We’ll leave the recession predictions to the experts, but it seems safe to say that the economy will experience a slowdown in 2023. And while it’s common for marketers to suggest ramping up marketing to generate demand during a turndown – we’re taking a slightly different approach. Yes – we still think that law firms should invest in marketing during the recession. But there is an alternative to spending more – you can pivot your focus.

Content Marketing That Combats Uncertainty

Increased certainty is a powerful feeling in today’s economy and social environment. As a result, we predict that content that promotes certain will be amongst the most valuable content for potential clients in 2023.

So, what does this look like in practice?

Certainty is a challenging thing for lawyers and law firms to provide – given the exceptionally uncertain nature of the law. So, we aren’t suggesting that lawyers promise to achieve certain outcomes.

Content That (We Predict) Will Pay Dividends During the Downturn

We’re suggesting that lawyers publish and share content that addresses the uncertainty legal clients feel – and provide resources to combat (at least some of) that uncertainty.

Here are some practical examples to demonstrate:

  1. Family law firms may publish (visual) timelines that show the normal divorce process and timeline. The timeline could be accompanied by a blog post that loosely describes how a file usually progresses and how your law firm adds value during that process.
  2. Corporate lawyers might publish lists that highlight common scenarios companies might experience that should trigger a corporate entity structure review.
  3. Immigration lawyers might publish guides to the immigration process, including helpful lists of documents and/or normal timelines for hopeful immigrants.

The Power of Managing Your Clients Feelings

While the outcome you receive for your client does matter, their experience of the process is going to shape how they feel about both the outcome and your law firm. In other words, managing their feelings is critical to how effective your legal services will be perceived to have been.

While this will be challenging (every client’s experience and feelings will be different), there are going to be common concerns and questions relating to the legal services you regularly provide.

These are the concerns you should be focusing on addressing during the downturn.

How This is Different To What Law Firms Currently Do

In many cases, we see that law firms have automated correspondences they send out to clients when the file reaches a certain stage.

However, by not collating and sharing this information early in the process, legal clients are often left wondering (and anxious) about the future of their file – and the competency of their lawyers.

Conversely, by sharing this information, law firms showcase their experience while also easing the fear and uncertainty that their clients feel.

In turn, this will lead to a higher number of your clients being satisfied with your services and, potentially, sharing the word about your law firm. In today’s world, word of mouth or social referrals are increasingly meaningful.

An Added Bonus: This Content Can’t Be AI-Generated

This is particularly timely given the mushrooming availability of AI-generated content. As more-and-more AI produced content is published on the internet, users will find it increasingly more challenging to get meaningful answers to their questions.

As a result, they’re more likely to turn to sources they trust: like a friendly face speaking via a live or recorded video on social media, or an email list they’ve subscribed to and that delivers relevant and valuable content.

And by catering to their concerns and empowering them during uncertain times, your law firm can easily cut through the noise online.

If you’re interested in learning more about how client-focused content marketing can help your law firm during the downturn, reach out.