Valentine’s Day Edition: 10 Things Our Team is Loving Right Now

It’s Valentine’s Day. Time to talk about the things we love. When you think about love, you may not automatically think about legal marketing, but there is a connection. It’s the smile test. The people and things you love in this world make you smile when you think about them. It’s almost unavoidable. At PaperStreet , we have seen trendy ideas and platforms come and go. It is the same core concepts that make us smile year after year that do the heavy lifting.

This year, we want to share the 10 things our team genuinely loves about digital legal marketing.

1. Client-Focused Messaging

When most people are searching for a law firm, they are under stress or, in some cases, completely panicked. They don’t have time to decode vague language about “comprehensive solutions” or “client-centered approaches.” They don’t want to read mission statements or ten-point plans for client service.
They want to know two things: whether your firm handles their issue and whether you seem competent. Straightforward messaging answers both questions quickly. When visitors can understand what you do in seconds, they are more likely to stay on your site. If they can’t answer these two basic questions, they’ll hit the back button to find someone else.

We have seen firms dramatically improve their performance by simply swapping out the corporate-speak on their practice area pages for a plain description of what they do.

2. Fast Websites

In digital legal marketing, the only thing more important than what you have to say may be loading speed. If your site loads slowly, more users bounce, and it doesn’t matter what you have to say, because nobody is reading it. Even if the user does stick around, there is something about watching the loading spinner that puts visitors in a skeptical mood.

Fast sites feel invisible in the best kind of way. Users seldom notice when a page loads instantly. They just start reading. Speed optimization is a tool that delivers almost immediate returns by reducing bounce rates. What really makes us love this concept is that this budget-friendly adjustment can be done in a fraction of the time as a full redesign.

3. Rethink Your Content Schedule

Weekly blog posts can stretch a team thin. Posting something just for the sake of posting can make you feel like you are on a treadmill. You are putting in the effort and working hard, yet you are not getting any closer to your marketing goals. Publish less, but make each piece count. We love this tip because it improves results while reducing effort.

Stop treating blogging as a race to publish something. Instead, focus on publishing content that gets read. Answer real client questions. Explain the impact of new laws or regulations. Talk about recent wins and why they were important. A single well-researched article that answers a real question will outperform a dozen forced posts over time.

4. SEO Built on Fundamentals

Search engine optimization has spawned a whole industry of people dedicated to cracking Google’s algorithms. Every couple of months, someone announces a “game-changing” SEO trick designed to land you at the top of the rankings. Even when these tricks work, they only work briefly. As soon as Google catches on, they tweak the algorithm to neutralize the hack.

The actual algorithm Google uses may be a trade secret, but what it rewards has never been a mystery. It rewards logical site structure, clear navigation, pages that load quickly, and content that actually answers search queries. None of it is exciting, but it is effective, which is what makes us love it.

5. Limited Use of AI Tools

There is a place for AI tools in law firm marketing. That place is in the background. Used correctly, AI can help with research, outlining, and other formatting tasks. What it can’t do is replace human judgment that comes from having practiced law for a long time.

Putting AI in charge of your content is like putting a third-year law student in charge. Both AI and the student know a lot in theory, but neither has any actual experience. Both can tell you what the law is, but neither has ever applied it to real people in real situations. We love it when firms use AI as a research assistant, not a ghostwriter.

6. Marketing Data That is Actually Useful

Dashboards are a double-edged tool. Staring at seventeen different metrics feels productive, but if you don’t know what to do with the information, you haven’t really accomplished anything. Instead, we love to look at the answers to two simple questions. Are the right people finding the site, and are they taking action when they get there?

Traffic sources, conversion rates, and a few key engagement metrics clearly tell that story. The rest of the information on your dashboard is often noise posing as insight. We love marketing data that is understandable rather than overwhelming.

7. Long-Term Thinking in Law Firm Internet Marketing

Marketing that works usually looks boring while it is happening. There is a temptation to constantly adjust, pivot, and chase new opportunities. This creates motion without progress.

In this regard, law firm marketing resembles financial investing. Over time, the best financial results are achieved by choosing a quality strategy and sticking with it, not chasing the latest hot tip. Think of the S&P 500 index as opposed to GameStop. The first has actual value. The other was a momentary trend. Firms that pick a direction and stick with it see better results.

8. Collaboration Between Attorneys and Marketing Teams

Most successful attorneys know that one of the keys to getting things done is delegation. But getting things done right requires more than that. It requires collaboration. A mistake we see too often is creating or hiring a marketing team and then never communicating with them again. A symptom of this is reading a draft and thinking, “This is not how we talk about this at all.”

The best content comes from marketers who have actually talked to the attorneys doing the work. This requires real conversations, not just quick email check-ins. When marketers understand how firms approach cases and what clients worry about, they can tailor content to reflect the firm’s personality. We love content that is personalized and not generic.

9. Websites That Are Easy to Maintain

Complex websites quickly become neglected. If adding the bio of a new attorney requires a work order with the developer and a 2-week wait, it’s unlikely to happen. The website becomes static, like a time capsule. Visitors may not be able to put their finger on it, but they get a vibe that the website is outdated. Good websites evolve to reflect developments within the firm and have a current feel.

At PaperStreet, we love technology that enables in-house changes on your end without outside technical intervention. Simple things like changing photos, updating office hours, or adding new staff take minutes, not meetings.

10. Sustainable Marketing Strategies

We love sustainable marketing plans . A plan that doesn’t exhaust everyone always wins over an aggressive plan that gets abandoned in the middle of the year. Much like your New Year’s pledge to run 5 miles every day, a quarterly content calendar with 47 pieces looks impressive, but probably isn’t realistic.

We have started asking a different question. What can this team actually maintain for a whole year without burning out? Our goal is sustainability. It is what makes results compound over time.

Sharing the Love

Valentine’s Day might seem like an odd time to talk about law firm marketing strategies. But there is something useful about pausing to notice what you appreciate and what makes you smile. The ten items on this list are not flashy or sexy. They are the reliable parts of the work that keep producing results, which is why we love them.

If your firm is ready for a marketing approach built on fundamentals rather than fads, PaperStreet would be glad to talk. We create strategies that hold up over time and actually reflect how your firm practices. Reach out to start a conversation. No chocolate or flowers required.