The Thought Leadership Project

If you want to become a thought leader, you can't rely upon your opinion alone. Thought leaders curate the best data and information, and use it to inform their writing, and thereby their audience. Greg Lambert, Chief Knowledge Services Officer at Jackson Walker LLP, joins Jay and Tom discuss how a law firm's library and knowledge management teams can play an integral role in its thought-leadership marketing and business development. Topics addressed include:

• How law firm’s library and knowledge management teams collaborate with  marketing and business development teams

• How lawyers can leverage the information from library and knowledge management resources for their own client development needs

• Greg's own experience as a prolific thought leader, including co-founding the popular and well-regarded 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

Episode 42: The Power of Good Data for Thought Leadership, with Greg Lambert

Jay Harrrington & Tom Nixon

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Reading & Resources

• 3 Geeks and a Law Blog 

• In Seclusion Podcast

• The Geek in Review Podcast

Looking for more? Subscribe today!

Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!

Want to be a guest on a future episode?

Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.

Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.

From start to finish, we help our clients conceptualize, create, and produce podcasts that engage their audience, build awareness, and support business development efforts. In less than 30 days, we will have you up and running with a polished podcast. We will handle the details of podcast setup, from technology to branding, so you can focus on getting ready to host your show.

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What happens when an English major and a former attorney get together to discuss writing techniques for legal thought leadership? Episode 41 of the Thought Leadership Project podcast! Listen in as Jay and Tom cite and examine various techniques for authors to employ in order to capture a reader's attention and keep it all the way to the ultimate call-to-action. Devices discussed include metaphors and analogies, data and statistics, research and sourcing, and even a little bit of storytelling. Discover what Tom says is missing from his writing, and see what might be missing from yours!

Episode 41: Techniques For Authors to Employ in Order to Capture a Reader's Attention

Jay Harrrington & Tom Nixon

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Reading & Resources

• Seven Statistics that Prove the Rule.

• How to Write a Thought Leadership Article

• Is My Content Thought Leadership?

• Writing for the Smallest Possible Audience to Achieve the Biggest Gains

• Connect with Jay and Tom on LinkedIn

Looking for more? Subscribe today!

Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!

Want to be a guest on a future episode?

Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.

Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.

From start to finish, we help our clients conceptualize, create, and produce podcasts that engage their audience, build awareness, and support business development efforts. In less than 30 days, we will have you up and running with a polished podcast. We will handle the details of podcast setup, from technology to branding, so you can focus on getting ready to host your show.

learn more

Social media activity, content creation, and content consumption have all gone through the roof during the COVID-19 crisis. Adrian Dayton, founder and CEO of Clearview Social, joins Jay and Tom to make sense of what is happening with thought-leadership marketing at this moment, and why it matters. Issues addressed include:

• The massive amount of activity happening on social networks

• How thought leadership shared on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter leads to new business

• What ROI lawyers can reasonably expect from their activities on social platforms

• The importance of employee advocacy

Episode 40: Social Platforms + Thought Leadership—a Powerful Combination, with Adrian Dayton

Jay Harrrington & Tom Nixon

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Reading & Resources

• Clearview Social

• Connect with Adrian on LinkedIn and Twitter

• How the Crisis has Made Content More Valuable than Gold

• What is the Future of Legal Marketing, Near-Term and Ongoing?

Looking for more? Subscribe today!

Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!

Want to be a guest on a future episode?

Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.

Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.

From start to finish, we help our clients conceptualize, create, and produce podcasts that engage their audience, build awareness, and support business development efforts. In less than 30 days, we will have you up and running with a polished podcast. We will handle the details of podcast setup, from technology to branding, so you can focus on getting ready to host your show.

learn more

We've spent a lot of time discussing the importance of content creation for lawyers who want to become and remain thought leaders. But what about content curation? Jay and Tom deconstruct a tried and true—and highly recommended—component of thought-leadership marketing to help fortify your position as industry expert.

• What is content curation, and what are some specific examples?

• Why is curation a vital component to an attorney's content marketing program?

• How does one know what to share...and where to find it?

• What is the appropriate mix or ratio of curated content relative to created content?

• What "curation hacks" exist to make this easier on busy lawyers and legal marketers?

