SEO

Why Content Marketing For Law Firms Doesn’t Have To Be Boring

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2022

Why Content Marketing For Law Firms Doesn’t Have To Be Boring

Content marking is essential to any business’s strategy to acquire new customers and build authority for the brand.

The hard part is that creating exciting and engaging content for fields in a more serious line of work can be challenging.

But, figuring out the best way to resonate and potentially inspire potential clients to reach out doesn’t need to be an arduous process.

Instead, you can take some simple steps to better your content marketing strategy.

It’s time for content marketers to reinvent the way they look at creating content for a ‘boring’ niche.

Rethinking Content Marketing For A ‘Boring’ Niche

Content marketing presents numerous opportunities to think outside the box and engage with a target audience.

While many aspects of digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) can be highly technical, web content provides a space to get creative and speak to your audience on a deeper level.

Unfortunately, this is a missed opportunity for many marketers who aim to focus on the technical gains of content marketing.

In other words, sometimes they miss the point: that content is meant to reach and resonate with your client’s audience.

The ultimate goal is to help your client make more money by creating content that brings people back to their website and entices them to contact the law firm.

The stereotype is that marketing for a “boring” niche often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Marketers expect “boring,” so they produce “boring.” This doesn’t serve your business or your clients well.

Now is the time for marketers and SEO pros to shift their perspectives on content marketing for legal firms and open their eyes to how creative content can help their clients.

Legal Content Marketing For Relational (And Technical) Gains

If you go into content marketing only thinking about the technical benefits, you only see one piece of the puzzle.

High-quality, creative, authentic, and conversion-friendly content opens the door to links and rankings and can serve your clients in many other (arguably, more important) ways.

Effective content marketing can:

Position your client as an authority in their niche.
Increase brand awareness.
Generate leads.
Drive traffic and circulation.
Encourage partnerships with other brands.
Secure speaking engagements and networking opportunities.
Drive free publicity.
Improve their social media presence.
Identify a new market.

Being mindful of these possibilities frames content marketing in a new, relatable way.

Moreover, it opens up opportunities that marketers may have been initially blind to in their strategy.

Moving Beyond The Usual KPIs

Content marketing isn’t solely about the algorithm. Instead, it’s about forming new relationships (professional, technical, or otherwise) with your clients.

That could mean creating content that:

Speaks directly to your client’s audience, increasing brand loyalty.
Secures them a spot at a prominent speaking event.
Opens up a new market for them in a typically crowded niche.

Focusing on KPIs will only get you so far. Instead, think outside the usual framework of content marketing, and you will tap into the creativity that shapes content built for relational and technical gains.

3 Ways To Get Creative With Your Legal Content Marketing

No more boring blog posts. There are many more creative ways to drive brand awareness, generate links, and land more opportunities for your legal clients.

Below are three innovative strategies for creating authentic and conversion-happy content for law firms.

1. Appeal To Each Step Of The Customer Journey

Know your audience. Rather than casting a wide net when creating content, the best route is to create pieces that relate to each step of the customer journey.

It’s crucial to research the demographics of the existing client base and followers among their online platforms and listings.

Breaking down the demographics, looking at reviews, and finding the content that was performing highly can give insight into how you address clients at each step of the customer journey.

The customer journey consists of several stages: the Discovery, Nurture, Purchase, and Retention phases. And the approach you use in your content will differ for each phase.

Ideally, you’ll be creating content that resonates with your client’s audience every step of the way.

Discovery Phase

Otherwise known as the “information gathering” phase, potential customers in this phase notice what grabs their attention and are actively looking for more information.

This can be an opportunity to create engaging, thought-provoking, or emotional content.

This content should meet the user’s intent and encourage them to take notice.

For example, if your client practices family law, you may want to create content like “3 Ways To Tell That Your Partner Is Considering A Divorce” or “To Adopt Or Not To Adopt: 3 Families Share Their Stories.”

These examples are eye-catching and niche-related but don’t overwhelm the reader with information too much information in the title.

In other words, it lets them know you understand their struggles and can speak their language.

Then, this content can be circulated in ads, social media, or online forums to get it in front of the right people.

Nurture Phase

People in the Nurture phase have already interacted with your client’s brand in some way but may not be ready to make a purchase.

Perhaps it’s not the right time, the budget isn’t there, or they need more information.

This reveals more opportunities for engagement.

This is an excellent time to conduct market research to determine what your client’s audience struggles with most and what the deciding factors are in their buying process.

