Speaker 1: 0:05

Why every lawyer needs a content plan and how to build one. Welcome back to Legal Marketing 101. Happy 2025. I'm your host, toby Rosen, and we're going to hit the ground running once again this year.

Speaker 1: 0:18

When it comes to legal marketing, one of the most overlooked but really quite essential strategies is having a clear and solid content plan. We want to think about this like preparing for a major trial Without a clear strategy, we are going to lose focus, we are going to waste resources and we're going to fall short of the goal that we have. In a trial, this is winning the trial, but when it comes to our content plan, this is generating clients. A content plan this is generating clients. A content plan, this isn't just a trendy marketing buzzword either. This is a structured approach that ensures your efforts resonate with the right audience and deliver measurable results.

Speaker 1: 0:57

And in today's digital first world, where potential clients research extensively before ever picking up the phone, your content is usually the first impression of your firm. What does your website, your blog or your social media actually say about your expertise and who you are? Is it consistently professional, is it authoritative and is it always relevant to your ideal clients, or maybe to someone who doesn't really understand what they need, could it feel scattered and outdated or just non-existent? So let's jump into this. I think you understand why it's important, but let's break down why every lawyer needs a content plan and why simply posting random content just isn't enough. A content plan is your strategic roadmap for creating, distributing and managing content in a way that aligns with your firm's goals. It's not just about throwing together a bunch of blog posts and posting every now and then on social media. This is about having a cohesive strategy that ties every piece of content that you're creating into your broader marketing objectives. We are making all of the parts of the car work together here. Imagine we're planning a cross-country road trip. Would we just jump in this car without a map and rely on our guts instinct to find out where we're going? Probably not. I mean, I might, because I'm a little weird, but most people probably wouldn't.

Speaker 1: 2:18

A content plan works exactly the same way. This ensures that we know where we're going and we know how to get there, so that we're not just wasting all this time and energy on efforts that aren't moving the needle at all. And this approach is particularly important for lawyers, because the legal profession demands precision, clarity and credibility. You guys know this. Clients are looking for experts who can solve their problems. They're not looking for generalists who are sort of unsure of what they can do for me their problems. They're not looking for generalists who are sort of unsure of what they can do for me.

Speaker 1: 2:49

A content plan allows you to showcase your knowledge in a way that builds trust and then positions you as the go-to authority in your field. We've talked about this concept before, so let's talk about why you need it. Number one is this building trust and authority. Clients trust lawyers who demonstrate expertise and empathy, and a well-executed content plan helps us address the client concerns, specifically educate these clients about legal processes and show them that we understand their unique challenges. This isn't just about marketing. This is one of the building blocks of making that connection with potential clients. And number two is that the content plan is really going to help us attract and then retain the right clients.

Speaker 1: 3:29

A strong content plan ensures we're speaking directly to the ideal client, because we've actually planned this out and by crafting content that answers their specific questions even before they come into the office, or it addresses their pain points, you're much more likely to attract clients who align with your expertise and you know we're going to keep them engaged longer term. And number three having this plan increases efficiency significantly. I know you may feel this and if you're listening to this episode, you may also be feeling this but without a plan, marketing is going to feel like a scramble. You're always going to feel like you're rushing to put out fires and create some content on the fly, with barely any time to prepare. A content plan is going to help us streamline this process. This allows us to focus on the high-value topics, the formats of content that make the most impact, and bifurcate our schedule so that we can actually be efficient when it comes to working on content. We're not just doing this at night after putting the kids to bed. Number four is we're improving ROI.

