• Key insights into the legal directories scoring system.
• Strategies to secure individual rankings and maximize referee responses.
• Tips for crafting standout work highlights.

Date: November 12th
Time: 1 PM (UK time)
Audience: Legal professionals, marketing teams, and lawyers involved in legal directory submissions and award applications.

Don’t miss out!

Click here to register and to receive a link for the webinar.

The post Submissions 360 – Webinar appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

But fear not, legal eagles! Even in the hallowed halls of justice, we are at hand to show you how a well-crafted content strategy can work wonders in attracting and engaging clients.

When it comes to content strategy, the legal profession demands a solid foundation. How best to do this? Begin by identifying your firm’s unique voice, embrace it, and let it permeate your content like a well-tailored judge’s robe. This helps differentiate the law firm from competitors by highlighting its unique strengths, areas of specialisation, and innovative approaches. Just ensure it is echoed across the firm.

Legal jargon can be baffling to a non-legally trained client, so it is important to create content that educates and enlightens your audience. Write insightful blog posts, engaging videos, or even a legal podcast where you shed light on complex legal concepts, in simple terms. Remember, legal knowledge doesn’t have to be dry. By producing thought-provoking and insightful content you can establish the firm as a thought leader, attract media attention and create opportunities for collaboration.

Also, who doesn’t love a good story? While respecting client confidentiality, share captivating anecdotes from the courtroom, showcase your firm’s victories, highlighting the legal skill that turned a case around in your favour.

Questions everywhere! As a legal professional, you encounter countless FAQs from clients. Why not turn these into a creative content goldmine? Draft a series of frequently asked questions and answer them in an engaging and informative manner. Always a winner, especially when SEO is incorporated and draws new audiences to your pages. Tackling common legal concerns and sharing clear explanations, will aid in educating clients and potential clients about their rights, legal processes, and make them more trusting.

We know that complex legal processes can sometimes resemble a maze, with clients wandering aimlessly. Remember that people find information that is shared on a visual a lot easier to understand. Break down convoluted legal procedures into visually appealing infographics that guide clients and can speak volumes, because less is more.

And lastly, embrace the power of social media to amplify your legal voice. Engage with your audience on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, or even TikTok. Share legal insights, debunk common myths, or even indulge in a friendly legal banter with your peers.

Putting together a content strategy for your firm, may seem like an uphill battle, but with the right mix of professionalism, wit, and creativity, you can turn it into a resounding success. Educate, entertain, and engage your audience through informative and captivating content, bringing a breath of fresh air to your legal world.

The post What every legal professional needs to know about successful content strategies  appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

The power of social media is vast, and growing, without an end in sight.

That’s why the use of Social Media to highlight your brand, to improve your standing and to show off your abilities, really is a no-brainer.

Join our Masterclass on Tuesday May 23, to specifically learn “how to leverage Social Media to improve individual legal directory rankings”. 

To register for the event, please click on the following link:

https://www.linkedin.com/events/howtoleveragesocialmediatoimpro7062722294489452544/

The post How to leverage social media to improve individual legal directory rankings appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Is LinkedIn the right place for this?

Yes and No. We can do it but think creatively or do so in a way that builds momentum for future rankings. It may take a moment or two but when you combine trends with ranking, it lands “better” with the audience. 

(i) “For the 5^th year in a row, we are ranked in Band 1 in M&A in Chambers/Legal 500/IFLR, this could not be done without the first-rate work handled by the department over the past year. Just last week, we advised on XXX and XXX, and are here to steer clients through the challenges of 2023.” 

(ii) “Investment funds are our DNA and passion. Having worked on XXX and XXX in 2022, and for the past 12 years, it is what drives our team of lawyers, so continued recognition in Chambers/Legal 500/IFLR is the icing on the cake.”

