What's your strategy for standing out from the competition?

Let’s face it, hiring a lawyer is a very important decision. The problem is, most law firm websites look similar and provide similar information to their visitors. So how can you stand out?

Why not show off your expertise as opposed to screaming “call me for a free consultation”!

Just a few ideas:

1. Start a blog and update it regularly.

2. Create a free report that shares valuable information with your target audience (e.g. 21 Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Case).

3. Create a few videos and answer common questions that you receive from clients.

Here’s a recent post by marketing guru Seth Godin:

Do you really expect that the first time we transact, it will involve me giving you money in exchange for a product or service?

Perhaps this is a good strategy for a pretzel vendor on the street, but is that the best you can hope for?

Digital transactions are essentially free for you to provide. I can give you permission to teach me something. I can watch a video. I can engage in a conversation. We can connect, transfer knowledge, engage in a way that builds trust… all of these things make it more likely that I’ll trust you enough to send you some money one day. I can contribute to a project you’re building, ask you a difficult question, discover what others have already learned.

But send you money on the first date? No way.

The question then, is how much time and effort does your non-profit/consulting firm/widget factory spend on pre-purchase transactions and how much do you spend on trying to simply close the sale?

1. Make them WANT to read…

…with an attention grabbing headline. Get the reader to the stop and read the rest of the content. Use “talking heads” that not only sum up what the reader will read, but actually provide some information, especially the benefits for the customer.

Headlines should be informative and persuasive, but they shouldn’t be selling. While the headline is extremely important, it’s not going to be what sells your services.

2. Figure out your target market

Ask yourself, what are their needs and how will your service provide for those needs? Write with a “user-centered” approach, meaning you are always keeping your reader in mind.
Use concise and easy to understand words and sentences that make sense for your specific audience. Be compelling and relevant. Focus your content on the target reader, and try not to stray away from that focus. Having a clearly defined message will help your reader know you are interested in serving their needs.

You can utilize the keywords people used to find your site by including them in your headlines and your copy. This will help make your content more relevant to the reader.

3. Build your credibility

Aristotle, the original salesman, explained how important building ethos is to being persuasive. You can’t sell anything without building trust and proving your credibility and reliability to the customer.
And with a website you only have 5 seconds to build this trust. Not only must your content be strong but your design must help your case by staying clear and professional.

Trustworthy icons like VeriSign and BBBOnline help strengthen your credibility and increase the professional feel of your site.

4. Tell them what to do next

Don’t assume your readers know what to do next, tell them. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and each step is obvious. Don’t be subtle with what you want your customers to do, explain it outright.

And make it easy for them to contact you. Give your customer ways to reach you before they even have to ask themselves how to do it.