By Best Legal Practices

09/10/2011 The idea of giving something away for free has never been a common occurrence in the legal industry but with the digital revolution, that’s all about to change.

Your target market is not only looking for free legal information on the Internet – they actually expect to find it. Your blog is one way to fill this demand, but free reports offer a unique opportunity to build your mailing list while satisfying the needs of potential clients.

Free reports (also called “whitepapers”) are essentially extended articles written about topics that are specific to your practice area and then offered for “free” on your website, in exchange for your readers’ contact information.

Potential clients that are contemplating divorce for example, would certainly want to read "The Ten Most Costly Mistakes You Can Make During a Divorce" and would likely be willing to give you their email address in order to gain access to the report. Likewise, potential estate planning clients would want to read about "The Pros and Cons of Computerized Estate Planning" to help them choose between hiring an attorney and attempting to make their own will online.

Now, to write an effective whitepaper, you should know that this type of writing is nothing like writing a brief or a law journal article. Potential clients don’t want to read lengthy quoted passages or footnotes. They want information that they can use, and they want it written in plain English, at a 6th to 7th grade reading level if at all possible. In fact, the easier your report is to read, the more value it has to your client base.

The other thing to remember is that you can use these free reports as strategic advertisements for your firm, so your reports should always include a call to action. The most effective free reports inspire potential clients to ”do something” soon after they read them, such as visit your website, sign up for a webinar or just call your office. All of these options are fine – just make sure you specify what it is you’d like your readers to do.

The more specific your call to action, the more results you’ll see. And all because you gave a little something away for free.

For more valuable law practice management strategies, please visit http://www.bestlegalpractices.com.