Content marketing continues to reign supreme when generating new business enquiries. For law firms who are dedicated to creating valuable online content, even small-scale efforts are achieving reasonable returns–such as offering professional advice through a blog or a well-positioned newsletter. Promoting high-quality content online gets firms noticed by right-fit clients who are searching for a solution or are ready to engage. It also boosts your online visibility, as fresh content helps your law firm’s website rank higher in search engines.

Content takes time and resources

But there are drawbacks. For many firms, consistent content creation remains a struggle and employees find it difficult to juggle their professional workload with the added responsibility of crafting pieces to attract fresh enquiries. There’s no way around it–content that actually speaks to the needs of your ideal clients takes time and resources to produce.This can be especially arduous during the holiday season.  When there are more bodies ‘out-of-office’ than in, firms feel the most pressure to cope with workload AND search for the next big contract. And that can lead to an online content drought. If you’re worried that when you switch off for the holidays so too will any new business opportunities, here are some solutions to keep your content fresh:

Liberation with automation

Schedule timeless content–otherwise known as ‘evergreen’ content, which doesn’t have an industry relevancy expiry date–to post via your website’s content management system (such as Wordpress or Joomla). Then, schedule it to release to your audience via email marketing automation platforms and your firm’s social media channels. 

Don’t let old blog posts or white papers collect dust. Give old content new life by repurposing it into a new format and promoting it while you’re away (e.g. online training series, presentation, ebook, podcast episode, or video series).

Does this smell fresh to you? 

Plan to review your website’s content strategy annually to ensure advisory content is fresh, interesting and in keeping with industry changes. While evergreen content lasts longer, weighing in on popular or newsworthy topics will help your content rank better at the time. Dedicate time to identify possible trends and talking points to make topical content easier to produce ahead of time.

Know when to outsource

Don’t be afraid to outsource your content marketing tasks. Work with an agency or specialist freelancer to help your law firm respond quickly to industry news as it unfolds e.g. Brexit updates, breakthrough legislation or new technology. An agency that’s attuned to the needs of your target audience and the industry you operate in can help you identify, and weigh-in on, interesting stories easily. This means you can afford to be more hands-off and your firm will continue to produce fresh online content and build your reputation with possible clients. Don’t let your content marketing efforts fall by the wayside when you’re on holiday. Rather than start from scratch when you return, a little preparation will help you to maintain momentum and consistency throughout the year. 

James Noble is senior partner at Propero Partners, a London-based strategic marketing consultancy for firms in legal and finance