For most law firms, marketing is a necessary but often neglected part of operations. Attorneys get so focused on billable hours that other important business activities fall by the wayside. However, investing in marketing and business development is crucial for law firms to attract new clients and grow their practices. With the right strategy, law firms can automate parts of their marketing to free up time for revenue-generating work. Let’s take a look.
The Problem of Non-Billable Time
Non-billables are a significant issue in the legal industry. According to the 2022 Legal Trends Report, the average lawyer in the United States only bills 2.6 hours of work per day. Compared to a standard 8-hour workday, this equates to a mere 33% utilization rate. The other 5.4 hours spent in the office consist of non-revenue generating tasks like marketing, administration, training, and other firm obligations.
With only one-third of their time going toward client work, it’s no wonder most attorneys struggle to meet their annual billable hour requirements. The unproductive time adds up quickly, amounting to over 1000 hours per year spent on non-billable activities.
By automating repetitive marketing tasks, law firms can greatly reduce the administrative burden on lawyers. This enables attorneys to get back to fee-earning work, increasing their billable hours and bottom line.
The Rise of AI-Powered Marketing Technologies
Advancements in artificial intelligence and marketing automation present new opportunities for law firms to streamline operations. According to projections, the global market revenues for AI usage in marketing will reach $36 billion by the end of 2024. Law firms that capitalize on these emerging technologies now can gain a competitive advantage.
Marketing automation tools apply AI to handle routine marketing tasks without human intervention. This includes activities like social media posting, email campaigns, content creation, data analysis, and more. With preset workflows and algorithms, these platforms can work around the clock to bolster a firm’s marketing efforts.
Attorneys should think of AI as a digital assistant, not a replacement. AI marketing tools best complement human insight, creativity, and strategy. However, they excel at automating repetitive, data-driven tasks more efficiently than any person could. The right balance of machine learning and human oversight takes marketing to the next level.
Outsourcing Content Creation
One of the most effective ways law firms can leverage AI is by outsourcing content creation. Blogging and social media are essential for legal marketing, but developing fresh, relevant content requires significant time and effort. Rather than stretching attorneys thin, consider contracting an experienced legal content writing service like We Write Law Blogs.
Outsourced bloggers from a reputable legal content writing service can carefully research relevant topics and produce complete drafts tailored to your firm. Human writers will review the content, make edits, insert key messaging, and prepare your posts for publishing. This provides law firms with a steady stream of polished content without added workload for staff attorneys.
Here at We Write Law Blogs, an experienced legal content writing service, we offer affordable packages to fit every budget and need. Our team of writers and editors can cover a wide range of practice areas and topics. Law firms like yours can simply provide guidelines on messaging, keywords, length, and publishing dates. Alternatively, we can provide the blog titles for you to approve before we get started on them.
This allows attorneys at your firm to focus their limited time on high-value legal work rather than content creation. And regular new blog posts will keep your website updated, improve SEO, and attract more website visitors. It’s a winning strategy for law firm marketing automation.
Additional Marketing Tasks to Automate
Along with blogging, there are marketing tools that can automate many other promotional activities for law firms:
- Email newsletters – Use templates and automated schedules to reach prospects.
- Social media – Schedule posts and repurpose content across platforms.
- PPC ads – AI optimizes budgets and maximizes ROI.
- Lead scoring – Rate prospects based on engagement metrics.
- Data analysis – Identify trends and growth opportunities.
- Client reviews – Request feedback and publicize positive reviews.
- Event promotion – Market webinars, seminars, open houses.
- Link building – AI identifies and claims key profile links.
- Website updates – Refresh design elements and add new content.
When applied properly, AI can handle 80 to 90 percent of repetitive marketing tasks. This efficiency boost allows firms to achieve more with less and reallocate resources toward core legal work.
An Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy
The most successful law firm marketing automation integrates various technologies and tactics into one streamlined strategy. When selecting platforms, look for solutions that sync CRM data, email services, marketing analytics, and more under one dashboard. Workflows should seamlessly cross-promote content and campaigns across digital channels.
Firms should still maintain a human element in all marketing. Attorneys should set goals, create high-level messaging, monitor results, and make adjustments as needed. AI handles the heavy lifting while humans provide the big-picture oversight and strategy. This balance allows law firms to capitalize on emerging technologies while keeping the focus on legal services and client outcomes.
With the average lawyer only able to bill one-third of their work time, non-revenue generating tasks take a major toll on the bottom line. By implementing marketing automation and outsourcing blogging to a reputable legal content writing service, law firms can rectify this issue and get attorneys back to fee-earning activities. Streamlining repetitive marketing tasks gives firms a competitive edge while allowing lawyers to practice at the top of their licenses. Most importantly, a robust digital marketing strategy attracts more clients and drives long-term growth. Automation tools give law firms the leverage needed to not only survive but thrive in an increasingly competitive industry.
Contact the law blog writers at We Write Law Blogs to learn how outsourced blogging can take your law firm’s marketing to the next level. Our team of legal writing experts can create fresh blog content to position your firm as an industry leader. Get in touch today!
