Effective thought leadership makes clear the people producing it are relevant, not just knowledgeable and wise.
Many professionals in the legal and broader professional services worlds misunderstand the purpose of thought leadership.
They think it’s only about demonstrating how much they know — showing off their knowledge, wisdom, and insights to prospective clients, current clients, the media, conference organizers, and other target audiences.
That belief is misguided.
The goal of thought leadership isn’t just to prove that you’re smart. Your target audiences already assume you’re smart. You have the credentials, the title, the firm affiliation. Intelligence and subject-matter expertise are expected.
Clients, prospects, referral sources, and other target audiences are looking for something in addition.
They want to know that you and your guidance are relevant.
Show that you’ll be a guide through rough waters
In today’s crowded marketplace, broadcasting your expertise isn’t enough to stand out. Many other professional services providers are doing that too.
What sets a professional services provider apart is their ability to show they understand what’s happening right now — in the client’s industry, in the market, in the regulatory environment, and in the world at large.
Clients don’t just want an encyclopedia. They’re looking for timely, forward-looking insights that are directly applicable to the challenges and opportunities they face today. They want someone who can interpret the news, spot trends, and help them understand what it all means for their organization.
They want an advisor to guide them through uncertainty and change.
Thought leadership signals relevance
When a professional services provider consistently publishes relevant thought leadership content, it shows their target audiences, including existing clients, that they’re actively paying attention to the forces shaping the world.
This is thought leadership signaling relevance.
The thought leadership is demonstrating that the provider isn’t just knowledgeable about their specific service areas, but is also equipped to be a genuine partner in navigating change. Whether the change is driven by economic shifts, disruptive technologies, new court rulings, or administrative agency actions, there is a constant stream of events that professional services providers can leverage to show they’re on top of recent developments of interest to their clients, and, as a result, remain relevant to client needs.
When your thought leadership is relevant, it also shows empathy and an understanding of your clients’ challenges.
By discussing emerging issues clients are most concerned about, you demonstrate that you understand what developments they’re worried about and why. When you discuss how they can move forward without being negatively affected by the developments (more on that later), you position yourself as a trusted advisor capable of helping clients navigate the uncertainty created by world events and make the most out of new opportunities.
The benefits of relevant thought leadership
By consistently producing thought leadership focused on staying relevant, you ensure you remain visible to your clients, prospective clients, media contacts, conference organizers, and other critical target audiences. This consistent visibility increases both your credibility and your standing in the market.
You begin to attract clients who are grappling with the challenges you’re writing about. In addition, you deepen your relationships with existing clients. Your ongoing thought leadership shows them that if they need assistance regarding the topics you’re covering—even if that would be outside the scope of your current engagement — they should turn to you for support and solutions.
Beyond client acquisition and retention, relevant thought leadership opens doors to new opportunities you might not otherwise encounter.
Speaking engagements at industry conferences, interviews with the media, and opportunities to publish bylined articles in various media outlets become more attainable when you position yourself at the forefront of the issues impacting your clients’ world. By consistently commenting on topics relevant to your clients’ industries or your practice area, you solidify your position as a go-to authority regarding the work you do.
Producing relevant thought leadership
Producing thought leadership that effectively signals relevance to clients and other target audiences isn’t difficult, it just requires a strategic approach.
First, you’ll have to regularly publish insights focused on current events, emerging trends, and the issues your clients are facing and will face today and tomorrow.
Second, and probably most importantly for providing actionable, relevant takeaways, you’ll want to employ the “So what? / Now what?” framework with your analysis of events, trends, and issues.
It’s not enough to say that a particular event or trend has occurred. Your analysis should address:
- “So what?”: Why does this development matter to my audience? What are the direct or indirect implications for their industry, their business operations, their regulatory compliance, or their strategic planning?
- “Now what?”: Given these implications, what should people in their industry, similar companies, or those affected by this specific change (e.g., regulatory action) be thinking or doing? What are the potential next steps, considerations, or strategies they should explore?
But even the most insightful thought leadership content won’t establish lasting relevance if it’s an occasional thing.
Your target audiences won’t see you as relevant if you remain silent for extended periods. If you’re not actively contributing to the marketplace of ideas, if you’re not frequently engaging with clients and other target audience members through thought leadership content, you risk being forgotten.
They won’t associate you with being on the cutting edge of law or their industries, or remember you as a voice with their finger on the pulse of change. Consequently, you won’t be perceived as relevant when they need guidance.
This doesn’t mean you need to produce thought leadership daily or even weekly. Producing content a few times a month should suffice. Even a monthly cadence will put you ahead of the pack and position you as a relevant, top-of-mind authority who understands the dynamics shaping the present and future for your clients.
Relevant thought leadership keeps you in the game
It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing thought leadership is only about demonstrating your knowledge and wisdom. But relevance is an equally powerful, if not more powerful, aspect of thought leadership.
By showing that you’re relevant, you’re showing clients and your broader target audiences that you’re keenly aware of what’s happening today — in the legal world, the broader world, and within the specific industries where your clients operate.
Through your analysis of these developments and issues, you position yourself as uniquely qualified to help clients understand and deal with the challenges those developments and issues bring, as well as those that tomorrow might bring too.
You’re not just showing you’re smart; you’re showing you have the foresight and understanding to lead and guide them successfully through periods of uncertainty and change.
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.