The Voice of the Client: Content Is King

Understand our business. It is a stipulation to engagement that we hear over and over again from in-house counsel. It appears in studies, surveys and even casual conversations with GCs. Law firms of all sizes struggle with how to showcase their experience and highlight their thought leadership in particular sectors so clients clearly see that a firm not only understands its space, it owns that space. To do that, it's all about finding the right marketing mix to emphasize knowledge, experience and value. And that begins with content.

Content

“Give us content that is targeted, relevant and pertinent. Forget the wining and dining. Give us content that says we know about your business and we're paying attention” ' these were some of the comments expressed during an in-house counsel panel of the ABA Section of Litigation Joint Committees' CLE Seminar on “The Substantive and Practical Challenges Faced by Today's In-House Counsel.” While developing and distributing content seems like lots of work, it does not need to be. A good first step is to start small and try to leverage the most of a client alert.

Creating Content

Text-based client alerts are a great start. Every firm creates client alerts and e-mails them to clients. But why not go a step further and repurpose that content you've already created into a bylined article for a prestigious publication that your clients read and care about? Article writing is a credentialing activity that gives lawyers instant credibility because that content is published by a third-party source. It also positions them as authorities on specific topics that affect clients.

Once an article is published, it's the gift that keeps on giving ' it can be posted to the firm's website, and shared among the firm's social media channels.

Reusing Content

The same client alert can also be repurposed into a presentation, a blog entry, video footage, or even edited down to subject matter for a pitch to reporters who cover the topic. Reporters are always trolling the Internet for new ideas and new sources. By proactively sending the information to them, you are saving them valuable time and establishing an instant connection. If your source is quoted in a story, that earned media placement, which will, no doubt, be seen by your target audience, is more grist for the firm's content mill ' its website and social media platforms.'

Distributing Content

LinkedIn has become one of the largest publishing platforms for business ' and it's completely free. Most firms have LinkedIn profiles with captive audiences of followers. For instance, Baker & McKenzie has almost 20,000 followers, DLA has 18,000 and other firms have impressive numbers in the thousands. Even mid-size to small firms have respectable LinkedIn presences. These firms are using LinkedIn as a firm-specific broadcast channel that pushes out useful content that clients, prospects, referral sources and laterals care about. Distributing client alerts here is just the beginning.'

From a firm's branded LinkedIn page, attorneys or firm marketers can push out regular updates on firm-wide news that is helpful and not self-promotional. The audience is looking for unique insights and perspective. Postings may include information on seminars and speaking engagements, analysis of news coverage on topic that is important to clients, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, reaction to newly-implemented regulations or legislation, and so on. Posts that show the human side of law firms are particularly well-received. The goal here is content that is informative, helpful and unique.

Conclusion

Your firm's clients are already there and listening. Seize the opportunity to provide meaningful content to this established audience and take another step down the road to becoming the recognized thought leader on a topic.

In the end, it is about staying relevant and demonstrating to clients your industry knowledge in a very meaningful way. As Scott Mozarsky, executive vice president & global chief commercial officer at PR Newswire noted during his presentation at the Social Media Marketing Summit for Law Firms in New York in May, when a firm continuously delivers relevant content and establishes its worth to its audience, the audience trusts the firm enough to identify themselves and grant permission for engagement. It's the circle of life.

With so much talent and so many firms vying for the same piece of pie, showcasing knowledge in a helpful and informative way can be a make-or-break moment. There is no doubt that sharing high-quality, valuable and branded content that informs and demonstrates an understanding of the critical issues that affect your clients' business in a very clear and real way will win the day.

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Kathy O'Brien, winner of a 2013 Legal Marketing Association's Your Honor Award, is a senior vice president at Jaffe PR and can be reached at 203-268-1315 or [email protected].

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According to a survey released in May 2013 by Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group, demand for legal services dropped by 3.3% in the first quarter of 2013, sending another clear sign that the law firm gilded age is a distant memory. With belts already tight and so many firms chasing less legal work, it is critical for law firms to stand out from their competition ' and they need to do so in a way that resonates with clients.

