In today’s noisy and fast-changing content landscape, attorneys and law firms should strive to become THE DESTINATION for thought leadership in the eyes of their clients and referral sources—not merely A SOURCE of it.
The way people find information today is undergoing a rapid transformation. From evolving SEO and social media algorithms to the influence of AI in both search and content creation, the landscape is constantly shifting.
Yet, amidst this flux, many established and newer media outlets and content creators aren’t just surviving — they’re flourishing.
Why is that? Because they’ve become destinations.
Think of the audiences who actively seek out, for example, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Beast’s YouTube channel, or Joe Rogan’s or Alex Cooper’s podcasts. They know what to expect from the content these organizations and individuals produce, they want more of it, and they go directly to the source for it. They aren’t searching online for content; they’re navigating to a trusted source of information (and entertainment).
This is how you and your law firm cut through the noise and stand out with your thought leadership content in the coming years.
You follow this lead and strive to be the Joe Rogan or Alex Cooper of your practice area, while your law firm strives to be The New York Times of its practice areas.
In other words, you and your firm strive to be THE DESTINATIONS for thought leadership, not just yet another source among many.
THE DESTINATION — not just a source — for knowledge, wisdom, and insights that your clients can use regarding the work you and your firm do.
Seven strategies for becoming THE DESTINATION for thought leadership
So, how exactly do you and your firm become THE DESTINATIONS for thought leadership in the eyes of your target audiences?
Here are seven high-level considerations to guide you as you and your firm build a content program aimed at achieving this goal:
First, commit to the idea and merits of thought leadership.
You and your colleagues will have to embrace the concept that the best way to make a lasting, favorable impression on your target audiences that you are authorities regarding the work you do is to consistently create content that is relevant, valuable, and compelling to them.
You and your colleagues should be convinced that thought leadership content creation is a driving force behind how you and they retain and attract clients.
Second, commit to the idea of owning a niche and/or an industry.
Resist the urge to create thought leadership content about broad topics related to your practice. Instead, strategically identify and commit to creating content that positions you as owning specific niches or industries.
Look for niches where there might be some competition, but there’s no one attorney or firm that’s truly planted their flag as the leading voice consistently producing thought leadership regarding everything clients need to know regarding that niche.
When you do so, you and your colleagues will also need to embrace regularly sharing insights not just about legal issues, but also about economic, sociopolitical, and geopolitical trends impacting that niche. If you want to be THE DESTINATION for people who want to stay up to date on the most impactful news regarding a niche or industry, you’ll need to cover more than just court decisions, legislation, or administrative agency actions.
Third, commit to consistent content creation.
Consistency is key to becoming THE DESTINATION for thought leadership in the eyes of your target audiences.
You and your colleagues need to be consistently creating content — not just monthly or bi-weekly, but at least weekly. Ideally, you should aim for multiple content pieces per week, delivered in various forms.
Fourth, take an omnichannel approach.
On a related note, if you want to become THE DESTINATION for thought leadership for your target audience, you can’t rely on just articles or blog posts.
We all consume content differently and we all have our preferred ways for consuming content. To be a true destination, you need to meet your target audiences where they are regarding content consumption.
Consider creating thought leadership content in the form of podcasts, videos, social media posts, and email newsletters. And, think about ways you can mix, match, and repurpose that content. For example, email newsletters that cover the same topics as recent articles but in summary form, or blog posts derived from recent podcast episodes.
This ensures that your valuable insights reach individuals who prefer various content formats.
Fifth, consider the full spectrum of content.
People not only want to consume content in different formats, but even people who prefer the written word often like a variety of offerings.
Not every piece of content should be a 2,000-word article. Nor should it be an 800-word blog post. Sometimes, a concise 300-word update on a relevant news item is all that’s needed.
On the other end of the spectrum, consider dedicating resources to proprietary research and other “tent pole,” flagship content pieces that no one else can create because they haven’t invested the necessary time and resources into their thought leadership programs, or they don’t have the same knowledge about the underlying subject matter that you and your firm have.
Sixth, staff your content operation appropriately.
If you want to become THE DESTINATION for thought leadership in the eyes of your target audience, your content creation can’t just fall on the shoulders of your attorneys. It takes a team to create a steady enough stream of relevant, valuable, and compelling content that would allow you and your firm to be seen as THE DESTINATION for thought leadership.
Consider hiring a content manager who can oversee a firm’s or practice group’s content creation from a bird’s eye view. You’ll also want to consider hiring at least one dedicated writer. You should also consider hiring at least one editor who can handle video editing and audio (i.e., podcast) editing. Someday—or even today—your content operations might need multiple writers and multiple editors.
If you want to become THE DESTINATION for thought leadership for your target audiences, you can’t expect one or two attorneys to drive content creation for an entire practice group.
Just like one or two attorneys don’t handle all the legal work for a practice group, one or two attorneys shouldn’t be expected to handle all the content creation for one.
Seventh, seek feedback from your target audiences.
You’re going to want ongoing feedback from your clients, referral sources, and other people consuming your content. Strive for a regular dialogue with these people.
Understand what they like and what they don’t like. Which content topics do they want you and your colleagues to cover more often? Which topics couldn’t they care less about?
Are all the formats you’re producing adequate? Are there new formats your key consumers might want you to produce your content in?
Feedback helps you create the kind of content that will actually draw in readers, viewers, and listeners — which will help build your audience and your practice.
Thrive in the New Era of Content
Despite the dynamic and sometimes chaotic nature of content creation and content discovery today, the stalwarts aren’t merely just doing fine, they’re flourishing.
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Beast, and Joe Rogan, among many other media outlets and creators, are thriving because they have become destinations for their respective audiences.
Take a lesson from them.
To survive and thrive in today’s legal marketplace, you and your law firm should strive to become THE DESTINATION for thought leadership for your target audiences.
By providing relevant, valuable, and compelling knowledge, wisdom, and insights that boost your and your firm’s authority, you and your firm can become the first places clients and other target audience members go for information about their industry and the areas of law you and your firm practice—and the first choice when they need assistance with legal or business issues arising in their industry and/or within the areas of law you and your firm practice.
Thinking about bringing on an outside writer to help your law firm strategize and create compelling thought-leadership marketing and business development content? Click here to schedule a 30-minute Content Strategy Audit to learn if collaborating with an outside writer is the right move for you and your firm.