How Even the Busiest Attorneys Make Time for Content Marketing (and Why They Should!)

You’ve got an important job. You’re helping to shape the futures, the legacies of businesses and families. There is a lot riding on your expertise. How on earth are you going to have time and energy to produce content? It might be more simple than you think. This is awesome, because it’s more essential to your online success than you can imagine.

Block Off Time

Start the first hour of every work week working on your content. Before you jump into consultations, before you prepare documents, before you do anything (besides drink your coffee), sit down in a quiet space on Monday morning and develop your brand voice through the content your firm is putting out into the world.
It’s only one hour.

If you commit yourself to spending that one hour fully concentrated on your content, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish. When you start your week this way, you’re getting the content off your plate and can move onto other things knowing that you took an important step for building your business.
It’s easy to get excited when you start a new routine; the challenge is sticking with it! When you block off a specific time and day, you’re taking the first step in setting yourself up for success.

Content Isn’t Just About Blogging

There’s a common misconception that “content” is only about blogs. This isn’t true, and in fact, content is far, far more than just your articles.
So now that you’ve decided to take one hour a week to make content a priority, you’re in the groove! It takes 20 minutes to read and schedule your two weekly blog posts. Now what?!
Well, make a video. Set the iPhone up right on your desk, hit play, and talk as if you were discussing an important topic with a nervous client.
Wow, you still have twenty minutes left? Well, hop on AVVO and answer two visitor questions. First, you’re showcasing your knowledge to qualified prospects, and second, AVVO likes attorneys that interact on their platform. Who doesn’t want a 10-star rating on their profile?

Write & Reuse

So that blog post you started with has now turned into a video. Share it! Upload it to YouTube, embed it on your site, and post it on social media. Some people don’t take the time to read blogs, but love getting their information verbally. By taking a mere 20 minutes to make a video from the content of a blog post, you’ve just doubled your content and given your following a completely new way to connect with you.
Another 20 minutes spent answering questions on AVVO is also more beneficial than you realized. If one person had this question, it’s safe to assume that others will as well, right? With a simple copy and paste, you can share your Q&A as a social media post or have a staff member rewrite it as a blog.
Every piece of content you have, whether it be a blog post or a seminar slide, can be repurposed and used again. This will help you save time and maximize the life and effectiveness of every piece of content that comes out of your office.

What Your Content Does For You

It’s no secret that your web presence is important. While a crisp, clean website with well thought out pages is necessary, it doesn’t lend credibility to your business the way that a blog post does. A blog will give insightful answers to your prospects’ burning questions, showing that you are an expert they can trust. The same goes for social media. Without this content on your blog and social media channels, you appear no different than your competitors, and that’s less than ideal.
The content your firm produces shines a light on your knowledge and experience. The videos you produce put a human face — a compassionate and understanding face — on a task that is likely daunting for many.
What you share (or don’t share) online defines your business for those who are searching for someone to trust. You can show them that you are the right attorney to help them by making a little time in your busy schedule to produce content and connect with them online.

Shauna Armitage
SEO Coach
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com