Once you have identified your ideal client, you need to have web site content that speaks directly to their needs and fears. To convert a lead to a client, you have to convince them that hiring you will solve their legal problem.

To do that, you have to answer the question: What’s in it for them? Why should they hire you? What benefits would they get from the service you offer that would compel them to come on board with you? These are key questions, and if you can’t answer them effectively and compellingly in your marketing and in your intake, you will always struggle to get new business.

You need to get clarity on two things before you write content for your web site: How does the client benefit, and how do your services bestow those benefits? Once you have clarity on who your ideal (avatar) client is, you need to know how to communicate these two things to them on your web site.

How Does the Potential Client Benefit?

All of your marketing should set forth the benefits of your services, as well as the benefits of the benefits. Now what do I mean by that? Well, for example, the benefits of filing bankruptcy could be listed as:

• • • Ridding themselves of credit card debt, medical bills, and personal loan balances
    • Wiping out motor vehicle surcharges in order to restore a driver’s license
    • Saving their home from foreclosure
    • Paying back tax debt over time

What Are the Benefits of the Benefits?

These are the things that you, as the lawyer, see as the benefits of the service you provide. But you also need to get into the heads of your potential clients. They may understand on some level these benefits, but that is not truly what they are looking for, which are the benefits of the benefits. Those could be seen as:

• • • Relieving the stress and unhappiness that comes with carrying insurmountable debt
    • Not dreading when the phone rings that it might be a debt collector
    • Giving them the ability to rebuild their credit and their financial lives; and
    • Just enjoying life more

These are the things that will resonate with your audience and draw people to you. They will see how hiring you will not only solve their legal problem, but make their lives better. As such, when you write web site content, be sure and do it in the client’s language, not yours. Notice that I talked about “wiping out” debt, not “discharging it.”

How Will You Bestow These Benefits?

But what is it that you do that gets them these benefits and benefits of the benefits? How does your service get the potential client what he or she wants? I could simply say, “By filing a bankruptcy for them.” But how does that distinguish me from my competition? I’m sure they are all saying the same thing, so how can I say it that will want the person to retain me rather than someone else? So I made this list:

• • • Filing a chapter 13 bankruptcy to create an affordable repayment plan that
      • prioritizes debt and allows them to
      • save their home from foreclosure, get caught up on alimony or child support along with any back taxes owed
      • while paying little or nothing on all other debt from any remainder.
    • Relieving them of debt while preserving their assets, like their home, cars, savings, and retirement savings
    • Being with them and guiding them every step of the way, answering their questions and making everything as stress free as possible

People are scared of bankruptcy, so language in my content that shows that relieving their stress and anxiety is all part of the service will have a big impact!

The Marketing Clarity Exercise

In order to get more of your ideal clients and have them be attracted by your marketing (and ultimately convert), you must have clarity on who your avatar is, what services you can provide that will benefit them regarding their legal issue, and how you can overcome their objections to hiring you. Then you must bring this clarity to bear in all of your web site content.

So, as you can see, there is a lot of work to be done before you even start writing the first piece of content for your web site. It isn’t all about search engine optimization and getting on the first page of Google. It’s about what happens after they click on your link in the search results and read your words. Will it answer their question? Will it help them? Will it resonate with them to the point that they say, “This lawyer really gets it, understands what I am going through and what my needs are.” I need to reach out to him or her right away!

Need Help?

If you need help getting that clarity, then you should download my Marketing Clarity Kit, which includes instructions, examples, and a worksheet for you to fill out for every service you provide, so that you can

• • • Identify and describe your perfect client
    • Identify the benefits, and the benefits of the benefits, of your service
    • Get clarity on what your service is and does
    • Identify all objections to retaining your service

The sooner you start taking these four steps for every service you provide, the better. Go through it once and see what you get. If you need help taking this exercise to the next level and really drilling down to get total clarity on what you do and for whom in order to write killer content, then reach out to me at steve@stevenjrichardson.com. I provide personalized coaching services to walk you through this and optimize your content to convert your avatar client!