Although the legal world is known for its somewhat glacial pace of change in business practices, the development of content marketing is something in which most legal organisations are involved, at least at some level.
The level of noise out there has risen to epidemic proportions (or perhaps one should say pandemic proportions). Standing out from the crowd is increasingly difficult, but you can do it – if you are aware of how the content market is moving.
So what are the main content marketing trends at the moment which are relevant to those of us working in legal services?
And I say relevant advisedly. Content marketing is not one size fits all. Legal professional services is a very distinct market.
This having been said, we do have to keep abreast of what our legal audience will expect as a result of what others are publishing and they may be doing themselves.
So here are the trends we should be aware of:
1. Value, value, value. What do I mean by value? I mean:
➽ Of value to your target audience. There is a tendency (not just in legal marketing) to churn material out and hope something sticks. You can avoid this by putting together a content marketing plan.
➽ Addressing values such as sustainability, social responsibility, wellness, inclusivity and diversity.
2. Quality. This is linked to value and not just confined to thought leadership pieces. Be original where you can. Don’t simply put out another case report (any barristers’ chambers listening to that one?!).
3. Personalisation. Build up connections by being empathetic – using experiences to illustrate your expertise and values in an authentic way.
4. Recorded content (video and audio). Audio is particularly big at the moment – in the US podcast listening went up 25% in 2021. There is no excuse these days not to be doing this. Gone are the days when you had to have expensive equipment and a studio. That having been said, don’t forget the quality trend mentioned above which applies to editing and producing webinars and podcasts as well as written content.
How do you keep up with the top marketing content trends?
- Be clear of your business goals.
- Know your audience.
- Write that content marketing plan NOW. For those of you looking for help on this, I will producing an article next week on how you can go about doing this. A content marketing plan will ensure you support your business goals and that there is focus. You cannot cover everything!
- Keep going back to the content marketing plan and updating it.
I often write about the fact that the legal world can be paralysed by a desire to be perfect. Do plan but don’t worry about being over-polished.
If this article resonates with you, then please do get in touch.