Often, you’ll have to contact these people via an email list or lead generation tool. You may choose to run a remarketing ad or an email campaign.

Create content that nurtures their feelings of relatability with the brand.

Addressing the fears around cost, trustworthiness, expertise, or other concerns you uncover in your research through the content you produce can have a lasting impact.

Purchase Phase

Your leads are ready to buy, so how do you get them there? It may take a bit of coaxing.

This is where marketers generally lay on the charm – and by charm, I mean a call to action. Think about the next step the potential customer should take.

For example, include internal links they can click on to navigate to your service or contact pages. It’s also crucial that your client is available to receive questions at this time since this can be the last step before they commit.

You should also provide more in-depth, brand-neutral information. Testimonials or case studies make people feel your client’s brand is the best fit for them.

You may want to circulate content that differentiates your client from their competitors. You can do this through strategic guest posting on:

Well-positioned blog posts on other sites.
Facebook groups.
Forums.
Other places where potential clients may be interacting with the brand.

Retention Phase

So, your legal client has closed a new client – now what?

In the legal field, it may seem like once a lawyer-and-client relationship ends, it’s all over.

However, there’s always a chance that this client may need help with legal issues in the future – or could refer a friend or relative their way.

These contacts should be available via an email list or CMS for follow-up contact. That way, they can send content that maintains brand awareness and loyalty to their clients.

One option is to send an email once the engagement has ended.

This can be to thank them for their business, ask for a review, and prompt them to follow your client on social media. Then, you can run a continuous email campaign of legal tips, events, promotions, and more.

2. Create Timely, Relatable Content

We’ve all seen the trending and “click bait” articles on social media.

As annoying as they may seem, there is a lesson to be learned that can be applied to content marketing.

Users like content that is engaging, inspires an emotional response, or is controversial.

They also like to stay up-to-date on what’s going on, and by creating timely, engaging content, you can accomplish this without creating clickbait. Here’s how:

Staying On Top Of The Trends

The best way to get content in front of the right eyes is by creating timely and relatable content.

Is there a current event that’s making its rounds on social media? Offer a lawyer’s perspective of the issue.

Celebrities going through a divorce? Outline the top 10 benefits of having a prenup.

By making timely content or responding to current trends, you can be confident about creating fast circulation and shareability.

Content with a human element will ensure that it will resonate with the audience and inspire them to engage.

The right content will get them to click, think, and share. Or give your client a call.

3. Sharing Applied vs. Passive Knowledge

The way users engage with content is constantly changing.

People are increasingly looking for content that entertains them, gets them thinking, or makes them feel warm and fuzzy.

The legal niche is especially guilty of creating passive content that informs its audience about a topic. While this can be good for SEO, it’s not particularly good for conversions.

Creating content based on applied knowledge is different. It usually:

Inspires.
Teaches.
Understands.
Helps.

For instance, a blog post titled “3 Things That Happen When You Get A DUI” serves to inform.

However, a better piece of content for inspiring users to convert may be “Got A DUI? Here’s What You Need To Know.”

This content may outline what the user should do for a DUI case, such as hiring an attorney or tips for overcoming the embarrassment of a DUI.

Pieces like this can help accomplish several goals at once. This can encourage potential clients to trust the law firm and see them as empathetic while informing them of the steps they need to take.

The Power Is In Their Hands

This kind of content is excellent for honing in on a particular audience rather than simply meeting the search queries of those looking for more information about DUIs.

There is also potential to incorporate interesting tools, charts, and infographics to increase engagement. Incorporating visually appealing graphics can help break up content and better engage the reader.

What’s important here is not to overwhelm readers with too much information at once. If you find a piece has too much info, feel free to break it into a series of posts.

When you offer practical knowledge, you give readers autonomy and put the freedom of choice in their hands.

In addition, they will trust you as the expert because you provide valuable information but won’t feel pressured by a hard sell.

Final Takeaways

Law firms have much to gain from content marketing, such as attracting new clients, getting more website traffic, and building themselves as an authority for legal advice in their communities.

By thinking about the customer journey and shifting to creating content that will resonate with their target audience, content marketers can turn around the way legal firms engage with clients.

Producing high-quality, well-researched, interesting content will help firms meet their goals and create valuable pieces to promote across multiple platforms.

When marketers shift to timely topics and content that people can relate to, they will see better results that will interest people and help their SEO presence.

