You work hard on your blog or newsletter, recording videos or podcasts, or posting tips on social media. It’s good content, your target market is seeing it, but you’re not getting new clients.   

Why? 

It’s likely that while your market is seeing your content, they’re not reading or watching it. They’re busy, and you’re asking for too much of their time, so they “save” your article for later and forget about it. 

Could it be that simple? Yes. And the solution is just as simple. Create content that’s easier to consume. 

Shorter articles and posts. A few hundred words, not a few thousand. Once a week, not 3 times a day. And while you’re at it, make it interesting, not academic. Tell stories, don’t lecture. 

There’s a time and place for more comprehensive material, but when most of your material looks like “work,” you’re making it less likely anyone will want to consume it. 

And hey, don’t push so hard. 

Yes, you’re in the business of selling your services, and your readers and clients need your services and benefit from them. Asking them to call you to discuss their situation and explore their options might be precisely what they need, but if they feel like you’re chasing them, don’t be surprised if they run in the other direction. 

That doesn’t mean you should be passive. You’re a professional, an advocate, and not merely in the information delivery business. Tell your readers what they need to know, tell them what to do, and why, and tell them what might happen if they don’t. 

And then invite them to contact you to take the next step or learn more.

Content marketing isn’t difficult, but it’s still marketing.

I just got back from my daily walk. I usually listen to podcasts when I walk, and today, I listened to the aptly named “Walking is Fitness” podcast, which provides information and inspiration that helps people get started on their fitness journey and make it a habit.

That’s when I thought about you. 

No, I didn’t think about your fitness level, or lack thereof. I thought about how a podcast might be a great way for you to get more clients and increase your income. 

Hold on. I know I’ve mentioned podcasting before, and as I mention it now, I can hear you say, “I don’t have time for that,” but hear me out. Perhaps you do. 

The walking podcast is just ten minutes. The man who does it records it on his phone while he is walking. Ten minutes out in nature, talking about what he does and knows and recommends. 

Do you have ten minutes’ worth of information you can share about your work? Could you explain the law, share a war story or two, and encourage listeners to go to your blog or read your article and contact you to talk about their case? 

If you don’t have ten minutes’ worth of information, how about 5? 

You can script your message and read your script. Or jot down some bullet points and just talk. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have something valuable and helpful to share, and share it. All you need is something to say and an app to record your voice. Add the recording to one of the many free podcasting platforms and post a link on your website and on social media. 

Sounds good, you say, but how often do you have to do this? That’s up to you. You can post once or twice a week, once or twice a month, or once in a while. 

One more question. Yes, you, in the back…“Most people listen to podcasts while doing other activities, like walking or driving or at the gym. How do you get listeners from your podcast to your website?”

The answer is to give them a reason to visit—more information, a free consultation or another limited-time offer, a helpful form or checklist to download — and a shorter and easier to remember version of the URL to your website. 

But don’t worry about all of this, or any of it. As long as people are hearing your message and your name, you’re building awareness for your “brand” that will eventually lead to more traffic, more leads, and more business.

To do a good job for your clients, you don’t need to get amazing verdicts, write award-winning briefs, or win accolades for your oratory skills. You don’t need to be the best lawyer in town. You need to deliver excellent results and keep your clients happy. 

And good enough is (usually) good enough. 

The same is true for your marketing. 

Let’s use “content marketing” as an example. 

As you know, content (articles, newsletters, videos, seminars, etc.) can attract prospects, build authority, and show prospects and referral sources what you’ve done for other clients. It is very effective at showing the world what you know and how you help your clients. 

You can build a thriving practice with content marketing. 

But if you’re like many attorneys, you don’t create a lot of content because it takes time to do it well and time isn’t something you have in abundance. 

The truth is, you can create good content in less time than you might imagine. 

The simplest way to do that (other than outsourcing) is to lower your standards a bit. Just like your services, good enough is good enough. 

That means you don’t need to research and write scholarly journals or publish pages and pages of information. You can make a statement or observation, ask a question, tell an interesting story, and call it a day. A few paragraphs are enough. 

It also means that you can repeat yourself.

Take something you said a few months ago and say it again. Because there are always new people joining your list or reading your article or post that weren’t around a few months ago, and because many of the people who were around before didn’t read what you wrote, or won’t remember it. 

You can also repeat your message with different stories or take-aways, because many readers and followers previously didn’t have the problem you’re writing about and didn’t pay much attention. Now they do have that problem and will hang on your every word.  

You also don’t have to be original. You can write what other lawyers write about because few people follow or subscribe to more than one or two lawyers. 

Finally, the quality and quantity of your content isn’t nearly as important as the consistency with which you deliver it. 

To successfully market your practice with content marketing, you don’t need to write brilliant prose or a lot of it. You just need to show up regularly in the mailboxes of your target market, and thus remind them that you are still available to help them.

Doing that once a week is (more than) good enough.

Curiosity is one of the most powerful marketing strategies there is. Prospective clients want information about the law, their risks, potential costs, their options, and the best way to handle their situation. That’s why they find your website, watch your presentation, or contact you. 

Many lawyers provide that information.

They write detailed articles, liberally post FAQs, and answer as many questions as possible, thinking the more information they provide, the more likely prospective clients will be to take the next step. 

Unfortunately, it often does the opposite. Too much information often is too much information.

You should provide a basic level of information, so they can see what’s at stake and that you have the knowledge and experience to help them, but anything you do beyond that can hurt your marketing efforts. 

Marketing should ignite curiosity, not satisfy it. Tell prospective clients enough to inspire them to call or email or make an appointment, but not so much that they don’t have to. 

And don’t do what many lawyers do: tell prospective clients next to nothing. 

We’ve all seen attorney websites and ads that are merely a list of services or practice areas. That’s not enough. 

Give prospective clients enough information, examples, and stories to inspire them to take that next step.