Speaker 1: 4:25

Every lawyer, every business person really, they all want to see better results from their marketing efforts, and I want to see it too, whether this is more leads, better engagement, better client retention, whatever it is. A content plan helps us ensure that we're not just wasting time and money on any marketing tactic we can think of. This is going to help us track our performance, because we know what our baseline should be, and this is going to help us refine our approach and ultimately maximize our return on investment. Because, when it's done right, a content plan is not just a guide or a marketing tool. It is a significant business growth strategy. This is a blueprint for showcasing our expertise, reaching the right clients at the right time and then ultimately building this practice and this marketing engine that thrives in the digital world. So now that we really deeply understand why content planning is critical and what the big advantages are, let's dive into the nuts and bolts.

Speaker 1: 5:18

What makes a great content plan actually great for lawyers? Because it's not about reinventing the wheel or overloading ourselves with tasks. It's about focusing on these five key elements that will help guide our efforts and keep our marketing aligned with our firm's overall goals. So, first and foremost, we need to define our goals. What are we hoping to achieve with our content or, more broadly, with our marketing? Are we just trying to generate more leads, or are we specifically trying to establish ourselves as an authority in a particular niche? Maybe we want to educate clients about a particular legal process we handle, or maybe we're even trying to attract more top-notch talent to join the firm. Whatever the case, our content goals should be tied directly to the business objectives. So if our goal is lead gen, we're going to focus on creating blog posts that answer common legal questions, or downloadable guides, or videos that go on YouTube, all of which we want to provide real value to our audience. Setting these clear goals ensures that our content has purpose and direction, and often this helps us stay on task too.

Speaker 1: 6:25

But once these goals are defined, the next step is that we need to know our audience. I know we've talked about this a lot in the past, but it's really important, and this goes beyond just saying, hey, my audience is people who need a lawyer, because if you tell me that, I won't work with you. You need to get specific here. Think about who your ideal clients are. Are they small business owners facing legal disputes? Are here. Think about who your ideal clients are. Are they small business owners facing legal disputes? Are they individuals who are going through a divorce? Are they individuals who are going through a divorce that have houses, versus individuals going through a divorce that don't have houses? Are these families planning their estates? Whatever it is, each of these groups has unique concerns and questions, and while they may be similar, our content can specifically address each of those concerns and questions directly. So, for example, if we're targeting these small business owners, we could create articles or videos about navigating contract disputes or even just understanding local business regulations. If you're in a state that has a lot of regulations for a particular type of business. When you tailor your content to your audience's specific needs, you can create a list of the things that you want to do. You're not just providing them with information, you're building trust and connecting with that potential client.

Speaker 1: 7:32

Now let's shift gears and let's talk about content formats. I've gone through a bunch of different content formats here and the reality is gone are the days when a static blog post was our only option. We've got a billion options for content. Today. This really means, you know, our options are as diverse as our, and our audience is going to be on a diverse set of platforms. And blogs are still fantastic. They're good for SEO, they're good for detailed explanations and personally, I do like putting these more as evergreen content pages. But these can work.

Speaker 1: 8:01

And the other thing we've been introduced to is video. Whether it's short video or long video, these video snippets can bring a really human touch to the brand, especially right now, when a lot of people are starting to use AI for their videos. Being in your video is a huge advantage. Then we've got things like FAQs that can address quick, pressing concerns, and newsletters that help us stay top of mind with current or potential clients. Case studies that can be reused in multiple areas that are showcasing our expertise with real-world examples.

Speaker 1: 8:31

The key here is to match the format to your audience's preferences, and I know I've just rattled off 15 different types of content, but you need to do some research to figure out where your audience is and where they're going to engage with you. So if your audience is mostly on social media, then short, engaging videos and a few photos might be the way to go, but if they're business clients and they're more likely to read in-depth material, then focus on those blogs or free white papers or downloadable items that your potential clients can feel like they're getting something for free. Of course, even the best content is useless, though, if no one sees it, which is why you need to plan these channels carefully. How you're going to distribute the content is arguably more important than the content itself, so when we're thinking about what format our content is going to be in, this usually is going to dictate some of where we're going to be able to distribute our content, but when we're thinking about our distribution planning, we do need to be really aware of where our audience spends their time online. So social media platforms like LinkedIn these can be really valuable for networking with other professionals, while Facebook, instagram, tiktok they might be better for connecting with just regular people, individuals in your community.

