As a construction lawyer, distinguishing yourself from your peers is essential to your business. From billboards to pay-per-click ads, there are a plethora of ways to get in front of contractors and others in the construction industry.
But what are the ways for lawyers to build their profile and increase visibility that aren’t pay-to-play? That’s where the power of digital thought leadership comes in.
What is thought leadership?
When someone in the construction industry finds themselves in need of legal services, they certainly have no shortage of choices to pick from. For lawyers, thought leadership refers to any means of demonstrating knowledge or expertise in your practice areas.
For example, an advertisement on a city bus promotes visibility for a lawyer. But speaking in front construction professionals at a construction conference on California Lien Rights demonstrates authority and experience, and provides a more personal connection to your potential clients for a fraction of the price of paid advertising.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on conferences and many in-person marketing opportunities for the foreseeable future. In this case, digital thought leadershipcan empower construction lawyers and get them in front of potential clients without funneling money into expensive advertising campaigns.
Read on for some tips on building your digital thought leadership.
Meet potential construction clients where they’re at
Keeping in line with the example of the construction conference, targeting your marketing and brand visibility to places where you know your potential construction clients will see it is a much more cost-effective strategy then widespread ads or pay-per-clicks.
Look for regional and national construction associations. These orgs often have popular blogs and podcasts on their websites that reach many construction industry professionals, providing opportunities to pitch your own content and writing to be featured in a market that you know will reach potential clients.
Another option is Levelset’s Payment Help Center. Levelset is visited by thousands of contractors and other construction professionals every month seeking payment help and legal advice. In the Payment Help Center, construction professionals can post their questions and have answered by construction lawyers all over the country!
The best part? It’s all free. Levelset wants to build the largest construction legal network in the country, where construction professionals can find the help they need from the best experts and lawyers in the biz. Sign up for a free profile today, and start getting in front of contractors and subs who are looking for legal help right now.
Go further with original content and organic marketing
Creating your own content is the ultimate way to build thought leadership. Original content is one of the best things you can do to organically build your brand — and it doesn’t cost you anything.
Organic content can take many different forms:
- Original blog posts on industry topics
- Short news alerts or listicles
- Write-ups on recent case rulings or legal matters
- Longform pages that break down more complex topics, like lien law
- Videos and vlogs
- Podcasts
Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many of us are working remotely and interfacing in-person with clients is on hold, creating organic content is more important than ever for construction lawyers who want to set themselves apart from their peers.
Creating content is one thing, but how do you get it in front of prospective clients? Achieving high rankings in search engine results is not an overnight process, and posting content you work hard to produce only to have it drown in the internet ether can be discouraging.
Instead, try pitching your pieces to other sites and outlets that already have the attention of your ideal audience. In some cases, you may have a ready-to-go piece you want to shop around to other outlets; you can also reach out to them directly and pitch some ideas or ask if there’s a relevant topic you could weigh in on.
Pro-tip: When a high-traffic website features your work, ask them to include a backlink to your own website. Now your content is really working for you: ensuring that your content will reach potential clients, and strengthening your own brand’s digital authority.
Levelset is always looking to feature construction attorneys
Levelset’s own blog is geared towards construction law help, and ranks on the first page of search results for related terms all across the country. For too long, there has been no centralized digital space geared entirely towards construction legal help. Levelset is working to change that by building the largest construction legal network in the US..
Even better — we’re always looking for construction lawyers who would like to share their experience and reach construction professionals through a blog, webinar, or by contributing to our Legal Alerts. Send an email to pitch us!
Use social media strategically
Social media can be a powerful tool for marketing when used properly. Promoting your content to your own followers is a good way to get some initial clicks. You can also pay to promote your content on sites like Facebook or Instagram — for a lot cheaper than most traditional marketing strategies.
Again, however, your best bet is to work with others! When you collaborate on content with other organizations, your work gets shared and circulated through their networks as well, increasing your exposure and clicks.
Levelset is the premier site for construction professionals
Levelset ranks on search engine results for “construction attorney” in most major cities across the US. Claim your free lawyer profile today and join our network. We’d love to feature you and your firm in a blog or article, a video, or one of our popular webinars.
Got questions? We’d love to hear from you!