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People are always looking for legal information and answers to their urgent questions. Although they can find some of this on websites and blogs, an EBook provides another valuable alternative as a source of helpful material. EBooks are flexible marketing tools which are easy to create and offer to your target audience. Compelling content continues to steal the show when it comes to digital marketing, and a high quality EBook can be part of the stash of valuable content you offer to potential clients. Should your law firm write an EBook? Only if you want to see significant benefits for your business.
Why Write an EBook?
What are the key reasons for a law firm to write an EBook? Law firms may differ in why they want to start this project, and it is important to set some goals right at the beginning. You may want to capture the attention of new clients, or you may want to establish your expertise among colleagues. Decide what you would like your end result to be by considering the following ways an EBook can benefit your law firm.
Showcase Your Knowledge
An EBook is an ideal way to highlight the expertise you have amassed over the years. It is an excellent medium for lawyers to demonstrate what they know, show their experience, and give proof of their authority in legal matters. It can outline useful information or offer guidance on a particular legal topic. Providing such material through an EBook backs up the information you are already offering potential clients, inspires confidence and shows them you genuinely care about helping your clients.
Inform Clients About the Legal Process
The average person is often intimidated by the legal process — and sometimes by the attorneys themselves. The decision to hire an attorney to help an individual with life-impacting issues is a huge one, and the legal system can be confusing and scary. Writing an informative EBook about the legal process from start to finish can lessen the anxiety your potential clients face, and it offers them a step-by-step game plan. Using an EBook to accomplish this can win trust and set you apart from your competitors.
Translate Complex Issues
EBooks can take complex issues and communicate them in an easy, engaging way. EBooks can break a complicated topic into bite-sized pieces, complete with helpful graphs and memorable images. One plus about EBooks is that they can be easily shared on social media — an effective way to get the word out about your law firm’s EBook.
Establish Your Leadership
Consider writing your EBook to benefit other lawyers. Your law firm can write an EBook to build connections with other legal professionals, or develop new sources for referrals. Perhaps you have experience in a niche that you can share with others. Maybe you can offer helpful advice on office management, digital law firm marketing, or how to avoid negative aspects related to your business. This builds respect within your field and gives you credibility among your peers.
Build Contacts and Links
It is common to offer an EBook for free, and this is a great way to gain the contact information of potential clients and grow your business. Should your law firm write an EBook and give it away in exchange for this information, you can grow your email list and add these prospective clients to any future email campaigns. In addition, EBooks can be an ideal way to build powerful links, as you submit your publication to EBook directories and other markets.
What Should You Write About?
If you have gotten this far, wondering if your law firm should write an EBook, you might be already considering what to write about, so think about these questions.
- What are things that your law firm does best? In what matters do you have unique or unusual expertise? Once you have brainstormed a list, decide which topics would be most interesting or helpful to your law firm’s target audience. Tackle this thoughtfully, because you do not want to choose a subject that you know little about, unless you want to add hours of research to your project.
- Who is your target audience? What do they care about? Will your law firm write an EBook with the intention of offering it to potential clients, or will it be written for fellow lawyers? This will determine your content matter and the technical or simplified language you will use.
- What does your EBook give to the readers? What will individuals gain from reading it? An overload of facts and information is not enough; your EBook should teach individuals something new and beneficial to their lives. If you are writing your EBook for other lawyers, give them actionable information that will benefit their business.
5 Tips For Writing an EBook
Once you have realized the benefits from writing an EBook, and you have launched an idea, you can take steps that will make the process more manageable. Here are five tips to make writing your law firm’s EBook a little smoother.
Stick to a Writing Schedule
Setting goals will help you write your EBook. Choose a regular place where you can jot your thoughts down without distraction. If you put yourself on a schedule and write a little every day, it will add up to a lot of text. Some say that the entire process of: writing, editing, revising, planning and publishing your EBook should take a few months or more, depending on the content. Busy legal professionals may need to forego chunks of personal time to complete the EBook in a timely way.
Go For Quality Above Quantity
Write an EBook that people will actually want to read. Some EBooks are around 10,000 words, and many are more than 25,000, but quality work is more important than a large quantity of pages. An EBook does not have to be an epic volume to deliver value to the reader.
Get Help From Professionals
If long pieces of text are not your forte, or you cannot make the time commitment to write the entire EBook by yourself, consider hiring a freelancer to assist you in the process. In addition to the writing, think about getting professional help from an editor and graphic designer as the project moves along.
Let Others Review
Any written work will benefit from a second (or third) set of eyes. One reason to get an outside person to preview your work is to confirm that you have communicated legal concepts in a way that is easy for non-lawyers to comprehend. Ask fellow attorneys to read your work to see if you have covered the material fully.
Publish and Market It
Completing the book content is a massive accomplishment — but this is just the beginning. Your files must be converted into an EBook format, published and promoted.
Here is the most important thing you will read in this article:
Once your EBook is completed, you can display it on your website, or offer it as an incentive in exchange for contact information. An EBook is a perfect way to get visitors on your small law firm’s website to opt-in and get on your email list so that you can consistently visit with them about your small or solo law firm and the value you provide.
EBooks can also be shared with your current email contacts and are perfect for social media sharing. Finally, even though more people than ever are choosing EBooks, there will always be a place for tangible books. Some authors choose to make hard copies in addition to the EBook format, for sale or giveaway at local events. Either way, be sure to get professional assistance for the cover and design.
How Law Quill Can Help
Law Quill can help you write your EBook, or write you EBook FOR YOU.
When your law firm writes an EBook, it can establish you as an authority, and can connect you with other legal professionals. An EBook is also an effective marketing tool that can help you find new contacts and clients. Although the task may look immense at first, it will be helpful to plan your project based on what you already know well. Set aside small and regular segments of time to write, getting professional help as needed. Once the final product is published, you will have something valuable to share with your clients, colleagues and prospects.
We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your law firm website’s content, and how we can take these tasks off your plate! Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today. You can also email us at [email protected]