Professional content writer Michelle Troutman explains how blog posts and e-newsletters can help propel your online law marketing efforts
Michelle Troutman* Email newsletters are often touted as a retro marketing method that’s trendy again. But for law firms who use them to get leads successfully, they will always be in style.
An American Bar Association (ABA) survey shows that since the COVID-19 pandemic, more law firms have been sending email newsletters, yet only five percent of solo firms reportedly do so.
Research by call tracking software maker CallRail reveals that most firms agree that email is the best way to get in touch with unconverted leads. Based on my experience with clients and comments from law firms, e-newsletters can remind past and potential customers to get in touch, which sometimes results in more business.
How Email Newsletters Promote Law Firms Effectively
- They’re a form of cheap or free advertising that offers a potentially high return on investment (ROI) compared to other marketing methods. Outsourcing newsletter creation may boost your ROI.
- They’re a form of repeat advertising, through regular issues or automated campaigns that can yield returns over time. An email you dash off and send once might generate few opens or clicks. Even if someone doesn’t read every email you send, the more often you appear in their inbox, the more likely you are to stay top-of-mind.
- Users may easily access data to measure their marketing efforts. Many email marketing platforms will show how many people opened your emails and clicked on the links in them, known as the click-through rate. Heat maps and click maps reveal where people looked or clicked to show the most engaging parts of a message. You can also see how many emails were delivered successfully. This data gives you control over your marketing, so you can adjust your strategy for better results. You may also segment subscribers to send messages to certain groups, such as by existing clients or by practice specialty.
E-newsletters also don’t have to be time-consuming. Law firm newsletters are often short and sweet. Regular content, such as your latest blog post, firm news, or updates in your field, saves time. Many firms use an email marketing platform to automate the creation and sending and track the results.
Popular Platforms for Automating Law Firm Newsletters
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These providers offer attractive, adaptable, and responsive templates to get you started quickly and easily. They include access to graphics editors and the ability to post the email simultaneously to social media.
They also let you create not just newsletters, but automated drip campaigns, a series of scheduled emails sent to a certain audience. You may also add sign-up forms to a website and surveys to your messages. And you can access data metrics and customer support.
- Constant Contact – Their base plan for 0-500 subscribers, perfect for e-newsletter newbies, is $9.99 (US) per month. The cost of their other plans is based on the number of your subscribers.
- MailChimp – For lists of 500 or fewer subscribers and 2,500 or fewer emails sent monthly (with a daily limit of 500), the service is free. Pricing for their other plans is also based on the amount of subscribers and emails sent per month.
- Other providers, such as Industry Newsletters, don’t just let you create and send e-newsletters, they also offer graphics and content for them. Industry Newsletters caters mainly to trust and estate planning law firms, however, they’re open to working with other industries. You can schedule a demo or get a custom price quote.
The ABA has also reported that 86 percent of law firms fail to collect a potential client’s email address. If yours is among them, you’re missing an opportunity to send a follow-up message. Every chance to get a new lead counts.
Email newsletters are a convenient way to attract and communicate with customers, making your firm look up-to-date and responsive. If you don’t have a newsletter, try creating one for six months and see where it leads. The results could surprise you.
Bio:
Michelle Troutman of Classy Writing specializes in creating e-newsletters and ghostwriting blog posts for law firms and other professional services firms. Follow her @Classy_Writing or on LinkedIn.
