing your client base about important developments in the law that may impact their businesses due to the coronavirus while not being boastful or too salesy.
This is the time to have an active presence on social media. Connect with individuals on LinkedIn by sharing content and engaging with other’s content. When developing content, be generous and reference others. Quote and cite their articles, mention them on social media and engage with them. Also, like and share others’ content – this will enable you to create stronger relationships.
Clients want to hire lawyers who understand and empathize with them – especially right now. Your goal through content and everything else you do is to effectively communicate that you understand their pain points and can help navigate them. Understanding, helpfulness and empathy are your greatest tools right now – those qualities will put you in a position to showcase your expertise and put you top of mind in a crowded market.