(iii) “The start-up world has been under the spotlight lately, as the battle for VC investment goes on, but we are delighted to have helped many of our start-ups secure hard-to-find funding in the last 12 months – as brought out in the latest ranking in Start-Ups and Emerging Companies, published in Chambers/Legal 500/IFLR this week.”

Yes, we want to celebrate our achievements, but we want to celebrate our clients more and reinforce the strong personal and commercial relationships we have been developing with the very people who sustain our business. 

The post Once the rankings are published: How best to write a post? appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Let’s be candid here for a moment: A potentially imminent recession (you heard it here first), the cost-of-living crisis coupled with a decline in consumer spending and a worryingly mounting inflation, makes law firms think twice about where to invest their money when promoting their skills and marketing services. 

So, before you make those cuts in the marketing budget, know this: Social Media marketing will endure; therefore, the name of the game is you must adapt to last. Here are the top three social media trends you will see more of over the next 12 months and some pointers on how to make the most of them.

1. Collaboration with market influencers will become as important as industry communities 

2023 will see an increase in law firms and businesses working with influencers but also building on their community industry groups 

Pointers: Find an influencer by LinkedIn endorsements, follower calibre & numbers and by monitoring their industry relevant posts and conversations. Ask: Can we produce content in collaboration? If yes, explore further until you find the correct fit for your law firm. Also: How do I create a community group that will debate the latest industry trends to attract interest? 

2. Social media direct messaging (DM) and chats are now the top method of engagement 

Direct messaging via social media and chat groups will grow further and is seen as an acceptable way to reach out to stakeholders. 

Pointers: If your team members are new or not active on social media, provide workshops for them to teach them how to engage their audience through social media platforms. Ask: How can I engage and connect with relevant audiences on social media to help me stay informed about trends in my industry? 

3. Pick personal over bulk email marketing  

No, email marketing is not dead. But if you want to connect with your clients on a more personable level, use social media platforms to humanize the tone of your content.  

Pointers: Nobody wants to see a self-promotional message, but most will appreciate informative industry trends and developments (that also show off your expertise.)  

Ask: Is the language I use natural and transparent? Does my content tell a story that evokes emotions and is relatable? Do you appreciate and thank your team? 

If you have any questions about any of the above, get in touch via my DM. (See what I did there?) 

The post Social media marketing for businesses and law firms is a true game-changer, whether you like it or not, it is here to stay and… it’s GROWING!  appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

High-Impact Content 
There will always be routine content showcased but corporate clients will expect more high-impact content to capture their attention in the labyrinth of LinkedIn. High-impact will include displaying milestone transactions and precedential cases but briefly and clearly explaining why. 

Humans work with Humans 
Lastly, don’t be afraid to show empathy and human-focused content. Many law firms have often struggled with showing their human side to their audience. But with users increasingly turned off by overly promotional content that reads like advertising, remaining authentic and human is more important than before. Following COVID-19, clients want genuine connections, as well as the vital commercial, legal and technical knowhow. 

With the next generation of clients and decision-makers interested in the myriad of global challenges we face, it will be important to genuinely highlight social responsibility in your content – including environmental initiatives, social equality, and much more. 

The post Content Trends for 2023 appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Do I blog? Who is going to read it? How much time will it take? Do they really work? Are other people in my sector doing it?

In the digital world, blogs can feel like they have been around forever but in the corporate world, some sectors do, some don’t, but all can benefit from increased visibility if they work out what they want to say.

Blogging is all about showcasing your thought leadership, understanding and expertise to followers here on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and often to journalists, who may need background information on your industry developments. You are establishing yourself as the most reliable go-to person or company for a particular product or service.

Here are 10 pointers to help you get started.

1) Plan: Before you even get to the blog itself, write down 5 points you wish to make to your reader and elaborate on them. Why do you want to make them? What are you trying to say? What do you want them to think about you after reading them?

Compile a list of easy-to-implement tips you want to use and select the most important. Explain each tip or warning sign in a few sentences or paragraphs.

