If you meet with a prospective client, or even an existing client, and tell them what you know about a given subject, offering information and advice about that subject, some lawyers and so-called marketing experts will tell you you’re being foolish. Your knowledge and opinions are your work product, they say, and you should never give that away; you should be paid for it.
There are others, myself included, who tell you just the opposite. If you do it he right way.
“Give away lots of information,” we tell you. “Share your knowledge and ideas liberally, because education-based marketing is extremely effective at showing people what you do and how you can help them, and if you do it right, it can be some of the most profitable marketing you do.
But first, it depends on your practice area and services.
If you handle plaintiffs’ personal injury, for example, free consultations convert to new clients often enough to make it worthwhile, which is why most lawyers in that area offer them. With other practice areas, it can be a different story, because it takes time to speak with prospective clients and indeed, time is our most precious commodity.
The thing is, many lawyers refuse to use content marketing because creating content also takes time.
What they don’t realize is that that while speaking with invididual prospects can be a costly use of your time and might not provide a sufficient return on your time, spending the same amount of time creating content is usually differeent, because content scales.
You might spend an hour or two writing a newsletter or creating a video or article, but unlike meeting with prospects individually, that piece of content might be seen or heard by hundreds or thousands of people, which might result in dozens of new cases or clients. Over time, and with sharing and referrals, those numbers could be even higher.
But there’s more to consider.
Many lawyers believe in the value of creating content, and do it, but don’t put a lot of effort into it. Their content tends to be generic and overly simple. Their content tends to attract less sophisticated clients or freebie-seekers, and not necessarily the best clients.
Better clients are attracted to better content.
Which is why you should give away not just any ideas but your best ideas.
Don’t hold back. It’s just information. If you give these away, you still have them and can use them again and again.
If the information is good enough, it shows clients that you’re not like other lawyers, you’re different and better, and they can see why they should hire instead of those other lawyers.
If you want to attract the best clients, give away your best ideas.
One marketing expert got it right when he said, “Be stingy with your time but generous with your ideas.”
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