How Can an Attorney Increase Their Reputation of Authority in the Field?

An attorney’s ability to attract and retain clients is largely dependent on the impression of authority the attorney offers in their field of law. While most attorneys are highly educated experts in their practice area, it can be hard to communicate this to clients in a way that feels natural and authentic. This is where attorney marketing comes in. Clients respond favorably to lawyers who have made an effort to display the fact that they have a good handle on the type of cases they represent.

With the fierce competition between law firms, an attorney who comes across as authoritative, confident, and experienced in their practice areas is more likely to garner inquiries from potential clients. The good news is that communicating one’s industry authority is much easier than the years of education, training, and experience it takes to actually develop that authority. There are several key ways to make sure you are putting your best foot forward with potential clients by presenting information they will find both helpful and comforting if they are thinking of hiring you for their case.

Create channels such as a blog and attorney videos to display your authority on the subject matter.

Creating opportunities for clients to observe your authority on legal subject matter is actually easier than it might sound. A couple easy ways to do this may include keeping up with a blog or offering attorney videos in which you discuss common legal questions that are relevant to your practice area. A blog is not difficult to create; in fact, it could simply exist as another tab on your law firm’s website, or as a link from your attorney bio to a personal blog on law-related topics.

The trick with blogs is to keep adding content.

A blog that is only updated a few times a year is unlikely to instill a sense of confidence in its readers, but a blog that offers new content once or twice a week on a set schedule can feel significantly more professional and trustworthy. Don’t be afraid to talk yourself up; discussing past experience in so many words, mentioning board certifications, or dropping in how many years of practice you’ve had are all ways to help build your impression as a professional lawyer with experience a client can trust.

If writing new, authoritative content does not sound feasible with your schedule, you have other options. Some successful bloggers hire guest writers to craft articles of a certain word-length on whatever topic the blog owner chooses. However, with a highly specialized field like law, it’s important to double check anything written by a guest writer to make sure it is not only engaging but is technically correct.

Attorney videos are a great way to display your authority, produce engaging content, and save time.

It’s no surprise that attorney videos are becoming increasingly popular. According to Hubspot, 78% of people watch videos on the internet every week. Providing authoritative and trustworthy content in a form that clients are known to seek out is a great way for attorneys to instill confidence in their expertise. Attorney videos also offer several additional benefits; many people find it easier to speak than to write, and that’s all an attorney video is.

An attorney video is often as simple as a lawyer sitting in front of a camera and answering commonly asked questions in their industry, or even just introducing themself to the public. It’s important to remember that providing helpful information in a kind and well-spoken way can begin to garner trust with potential clients before they ever reach out for a consultation. If an attorney has mastered the art of showing off their legal skillset without coming across as too braggy, this is the time to do so. Attorney videos can also save hours upon hours of time—assuming a lawyer hires an attorney video service to help rather than trying to learn an entirely new skill on top of managing their existing legal practice.

Don’t expect a client to know which questions to ask.

The key with both blogs and attorney videos is to predict what questions your clients want to ask or should be asking. Not only does providing answers to predictable questions display your knowledge of the industry, it also shows that you know how to work with people and that you pay attention to your clients’ needs. Equally important to knowing that you can handle any case in your practice area is the knowledge that you sincerely care for your clients’ wellbeing.

For more ideas on how to boost an attorney’s reputation of authority or for help creating valuable blog and video content, reach out to AskTheLawyers™.