Despite numerous predictions over the years that the death of email is upon us, research conducted by Swinburne University shows that it still gives social media a run for its money as the chosen platform for personal communication. Almost 50% of Australians check their emails at least every hour. That’s a massive opportunity to gain exposure for your law firm practice and to communicate with your customers through a regular e-newsletter.
Besides being an effective communication tool, e-newsletters have proven valuable in growing businesses too. So if you’re sitting on the fence as to whether the reward is worth the effort, consider the below benefits that your law firm could profit from.
Remain Connected to Your Customers
Your customers have signed up or chosen to remain on your mailing list for a reason. Firstly, because they trust and value your legal practice and secondly because they want to receive informative information from you. Your law firm e-newsletter is an opportunity to maintain a personable and professional relationship with your customers, whilst providing them with interesting content.
Increase Traffic to Your Law Firm Website
Driving targeted traffic to your website has tremendous Search Engine Optimisation benefits in that it improves your search engine rankings because of increased visitor numbers and the time they spend on your website. Your e-newsletter plays a significant role in assisting your SEO efforts as you invite your e-newsletter readers to visit your law firm website for further information on relevant topics, videos, consultations, events etc.
Grow Your Social Media Following
Social media channels should form an integral role in your marketing strategy. As such, your e-newsletter is an effective means of growing your social media following.
A simple approach is to invite your readers to connect with you on your social media platforms for regular up-to-date legal news. Another approach is to begin a conversation with your customers on a particular topic in your e-newsletter, then conclude by encouraging them to visit your social media channel to engage in responses by other customers on the topic. In this case, you would need to choose those pieces of content that have gained sufficient interest and engagement, making their visit worthwhile.
Strengthen Trust and Credibility
e-Newsletters are ideal for showcasing your law firm’s knowledge and provide the opportunity to share your proficiency and insight with your customers – thereby continually building trust and credibility as experts in your field.
Gain the Mind Share of Your Customers
The purpose of your e-newsletter is to connect with your customers, such that when they are ready to purchase a legal service, they look to your law firm to offer it.
To ensure you build long-term relationships with your customers, be sure to mix your sales related messages with value-adding content that your audience resonates with. Your e-newsletter offers the opportunity to highlight your law firm services (relevant to the content of the newsletter) and details the benefits of dealing with your legal practice. You could even consider offering the occasional “subscribers promotional discount” on a particular service if they respond within a given time. This will give your readers a sense of being valued as a subscriber to your law firm e-newsletter. It’s common knowledge that growing your business by increasing revenue and referrals from existing customers is far more cost effective than pursuing new customers.
Uncover the Interests of Your Subscribers
Since your subscribers want to hear from you, there’s typically a stronger probability of them engaging with you regarding the content you include in your e-newsletter. Link back to a related blog post or Facebook post and invite your readers to comment or share their views.
Such communication often provides valuable insight into the needs and interests of your customers. Surveys are another great tactic that e-newsletters lend themselves very well to. Ask your customers questions such that their answers reveal interests, possible new business ideas or perhaps other valuable content to write about.
Increase the Lifetime Value of Your Customers
As our lives unfold the need for various legal services along the way may become apparent. By engaging with your customers regularly through an e-newsletter you can potentially increase the lifetime value of existing customers, such that when the need for a legal service arises, your customers return to your legal practice for assistance. Repeat business is typically a function of trust, which is what e-newsletters allow you to continuously build with your customers.
Whilst the primary intent of an e-newsletter is to engage and nurture your subscribers with relevant information, it is also a very cost effective way to put a spotlight on the legal services your firm offers and to grow your practice.
If your law firm is already benefiting from the advantages mentioned above, then you are already on the path to greater exposure and success. However, if you aren’t taking advantage of the benefits of an e-newsletter, there’s no better time than now to start.
About the author
Peter Heazlewood
Peter Heazlewood is a management and marketing consultant, he specialises in helping law firms develop their practices using business planning marketing and performance reporting techniques refined in his own successful law firm. Peter lives in Sydney with his wife and is the father of five adult children.