Speaker 1: 9:43

Email marketing is great too. This allows us to nurture relationships over time and it's direct. It's not something that someone is going to feel like is public, it's going to feel personal. And on top of this, a well-optimized website linked frequently within those emails ensures that our content is discoverable through search engines and something that users can use as an additional resource to whatever content we're sending them. And then let's not forget YouTube and TikTok. Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world. This makes it an absolutely prime spot for video content. I mean, it's really a good spot for any content, but you know it's YouTube, it's mostly video.

Speaker 1: 10:19

But the trick here I know like, with the types of content and the distribution, there's a million options and that can feel overwhelming. But the trick here is to focus your efforts on the platforms that matter most to your audience and not spread yourself too thin. You don't need to have a Twitter account and a TikTok account and an Instagram account and a Facebook account and a Yelp account and a Tumblr account. You don't need to have all of them if you can't work with all of them. If you have some that you can actually apply yourself to use those, but if you can't make the other accounts seem like they've got something going on, it may be better to just not create the account Now.

Speaker 1: 10:56

Finally and this is a really big one, this is super important when it comes to content planning, you need to stick to a consistent schedule. Consistency is really key when it comes to building trust and visibility with your audience. Imagine if a potential client visit your blog and they see that your last post was from two years ago. That's not really confidence inspiring. When you're posting once a week or twice a month or even daily, the schedule is going to look a lot nicer, let's say, and the important thing here is to do something that's realistic. If you think you can write once a week or twice a week, try it out, but you're probably not going to be able to produce an article every single day. I know it feels like something that might be easy and you could take 30 minutes or an hour and do it, but I've been there and I've seen it go poorly.

Speaker 1: 11:43

A well-written blog post or a thoughtful video shared on a regular basis will always, always, always outperform a flood of rushed, low-value content. And when you put all these elements together the clear goals, a deep understanding of your audience, the right format, smart distribution and that consistent schedule which oh, I forgot the algorithm also likes that that's one of the most important things. But when you put all these elements together, you have the foundation of a content plan that isn't just going to drive results, but it's also going to simplify your marketing efforts and simplify your life. It's not about doing more. It's about doing what works and doing it well.

Speaker 1: 12:22

Now that we've explored the key elements of a successful content plan, let's roll up our sleeves and get into the how. Building a content plan doesn't have to be overwhelming, and with this step-by-step approach, we're going to go from feeling scattered to having a clear, actionable roadmap for our legal marketing. So let's start with the foundation. Step one conducting a content audit. Before you can move forward, you kind of need to know where you stand. The content audit is kind of like a checkup for your firm's marketing materials. So we're reviewing the website, social media posts, blog articles and basically any other content we've published. What's working, what's falling flat and what gaps exist where clients might need answers but aren't finding them in our current content. So if we're an estate planning attorney, we notice our blog has plenty of articles on wills but nothing on trusts. That's an opportunity to fill a gap and similarly, we can identify our strengths. If we have content that outperforms, then we could work with that content to be repurposed or expanded upon so that we can get a little bit more of that content juice.

Speaker 1: 13:25

And with a clear picture of our current content, we're then going to move on to step two brainstorming some content ideas, and this is where the creativity stuff meets strategy and I know creativity not lawyers' favorite words, but let's pretend for a second that we're good at this. So let's think about the questions that our clients ask the most. What legal changes are making headlines in our practice area? What success stories can we share that showcase our expertise and our unique approach? Our goal here is to create a list of topics that are addressing client concerns and highlighting our strengths, and then all of this is going to position us as a trusted authority, and I'll say, if you don't already have them on your website, don't overlook FAQs, those frequently asked questions sections. These short, focused answers to common questions can be incredibly effective, especially for clients in the early stages of their legal journey, but also when it comes to Google, and I know that's ultimately one of our big goals here, even though we're not really talking about it.