More Resources:

Featured Image: Africa Studio/Shutterstock

Related Topics:Boring Content Doesnt firms law Marketing seo

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SEO

Google Further Postpones Third-Party Cookie Deprecation In Chrome

Published

1 hour ago

April 25, 2024

Max

Close-up of a document with a grid and a red stamp that reads "delayed" over the word "status" due to Chrome's deprecation of third-party cookies.

Google has again delayed its plan to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome web browser. The latest postponement comes after ongoing challenges in reconciling feedback from industry stakeholders and regulators.

The announcement was made in Google and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) joint quarterly report on the Privacy Sandbox initiative, scheduled for release on April 26.

Chrome’s Third-Party Cookie Phaseout Pushed To 2025

Google states it “will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4” this year as planned.

Instead, the tech giant aims to begin deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome “starting early next year,” assuming an agreement can be reached with the CMA and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The statement reads:

“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence, including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June.”

Continued Engagement With Regulators

Google reiterated its commitment to “engaging closely with the CMA and ICO” throughout the process and hopes to conclude discussions this year.

This marks the third delay to Google’s plan to deprecate third-party cookies, initially aiming for a Q3 2023 phaseout before pushing it back to late 2024.

The postponements reflect the challenges in transitioning away from cross-site user tracking while balancing privacy and advertiser interests.

Transition Period & Impact

In January, Chrome began restricting third-party cookie access for 1% of users globally. This percentage was expected to gradually increase until 100% of users were covered by Q3 2024.

However, the latest delay gives websites and services more time to migrate away from third-party cookie dependencies through Google’s limited “deprecation trials” program.

The trials offer temporary cookie access extensions until December 27, 2024, for non-advertising use cases that can demonstrate direct user impact and functional breakage.

While easing the transition, the trials have strict eligibility rules. Advertising-related services are ineligible, and origins matching known ad-related domains are rejected.

Google states the program aims to address functional issues rather than relieve general data collection inconveniences.

Publisher & Advertiser Implications

The repeated delays highlight the potential disruption for digital publishers and advertisers relying on third-party cookie tracking.

Industry groups have raised concerns that restricting cross-site tracking could push websites toward more opaque privacy-invasive practices.

However, privacy advocates view the phaseout as crucial in preventing covert user profiling across the web.

With the latest postponement, all parties have more time to prepare for the eventual loss of third-party cookies and adopt Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox APIs as replacements.

Featured Image: Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock

SEO

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

Published

21 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Max

How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results

ChatGPT is a game changer in the field of SEO. This powerful language model can generate human-like content, making it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals.

However, the prompts you provide largely determine the quality of the output.

To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and create content that resonates with your audience and search engines, writing effective prompts is crucial.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the art of writing prompts for ChatGPT, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced strategies for layering prompts and generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content.

Writing Prompts For ChatGPT

What Is A ChatGPT Prompt?

A ChatGPT prompt is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to.

The prompt can be a question, statement, or any other stimulus to spark creativity, reflection, or engagement.

Users can use the prompt to generate ideas, share their thoughts, or start a conversation.

ChatGPT prompts are designed to be open-ended and can be customized based on the user’s preferences and interests.

How To Write Prompts For ChatGPT

Start by giving ChatGPT a writing prompt, such as, “Write a short story about a person who discovers they have a superpower.”

ChatGPT will then generate a response based on your prompt. Depending on the prompt’s complexity and the level of detail you requested, the answer may be a few sentences or several paragraphs long.

Use the ChatGPT-generated response as a starting point for your writing. You can take the ideas and concepts presented in the answer and expand upon them, adding your own unique spin to the story.

If you want to generate additional ideas, try asking ChatGPT follow-up questions related to your original prompt.

For example, you could ask, “What challenges might the person face in exploring their newfound superpower?” Or, “How might the person’s relationships with others be affected by their superpower?”

Remember that ChatGPT’s answers are generated by artificial intelligence and may not always be perfect or exactly what you want.

However, they can still be a great source of inspiration and help you start writing.

Must-Have GPTs Assistant

I recommend installing the WebBrowser Assistant created by the OpenAI Team. This tool allows you to add relevant Bing results to your ChatGPT prompts.

This assistant adds the first web results to your ChatGPT prompts for more accurate and up-to-date conversations.

It is very easy to install in only two clicks. (Click on Start Chat.)

Screenshot from ChatGPT, April 2024

For example, if I ask, “Who is Vincent Terrasi?,” ChatGPT has no answer.

With WebBrower Assistant, the assistant creates a new prompt with the first Bing results, and now ChatGPT knows who Vincent Terrasi is.

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

You can test other GPT assistants available in the GPTs search engine if you want to use Google results.

