As content goes, legal is among the most complicated and difficult for the common person to engage with.
The lawyerly reply to this claim would be that language is imperfect by nature and not entirely suited to describe complex ideas and meanings.
It’s also far from the most accessible type of content with stacks of documents such as settlements, agreements, affidavits, contracts, and others requiring a steady stream of visual attention.
The thing is, it doesn’t have to be any of those things.
Audio may not seem like an answer to those problems but with the right tools and mindset, it can reduce them significantly.
Now the question is: why audio?
Two reasons:
Improved productivity via easier access and quick distribution of your internal content
Your clients and colleagues are already listening
Let’s dive into how law firms can benefit from creating audio experiences.
1. Boost your efficiency
Adding an audio version of your documents can raise productivity on a firm level.
It’s no secret that legal teams deal with a lot of information.
While obligatory in most cases, reading is not the most efficient method of absorbing information. This is particularly true for legal professionals who spend a fair share of their time away from the office desk.
Some are constantly in and out of the office, meeting clients and experts, taking depositions, attending conferences, and going to court for motions – to name a few things.
This “behind the scenes” work means there are plenty of times and places where reading important documents is far from the best option.
By turning your legal documents such as contracts, bylaws, partnership agreements, and others into audio, you are saving time and empowering your team members to consume them in a more convenient manner.
For example, you can:
Listen to litigation documents while driving or commuting to court.
Circulate legal documents for teams to review while their eyes are busy with something else.
Access contracts, wills, or any other needed document quickly when looking at a screen isn’t possible.
What’s more, even the typical desk part of the job can be upped productivity-wise with audio content. Think about what your teams can do:
Paralegals can revise complaints or lists of questions lawyers send to their opposing counsel, or use the library of audio content to prepare any document for court proceedings.
Empower interns, paralegals, and associates, typically drowning in research, by giving them the ability to listen
Get legal secretaries on board by creating audio files with due diligence summaries, trial details, documents for court proceedings, law researches…
And so on. The options are endless.
Not like this.
This is just the first half of the story. On to the part dos:
2. Audio is where people are
It’s as simple as that.
From podcasts and audiobooks to audio articles and social audio, numerous audio formats are constantly growing in popularity.
In the U.S. alone, an estimated 193 million or 68% of the US population aged 12 and over listens on a monthly basis, while weekly online audio listening is estimated at 176 million or 62% of the US 12+ population.
They spend 16 hours and 14 minutes listening on average every week, which is a significant increase from 15 hours and 12 minutes in 2020.
So, your current and future clients have already joined the party. With more and more joining each day, it’s important to realize this shift in user behavior where screen-free media is a significant part of the overall media diet.
That means having your content accessible via audio is a major opportunity to:
Increase your exposure
Engage with a growing base of listenership
Form meaningful connections with your existing and potential clients
There is no limit on the length and format to attract and retain your ideal clients with the targeted content you create on your website.
Every law firm owner’s dream is to raise awareness for their practice, generate new clients, and increase the number of cases handled.
Audio is the chance to establish an intimate connection with your audience, offer content and formats that resonate with your client demographic, and build your reputation as someone who “gets” your clients.
What’s more, an audio experience can be introduced into their lives over and over due to the portability and scalability, as I’ll explain below.
Audio experiences – the scalable way
I know what you’re thinking: this could be an expensive undertaking.
On any given day, an average law firm has a lot of content that can and should be audiofied. Hence, there needs to be a scalable solution that will do the deed quickly and efficiently.
Enter audio AI.
The tech is affordable and fast, taking only a few minutes to convert your textual content into audio. There are plenty of customization options to really give your firm a voice, such as a specific speaking style, gender, language, accent, and so on.
Synthesized voices convincingly imitate the real thing because of the way they accentuate acoustic features the human brain uses when processing speech. As a result, smoother speech is created with proper rhythm and intonation, along with different speaking styles for different use cases, just like we humans do depending on the context.
If you don’t believe me, play this post (if you aren’t already listening) to hear the quality of AI voices, which is the end result of thousands of hours of human speech patterns.
AI-generated content solves the challenge of scalability because the written content can easily be repurposed and packaged into different formats, ultimately providing smart audio experiences. It can be frequently updated without additional costs and delays and with the multi-language option, presented to a wider demographic.
I rest my case
Too many marketing and communication strategies are unsystematic and overly text-based with a blog post here and a newsletter there. Law firms are no strangers to this approach.
Providing information via audio is not only a productivity booster, it’s a fantastic marketing tool. It can increase your exposure and engagement while staying true to the “serious” nature of the legal profession.
The fact is that audio content grabs the attention of audiences. Whether that audience is your team members or potential clients, it’s a win either way.
SOUNDS GREAT, RIGHT?!
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Image credits:
https://giphy.com/gifs/nataliepalamides-BZNGgpMF2Nnx8nEO6q
https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2016/08/how-to-get-attention-of-staff-wearing-headphones.html