As an entrepreneurial attorney, you already know that a well-crafted marketing strategy and marketing materials are critical to bring in new clients. But what happens after you have their attention? How do you keep their interest once you have it? If you don’t follow through by educating your prospects, about your solution and why they can’t live without it, you’re wasting an opportunity. Metaphorically speaking, those fish will bounce right out of your net and back into the water.
Understanding the Buyer’s Journey
Many lawyers don’t think of their services in this way, but you need to realize that your clients aren’t merely “hiring” you—they’re buying something from you. They are buying your expertise, time and services. Every prospect you touch follows a similar path to get to the point of buying from you—a process known as the “Buyer’s Journey.”
B2C describes the Buyer’s Journey as a three-stage process:
- The Awareness Stage—the point at which they become aware of their need and your ability to meet that need;
- The Consideration Stage—the time period where they weigh the pros and cons of buying from you; and
- The Decision Stage—the point at which they choose to buy from you, buy from someone else or not buy at all.
As you may have figured out, the headline/subheadline of your marketing content should focus on the Awareness Stage—you’re touching on a hot button topic, and suggesting that you have the answer to that pain point. The very next step in the process is to educate your prospect about your unique approach to solving their problem. This education takes place during the Consideration Stage. What you say now will have a deep effect on their final decision about whether to work with you.
Tips for Educating Your Prospects
How can you make the most of the opportunity once your marketing content has attracted interest?
- Focus on benefits, not features. Prospective clients don’t care how shiny, high-tech or otherwise fancy your solution is. They want to know how it will solve their problem. Focus on answering their underlying question, “What’s in it for me?”
- Stress the uniqueness of your method. What is it specifically about your approach that this client can’t do without—and why are you the only one who can offer it to them?
- Don’t tell them everything. “Educate” here doesn’t mean you’re giving them a class. Don’t bore them with information they don’t need yet, and don’t give away your secrets. Just tell them enough to help them make an informed decision about your service.
Anyone who reads past your headline and subheadline is obviously somewhat interested in what you offer. Educating your prospects in a strategic way will help turn more of them into paying clients. To learn more about winning marketing strategies for your law firm, call us at (888) 207-2869.
