It’s not enough to just create content or put out ads. Each piece needs to be geared toward a stage in The Law Firm Marketing Funnel.
Understanding how content matches stages in someone's journey helps you gain leads. This approach works by focusing on what’s frustrating them and how you can help. Not only do you solve problems, but you also do so in an organic and helpful way.
We’re going to explore how marketing funnels work and which content works best for each stage. Matching up marketing material to the funnel gives you more opportunities to connect with leads.
Overview of the Marketing Funnel
The marketing funnel charts a person’s journey from being unaware of your services to becoming a new client.
The marketing funnel comprises four stages:
- Awareness
- Evaluation
- Conversion
- Advocacy
The awareness, evaluation, and conversion stages are often referred to as the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel, respectively.
When you reach people at different stages of the funnel, you stand a better chance of nurturing leads into clients. Understanding the client’s journey can make for more effective law firm content marketing.
Top of Funnel: Awareness
Top-of-funnel marketing is for people who don’t know they have a problem or don’t know about your firm. They’re operating on limited knowledge and need a starting point.
One example of a lead in the awareness stage is someone who hasn’t been injured. They don’t have a problem and don’t know your firm. However, they could have a problem down the road requiring your expertise. You could use content, such as entertaining social posts, to stay top of mind with people in this stage.
Another example of awareness is a person who was recently injured in a truck accident. They already have a problem and know they need help. They may not know about your firm or the unique benefits you offer. Your content could be a blog post on whether to contact an insurance company or law firm first.
Top of Funnel Ideas
Social Media Posts
Social media posts are a solid approach for lawyers to meet leads where they’re often active. Brief posts help them realize they have a problem and encourage them to seek information.
Morgan & Morgan maintains an active Twitter feed overflowing with fresh posts. Below is an example of raising awareness with bold messages.
Video
Video is great for multiple stages, but awareness videos take on their own flavor. These are extra effective when they’re straightforward and directly answer questions.
Here Dolman Law uses its TikTok account to answer direct questions or common search queries.
Blog Posts
Blogging can work well for addressing top-of-funnel questions. And it's key to reaping the benefits of SEO for law firms. Scrolling through a blog is a straightforward way for leads to learn more about a topic.
In the example above, Dolman Law Group uses its blog to answer a common top-of-funnel question.
Middle of Funnel: Evaluation
Middle of funnel is where your potential client is aware of a problem and needs a solution.
Since your lead already knows they have a problem, they need more detail. The evaluation stage content tends to be more in-depth than in the awareness stage.
To follow from the awareness stage example, a lead who was in a truck accident will want more evidence of how you can help them. They could seek out more content from your firm to learn about your services or your expertise.
One example of relevant content could be a list of past settlement amounts. Reading how much they could potentially receive could convince them to hire an attorney.
Middle of Funnel Ideas
Blog Posts
Blogging is great for the middle-of-funnel stage. These posts can be longer to better explore complex topics.
In the example above, attorney David Bryant uses his blog to capture middle-of-funnel attention. People who experience chest pain after a car accident may search for advice about their symptoms. They may not be looking for a lawyer yet, but they are looking for some kind of help.
This presents an opportunity to give people the advice they need while also explaining the benefits of hiring an attorney.
Infographics
You can repurpose infographics in other funnel stages, but these are most common in the evaluation stage.
This type of content boosts information retention with relevant imagery while providing stats or quick advice.
E-Books
E-books are great resources for people who want to take their time evaluating a firm. These books can come in different lengths or formats depending on the need you’re meeting.
For example, a shorter e-book could be useful for leads that are quicker to make a decision. They may want to review this material once or twice before being converted. A longer e-book could be more useful for people who prefer to take their time with the research phase.
You can repurpose blog posts, podcasts, or video content into e-books. Repurposing saves you time making more content. It also gives your leads different ways of accessing the same information.
For example, Miley Legal offers free e-books that educate the reader on legal topics. These resources empower leads to make confident decisions.
Bottom of Funnel: Conversion
People at the bottom of the funnel are ready to hire you or at least contact you for an initial consultation.
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing should lay out why someone should choose you. They've already passed through the earlier funnel stages, so they know what lawyers do. They understand the value of hiring an attorney. What they need now is a reason for picking you.
You can encourage these people to choose you by:
- Using testimonials and reviews as social proof
- Making it clear exactly how you can help them
- Making it easy for them to get in touch with you
Bottom of Funnel Ideas
Service Pages
People at the bottom of the funnel already know how lawyers help people in general. They want to know how you can help them specifically.
One of the best ways to do this is by creating service pages that explain who you serve and how your process works. You can do this for each of your practice areas and each location you serve.
For instance, a car accident lawyer in Miami may have pages targeting each of these keywords:
- <span class="inline-code">Car Accident Lawyer</span>
- <span class="inline-code">Miami Personal Injury Lawyer</span>
- <span class="inline-code">Miami Car Accident Lawyer</span>
Each service page should show the value of working with you. They should also make it easy for the reader to reach you by including a form that they can use to contact you.
Testimonials and Case Results
Another way to capture the attention of bottom-of-funnel prospects is with case studies. These draw on the experiences of former clients to create powerful social proof.
Testimonials allow prospects to hear about your services from someone who was in their shoes. Instead of hearing about your process from you, they get evidence from someone they can identify with.
The Advocacy Stage
Your law firm marketing funnel will work even better with happy clients helping you. After someone has exited your funnel, they may become an advocate for your services.
Just because advocates are no longer in your funnel doesn’t mean you can’t create content for them, though.
Content for advocates keeps them invested in your firm. By staying top of mind with them, they may be more likely to remember and refer you to others. If you want to create content for advocates, consider email newsletters.
Email newsletters can be useful for people who want to keep up with the firm in case they need help. This content doesn’t work well for any stage other than Advocacy.
Signing up for a newsletter is a commitment. Your client needs to have a happy experience before they dedicate even more time to you.
Refining Your Law Firm Marketing Funnel Means More Leads
The law firm marketing funnel is a useful tool for mapping your marketing material to your potential client’s needs. When you market to people at different funnel stages, you nurture leads from being unaware of your services to becoming new cases.
If you're ready to take your law firm marketing to the next level, contact the experts at Rankings.io. We know what it takes to make personal injury lawyers succeed in a competitive marketplace.
