Do you read every single email that lands in your inbox? Or do you open the most important emails, skim a few others, and immediately delete those that you know you’ll never read? Chances are, you’re probably doing some combination of the above as opposed to reading every single email you get. But how much time do you spend reading newsletters?
If you receive newsletters in your inbox, then you probably have some you really look forward to. Maybe they’re jam-packed with relevant industry content, or maybe they’re entertaining and interesting.
Whatever the reason, these newsletters work. You open them, read them, and you might even click on some of the links to learn more.
Imagine having a newsletter you send to your clients that’s this powerful. You’d be able to connect with them and build your brand. But how do you do this effectively?
In this article, we’ll review how you can start your online legal newsletter—and how to do it as effectively as possible. Read on to learn more.
Choose Your Audience
Before you start designing your newsletter layout or deciding what content to include in it, you need to choose your audience. Are you going to be writing content for potential clients? Past clients? What about other professionals in the legal industry?
Just like you would use a specific set of strategies to defend a specific legal case, getting specific here works. Once you know who your audience is, it will be easier to make decisions regarding what content you write, what tone you use, and what language (will there be legal jargon or not, for example?).
And, of course, if you have Spanish-speaking clients you’re sending your newsletter to, you might provide content in Spanish or in a mix of Spanish and English.
Think About Design
Once you’ve chosen your audience, you can start having some fun by designing what your legal newsletter will look like. Not sure where to start? Using a preset template (such as those available through Constant Contact) can make your life a lot easier. Even with a template, you can customize it to make it match your law firm’s brand and have the features you need. You can add your logo, choose a color scheme, and add any other elements such as buttons, images, videos, and text boxes.
This will help your newsletter be more engaging. However, remember not to overdo it! Keep the general design elegant, the same way you might when choosing furniture for your legal office.
Create Your Subject Lines and Content
Now that you have a design in place, you can start thinking about the subject lines and content for your newsletter. To get started, think about your audience. You want content that will speak to them and appeal to them—the same way you might choose your words when working on your concluding statements you’d present to a jury.
If you’re creating content for potential clients, for example, you can provide them with tips on how to solve some of the most common legal problems they deal with. You can also create content regarding legal cases that are trending in the area you serve—or recently passed laws that affect the lives of your audience.
As for subject lines, these should speak directly about the content of the newsletter. It’s also helpful to use language that feels spoken and includes contractions. This will make the subject lines more engaging.
Create a Schedule
Imagine if you were to run your law firm without a schedule. It would be a disaster! Clients would have to spend hours in the waiting room, you’d forget about important meetings, and you’d likely run out of time to review all your cases thoroughly. A schedule is just as important with creating any type of content, including newsletters. Having a schedule that covers the next few months or even the next year will help you know exactly what content you’ll be sending—and when.
You won’t accidentally repeat content, and the content you send out to clients will be informative in a logical, ordered way. Additionally, you’ll have the benefit of sending out your newsletters consistently. This is important for gaining your audience’s trust, building your brand, and being professional. Speaking of professional…don’t forget to test your emails before sending them to ensure everything looks good. And check out the CAN-SPAM Act and local rules regarding emails to make sure you’re following the law when sending out newsletters.
Ready to Send
Now that you’ve reviewed the steps in this article, your online legal newsletter will be ready to send. Before you know it, you’ll have an audience that looks forward to receiving your emails. You’ll build up your client list and your reputation.
What other strategies do you use to reach out to your legal audience?
