Marketing legal services is more effective when you use stories to show people what you do and the benefits your clients get when they hire you to do it. Stories provide context and help people understand and appreciate what you can do for them.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write (or have written) a few stories you can use in your marketing materials, presentations, and conversations.
And then use them.
Start with these 3 types of stories:
- Your story
- Your firm’s story
- Client success stories
Your story is often the basis for the “about” page on your website, statistically the most read page by visitors of all stripes. It might include the reasons you went to law school or opened your own practice, people or events in your life that influence you, what you appreciate about your work, what you do during a typical day, and, of course, how you help your clients.
Your firm’s story, even if you are a sole practitioner, might talk about the firm’s mission, capabilities (practice areas, accomplishments, awards), reputation, charitable work, and the types of clients and industries you serve.
Client success stories are like testimonials but written in the third person. You describe clients who came to you with a problem or objective, the pain or secondary problems this caused, what you did to help them, and how they were better off as a result. If possible, quote the words of your clients describing their situation and praising you for helping them.
Write at least one client success story for each of your practice areas or services. Choose clients with different backgrounds or in different industries. You want prospective clients to recognize themselves or their situation and appreciate that you can help them, too.
These are the basics. They show people what you do, for whom, why, and how well.
And while first-party success stories, e.g., testimonials, reviews, and letters of endorsement from other professionals, are often more persuasive, you get to write these success stories and can have as many of them as you have clients.
Client success stories are some of the most powerful marketing tools you can use because they are about people and emotions, pain and relief, and are more effective than abstract facts and lists of features.
Facts tell but stories sell.