“The most important thing to me personally as regards outside lawyers is that they understand enough about our business to ask the right questions and spot the right issues,” one associate general counsel commented in the recent report, Corporate Counsel: Agenda 2013 from ALM Legal Intelligence. “That permeates everything, including budgets.”

'Understand Our Business'

Understand our business. It is a stipulation to engagement that we hear over and over again from in-house counsel. It appears in studies, surveys and even casual conversations with GCs. Law firms of all sizes struggle with how to showcase their experience and highlight their thought leadership in particular sectors so clients clearly see that a firm not only understands its space, it owns that space. To do that, it's all about finding the right marketing mix to emphasize knowledge, experience and value. And that begins with content.

Content

“Give us content that is targeted, relevant and pertinent. Forget the wining and dining. Give us content that says we know about your business and we're paying attention” ' these were some of the comments expressed during an in-house counsel panel of the ABA Section of Litigation Joint Committees' CLE Seminar on “The Substantive and Practical Challenges Faced by Today's In-House Counsel.” While developing and distributing content seems like lots of work, it does not need to be. A good first step is to start small and try to leverage the most of a client alert.

Creating Content

Text-based client alerts are a great start. Every firm creates client alerts and e-mails them to clients. But why not go a step further and repurpose that content you've already created into a bylined article for a prestigious publication that your clients read and care about? Article writing is a credentialing activity that gives lawyers instant credibility because that content is published by a third-party source. It also positions them as authorities on specific topics that affect clients.

Once an article is published, it's the gift that keeps on giving ' it can be posted to the firm's website, and shared among the firm's social media channels.

Reusing Content

The same client alert can also be repurposed into a presentation, a blog entry, video footage, or even edited down to subject matter for a pitch to reporters who cover the topic. Reporters are always trolling the Internet for new ideas and new sources. By proactively sending the information to them, you are saving them valuable time and establishing an instant connection. If your source is quoted in a story, that earned media placement, which will, no doubt, be seen by your target audience, is more grist for the firm's content mill ' its website and social media platforms.'

Distributing Content

LinkedIn has become one of the largest publishing platforms for business ' and it's completely free. Most firms have LinkedIn profiles with captive audiences of followers. For instance, Baker & McKenzie has almost 20,000 followers, DLA has 18,000 and other firms have impressive numbers in the thousands. Even mid-size to small firms have respectable LinkedIn presences. These firms are using LinkedIn as a firm-specific broadcast channel that pushes out useful content that clients, prospects, referral sources and laterals care about. Distributing client alerts here is just the beginning.'

From a firm's branded LinkedIn page, attorneys or firm marketers can push out regular updates on firm-wide news that is helpful and not self-promotional. The audience is looking for unique insights and perspective. Postings may include information on seminars and speaking engagements, analysis of news coverage on topic that is important to clients, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, reaction to newly-implemented regulations or legislation, and so on. Posts that show the human side of law firms are particularly well-received. The goal here is content that is informative, helpful and unique.

Conclusion

Your firm's clients are already there and listening. Seize the opportunity to provide meaningful content to this established audience and take another step down the road to becoming the recognized thought leader on a topic.

In the end, it is about staying relevant and demonstrating to clients your industry knowledge in a very meaningful way. As Scott Mozarsky, executive vice president & global chief commercial officer at PR Newswire noted during his presentation at the Social Media Marketing Summit for Law Firms in New York in May, when a firm continuously delivers relevant content and establishes its worth to its audience, the audience trusts the firm enough to identify themselves and grant permission for engagement. It's the circle of life.

With so much talent and so many firms vying for the same piece of pie, showcasing knowledge in a helpful and informative way can be a make-or-break moment. There is no doubt that sharing high-quality, valuable and branded content that informs and demonstrates an understanding of the critical issues that affect your clients' business in a very clear and real way will win the day.

[IMGCAP(1)]

Kathy O'Brien, winner of a 2013 Legal Marketing Association's Your Honor Award, is a senior vice president at Jaffe PR and can be reached at 203-268-1315 or [email protected].

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