Master Reverse Prompt Engineering

ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for reverse engineering prompts because it generates natural and engaging responses to any given input.

By analyzing the prompts generated by ChatGPT, it is possible to gain insight into the model’s underlying thought processes and decision-making strategies.

One key benefit of using ChatGPT to reverse engineer prompts is that the model is highly transparent in its decision-making.

This means that the reasoning and logic behind each response can be traced, making it easier to understand how the model arrives at its conclusions.

Once you’ve done this a few times for different types of content, you’ll gain insight into crafting more effective prompts.

Prepare Your ChatGPT For Generating Prompts

First, activate the reverse prompt engineering.

Type the following prompt: “Enable Reverse Prompt Engineering? By Reverse Prompt Engineering I mean creating a prompt from a given text.”

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

ChatGPT is now ready to generate your prompt. You can test the product description in a new chatbot session and evaluate the generated prompt.

Type: “Create a very technical reverse prompt engineering template for a product description about iPhone 11.”

Reverse Prompt engineering via WebChatGPT

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

The result is amazing. You can test with a full text that you want to reproduce. Here is an example of a prompt for selling a Kindle on Amazon.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {product), capture the writing style and the length of the text :
product =”

Reverse prompt engineering: Amazon product

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

I tested it on an SEJ blog post. Enjoy the analysis – it is excellent.

Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {text}, capture the tone and writing style of the {text} to include in the prompt :
text = all text coming from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bard-training-data/478941/”

Reverse prompt engineering an SEJ blog post

Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023

But be careful not to use ChatGPT to generate your texts. It is just a personal assistant.

Go Deeper

Prompts and examples for SEO:

Keyword research and content ideas prompt: “Provide a list of 20 long-tail keyword ideas related to ‘local SEO strategies’ along with brief content topic descriptions for each keyword.”
Optimizing content for featured snippets prompt: “Write a 40-50 word paragraph optimized for the query ‘what is the featured snippet in Google search’ that could potentially earn the featured snippet.”
Creating meta descriptions prompt: “Draft a compelling meta description for the following blog post title: ’10 Technical SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2024′.”

Important Considerations:

Always Fact-Check: While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it’s crucial to remember that it may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Always verify any facts, statistics, or quotes generated by ChatGPT before incorporating them into your content.
Maintain Control and Creativity: Use ChatGPT as a tool to assist your writing, not replace it. Don’t rely on it to do your thinking or create content from scratch. Your unique perspective and creativity are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content.
Iteration is Key: Refine and revise the outputs generated by ChatGPT to ensure they align with your voice, style, and intended message.

Additional Prompts for Rewording and SEO:
– Rewrite this sentence to be more concise and impactful.
– Suggest alternative phrasing for this section to improve clarity.
– Identify opportunities to incorporate relevant internal and external links.
– Analyze the keyword density and suggest improvements for better SEO.

Remember, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool, it’s essential to use it responsibly and maintain control over your content creation process.

Experiment And Refine Your Prompting Techniques

Writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is an essential skill for any SEO professional who wants to harness the power of AI-generated content.

Hopefully, the insights and examples shared in this article can inspire you and help guide you to crafting stronger prompts that yield high-quality content.

Remember to experiment with layering prompts, iterating on the output, and continually refining your prompting techniques.

This will help you stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of SEO.

More resources:

Featured Image: Tapati Rinchumrus/Shutterstock

SEO

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Max

Measuring Content Impact Across The Customer Journey

Understanding the impact of your content at every touchpoint of the customer journey is essential – but that’s easier said than done. From attracting potential leads to nurturing them into loyal customers, there are many touchpoints to look into.

So how do you identify and take advantage of these opportunities for growth?

Watch this on-demand webinar and learn a comprehensive approach for measuring the value of your content initiatives, so you can optimize resource allocation for maximum impact.

You’ll learn:

Fresh methods for measuring your content’s impact.
Fascinating insights using first-touch attribution, and how it differs from the usual last-touch perspective.
Ways to persuade decision-makers to invest in more content by showcasing its value convincingly.

With Bill Franklin and Oliver Tani of DAC Group, we unravel the nuances of attribution modeling, emphasizing the significance of layering first-touch and last-touch attribution within your measurement strategy.

Check out these insights to help you craft compelling content tailored to each stage, using an approach rooted in first-hand experience to ensure your content resonates.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or new to content measurement, this webinar promises valuable insights and actionable tactics to elevate your SEO game and optimize your content initiatives for success.

View the slides below or check out the full webinar for all the details.