Speaker 1: 14:22

Now, once we've got all of our ideas, we're moving on to step three, and this is creating our editorial calendar. This is all about turning these ideas into action. An editorial calendar helps us organize our topics, our formats and our deadlines, so we're not scrambling to create content at the last minute. So we start by plotting out our high priority topics and then we assign them to specific weeks or months and we can leave some room for flexibility. If a major legal change happens, you probably want to adjust your schedule to address it a little bit faster. A calendar isn't going to just keep us on track, but it's also going to help us see the big picture. This makes sure we're balanced in what we're publishing. Everything we're doing is aligned with our goals and we're not sort of rushing through things haphazardly, but again, a plan is only as good as its execution, which brings us to step four, one of my favorites, and that's tracking performance.

Speaker 1: 15:16

So how do you know if your content is working? Metrics like our website traffic, our social media engagement and the leads that we actually generate are going to be really valuable insights, and we can use tools like Google Analytics, our firm's CRM system or even a dedicated marketing software suite that can help us track what's resonating with the audience and what isn't so. For instance, if a blog post about divorce mediation is suddenly driving lots of traffic from organic, maybe we want to create a follow-up video and post that on YouTube or add a downloadable guide to that page so we can convert more of those users. But, on the flip side, if a piece of content isn't performing well, this is a learning opportunity. We can figure out what we need to do to tweak our approach and have the page work better.

Speaker 1: 16:02

Finally, we come to step five. This is the optimize and repeat process, and this is really what most of my day is, because content planning and marketing in general, it's not a one and done process. It's an ongoing cycle. So we're now going to use the performance data that we've gathered to refine our strategy. Are certain formats or certain topics consistently outperforming others? Then let's double down on what's working. Are there gaps, let's say in your calendar, where engagement is actually dropping off? Try experimenting with new ideas to keep your audience engaged new formats, new platforms, new types of content. This step is all about fine-tuning your efforts so that every piece of content you create is even more effective than the last.

Speaker 1: 16:46

So let's quickly illustrate this process before we go. So imagine you're a personal injury lawyer. I know most of you aren't, but let's imagine you are. So let's start by auditing your content and we're going to realize okay, maybe we haven't addressed updates to our state's car accident laws. So during our brainstorming session, we're going to decide that we'll create a blog post that explains the changes, and then we're going to have a short video summarizing the key points in that article. And then we're going to have a short video summarizing the key points in that article, and then we're going to create an infographic that we'll share on social media. Now, our editorial calendar ensures that these pieces are all published on time and promoted across our platforms, and then we track our performance and, magically, we find that, let's say, the infographic is getting more shares and more views than any of our other posts, getting more shares and more views than any of our other posts. Now, based on this insight, we might decide to create more infographics and more visual focus content for future campaigns.

Speaker 1: 17:44

Building a content plan yeah, it's going to take some effort up front, but it's one of the most impactful things you can do when it comes to growing your practice.

Speaker 1: 17:48

By following these five steps of auditing your content, brainstorming ideas, creating the calendar, tracking your performance and then optimizing as you go, you are setting yourself up for marketing success. Not only are you going to attract and retain better clients, but you're also going to save time and energy by doing my favorite thing, which is working smarter, not harder. Now we're back for 2025 with all kinds of marketing goodies on the Legal Marketing 101 podcast. So make sure you're subscribed, make sure you have turned on your notifications or whatever works on your particular podcast provider. I know we're out there on a bunch of different platforms. We're going to be coming to you every week in 2025 with really interesting marketing tips, tricks and tactics, as always. If there's anything you want to see, please feel free to reach out to me at RosenAdvertisingcom with any questions, anything you'd like to see on the show, but for today that's it for Legal Marketing 101. Check out RosenAdvertisingcom for more Thanks.