Episode 39: The Art of Content Curation

Jay Harrrington & Tom Nixon

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Reading & Resources

• LinkedIn for Lawyers: Six Essential Steps to Success

• Free download: "Grow Your LinkedIn Network and Generate New Leads"

• Virtual training program: Leverage LinkedIn to Excel

• Connect with Jay and Tom on LinkedIn

Looking for more? Subscribe today!

Listen wherever you cast. And don't forget to rate and review The Thought Leadership Project!

Want to be a guest on a future episode?

Share your thoughts directly with our show hosts by emailing Jay Harrington or Tom Nixon.

Hosts of The Thought Leadership Project

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon, who is Chief Storyteller at the Harrington agency, has more than 25 years of experience helping experts become thought leaders. Both are prolific content creators whose work has been featured in leading publications in the legal industry.

From start to finish, we help our clients conceptualize, create, and produce podcasts that engage their audience, build awareness, and support business development efforts. In less than 30 days, we will have you up and running with a polished podcast. We will handle the details of podcast setup, from technology to branding, so you can focus on getting ready to host your show.

learn more

Content consumption is at an all-time high in the current environment. But so is content creation. Adrian Lurssen, co-founder and VP of strategic development at JD Supra, rejoins the podcast to discuss what his platform's analytics and data mean for thought-leadership marketing in the modern paradigm:

What do the data show, in terms of how content is being consumed right now?

What are the resulting implications for creators of thought leadership?

How do thought leaders rise above the noise, to become the "signal?"

How can thought leaders more effectively reach their specific target audiences?

How should CMOs and legal marketing departments be reassessing their nearer-term strategies to address the realities of this new content environment?

Many lawyers and law firms are afraid of narrowing their focus because they worry that by doing so they will limit opportunities for new business. Jonathan Barber, and his law firm Franchise.law, exemplify why the exact opposite is true—that narrowing down on a specific target market is the path to growth. On this episode, Jay and Tom discuss a range of topics with Jonathan, including:

How he and his partner made the leap to representing only franchisors

How that transformation allowed them to grow into a national practice

Why a narrow focus makes marketing and business development easier and more effective

How thought leadership plays an important role in helping a small firm make a big impact

With limits on human interaction making in-person networking nearly impossible, lawyers are flocking to digital platforms like LinkedIn and other social media to stay connected and engaged with colleagues, clients and prospects. Some are diving in for the first time, others are getting reacquainted. Jay and Tom discuss how to leverage LinkedIn to earn a reputation as a true thought leader, from tips basic to advanced, including:

Optimizing your profile

Growing your network with quality connections

Staying engaged and connected with others

Sharing content: what to share, how-to, and how often?

How does thought leadership maximize your efforts on LinkedIn?

On this episode, Jeremy Richter—lawyer, author, and podcaster—joins us to talk about his new book and how having the right mindset is key to becoming a successful and satisfied lawyer. Jeremy is the author of the recently released book, Level Up Your Law Practice, and shares his insights on his book writing process and lots of tips on how to be a good lawyer. Among the topics addressed include:

- Why Jeremy wrote his new book, who it’s for, and what it’s about

- How Jeremy finds the time to write books

- The difference between an abundance mindset and a scarcity mindset, and why it matters

- How to mix creative pursuits with the practice of law

- What led Jeremy to launch his podcast, Lawyerpreneur

Business development during an economic downturn will always feel challenging. Selling during times of crisis can feel downright daunting. Jay and Tom tackle the complexities around selling and marketing during this particularly unique challenging environment, including the mental hurdles that need to be cleared, the strategic groundwork that needs to be laid, and the tactical commitments attorneys need the discipline to adhere to in order to achieve success.

Is now an appropriate time to be "selling?"

How to overcome your own selling aversions and potential market reticence without "selling."

What should attorneys be selling right now, and what are best ways to do so?

Tips for lawyers looking to find productivity gains in an unfamiliar work environment.

Why does thought-leadership marketing excel, given the current limitations on other forms of in-person selling?

Since virtually every law firm in the country is pumping out massive amounts of written content about the COVID-19 crisis, it’s hard for any individual thought leader to stand out. In this episode, Jay and Tom share five tips for crafting content that will reach your intended audience, including:

- Know your audience

- Craft unique headlines

- Address the implications of information

- Look for unique angles

- Think outside your website