2) Structure: There are a number of structures for you to consider. A simple list post on tips or trends are among the most popular.

For example,

5 M&A trends you need to know about 2017.

12 Easy Ways to Raise Your Profile.

5 Warning Signs that You Should Call Your Mother.

Use headline and subheadings to keep your reader engaged and involved. This also helps Google understand the key points you are making any long blog post.  

3) Language: In legal or financial blogs, do not get overly technical if your reader is not a General Counsel. How will it impact them?

4) Length: Aim for around 700-1000 words as blogs of this length tend to rank better on Google as your keywords will appear more often. It is challenging to write so many words and keep it strong, tight, focused and informative. Best thing to do here is again to plan what you want to say and why. What trends or events are taking place in your industry? 

Use a good mix of sentence lengths – both long and short – and don’t be afraid to be creative. We are not writing Harry Potter but you can play with words and use analogies, metaphors and expressions. 

5) Easy to follow: A high-quality blog post is easy to read and valuable for your readers. If they are rereading twice to understand, you’ve failed to get the message across. While you will always look to show your passion and enthusiasm, decide on the tone you want to convey. Do you want it to be formal or informal? Positive or warning your readers?

6) Read: To write, write, write – you need to read, read, read. See how other people in your field (and others) are writing and about what specifically. 

7) The order: Consider writing your introduction last and never let your conclusion fizzle out. 

8) Get them thinking:Surprise your reader with something new – make your reader think. 

9) Consistency: You may think everyone is blogging, and blogging regularly, in your industry, but you may well still be the first in your niche. Set a content calendar.

This is something that can be driven, researched by associates or juniors, to showcase initiative, raise their profile inside the firm, and build relationships with clients. Signed off by partners, it’s a good way of rainmaking and networking for the next generation.

Save your best tip until the very end. 

10) Message us.

The post To blog or not to blog, this is the question appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

But just as in medicine, where doctors must learn about “bedside manner,” lawyers must not lose sight of their own empathy, particularly leaders and department heads. Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority, in a changed workplace and with a global pandemic set to become an integrated part of our lives and futures. 

A 2019 Workplace Empathy Study showed that 90% of employees believe that empathy is important in the workplace, and 80% would leave an employer who they don’t believe is empathetic, and since the pandemic, this is likely to have only solidified.

Lawyers have often been trained to “poke holes” in someone else’s position as opposed to attempting to relate to it. To win, to close the deal, to be hyper-focused on their side’s results, sometimes at the expense of connecting and empathizing with others.

Far from a soft approach, an empathetic approach can drive business results, loyalty, and morale. We know demonstrating empathy is positive for people in social situations, but research underlines its importance for everything from morale, retention and results.  

Leading with Empathy and its impact on Morale

Empathy is a central component of emotional intelligence and effective leadership. Leaders can demonstrate empathy in two ways.

First, they can consider someone else’s thoughts through cognitive empathy (“If I were in his/her position, what would I be thinking right now?”).

Leaders can also focus on a person’s feelings using emotional empathy (“Being in his/her position would make me feel ___”). 

But leaders will be most successful not just when they personally consider others, but when they express their concerns and inquire about challenges directly, and then listen to employees’ responses. 

Leaders don’t have to be experts in mental health in order to demonstrate they care and are paying attention to their teams but it’s enough to check in, ask questions and take cues from the employee about how much they want to share.

Pay attention, ask thoughtful and better questions, listen deeply and practice.

The understood workforce is likely to take that appreciation and understanding into all of their relationships and these personal and professional connections build a deeper employee engagement and loyalty, as well as improved performance, productivity, sense of belonging and client service.

Incidentally, empathy is among these so-called “soft skills” that are frequently investigated by the legal directories during their research and interviews with clients, and as important for the rankings as they are for clients making decisions on which “leading” firm to use.

The post Lawyers: Leading with Empathy appeared first on Tier One Rankings.