haiku Haiku can be both fun and challenging. Distilling something seemingly complex down to 17 little syllables forces you to look at the essence of the subject and may help you to see it in a new light. Applying this art form to legal marketing is an exercise in focusing your attention on the core of what you do and how you help clients.

The legal marketing haiku was introduced by Matt Homann on the [non]billable hour and again at Lawyerist.com a few months ago. So why join the chorus and cover the topic again? Easy. It’s a great concept. The idea of bringing the haiku to your online marketing (and your marketing strategy as a whole) is simple, honest and clever – just as the poem itself is intended to be.

Your Haiku is created by answering three questions in 5-7-5 format:

Who do I help? (Answer in Five Words)
What do I do for them? (Answer in Seven Words)
Why do they need me? (Answer in Five Words)

In Haiku you will find the syllables add up fast. You want to add more words to express the idea, but you cannot. When answering the questions for your Haiku, you are forced not only to streamline and clarify your purpose, but also – and importantly – to think of your clients rather than yourself.

Putting too much emphasis on attorneys and not enough on prospects is a common mistake on lawyer websites and in lawyer marketing. It is easy to assume that clients will respond logically to information about you and choose you for your experience, education or other credentials. But the reality is that prospects are not logical. They care about themselves and their problems and that is precisely what you need to address.

It is easy for attorney website content to be too salesy or too lawyer centric. But content must be engaging. This is why the answers in your Haiku are so critical. When you understand the value you offer to clients, you will be better able to connect with them and help them see why they should hire you.