The Thought Leadership Project

Most people are familiar with the term "content marketing" as it relates to thought leadership. But what is "content business development?" Recently referenced by prior guest Adrian Lurssen of JD Supra, this is (as the name suggests) content that lives and operates further down the sales funnel.

To be specific:

Refresher course: What is a sales funnel?

How content and thought leadership now operate across the entirety of the sales funnel.

How can lawyers use various formats of content for business development purposes, in addition to its marketing uses?

A handful of specific examples of content being used as business development tools for listeners to consider.

An invitation, not a solicitation. The offer, not the cold call.

How should attorneys and law firms be thinking differently about their content marketing strategy in 2020?

Spencer X Smith, founder of AmpliPhi Social Media Strategies, joins us to talk about how lawyers can find and leverage public speaking opportunities to build their brands and develop business. In this episode, Jay and Tom ask Spencer to break down his best tips for getting the most out of public speaking, including:

How to find public speaking opportunities

Why public speaking is still important in the digital and social media age

How to use a slide deck to enhance (not overshadow) your presentation

Ways to connect with your audience before, during, and after a public speaking engagement

Adrian Lurssen is co-founder of JD Supra, a digital media company that enables professionals to greatly increase their visibility by sharing their expertise online. As the 28th employee to join Yahoo!, Adrian has a long history and considerable expertise when it comes to developing platforms for content distribution. In this episode, he shares with Jay and Tom what he's learned and how he's innovated in the areas of content distribution and performance analytics, including:

What's wrong with the if-we-build-it-they-will-come conventional wisdom?

What can content marketers take away from Adrian's anecdote about Nelson Mandela?

How can attorneys maximize the content and exposure for the content they create?

Why does content need to be interruptive?

How has the role of content marketing evolved in just the last two years, relative to brand-building and, now, business development?

What metrics should content marketers monitor, and how can that data be weaponized to maximize one's return on investment?

"Personal branding" is one of the most misunderstood terms in marketing vernacular. At it's core, personal branding is about building a positive reputation that speaks for you when you're not there to speak for yourself. In today's episode, Jay and Tom discuss how lawyers can build their personal brands through content marketing, and address questions including:

What is a personal brand?

What are the goals you should seek to accomplish through your content?

What forms of content will help you build your personal brand?

Why is it critical to be authentic and consistent when building your personal brand?

Roy Sexton is the Director of Marketing at Clark Hill, a firm that ranks #82 on the 2019 NLJ ranking of firms based on size. In this episode, Jay and Tom have a lively discussion with Roy about the role that having a strong network—from social media contacts, to colleagues, to clients—has on one's ability to spread his or her thought leadership message. They cover a range of thought leadership marketing topics, including:

The role content marketing and thought leadership have in supporting legal business development

How to build a network that will support and spread your content

The importance of reciprocity—if you want others to engage with your content then you should engage with yours

Why it's critical for everyone in a law firm, from attorneys to support staff, to work together to support content marketing initiatives

What did Harrington's 2019 Law Firm Content Marketing Survey reveal about what makes content marketing programs successful? Where are lawyers sharing their content online, and to what effect? How do law firms establish metrics for success when strategizing and developing their thought leadership programs? Jay and Tom dig in and dissect the market research report conducted earlier this year.

Matters Raised:

But first, a few introductions are in order: Jay and Tom provide brief overviews of their careers and how it led them to where they are today, including their roles as podcast co-hosts and partners at Harrington, the legal marketing firm founded by Jay and his wife Heather.

How was Harrington's 2019 Law Firm Content Marketing Survey constructed? Who was interviewed? What were the goals and overarching intent?

What were the key takeaways and insights? Any surprises?

The most successful content marketing campaigns are those that begin with a documented strategy. Attorneys and legal marketers reporting that they did not have a strategy document returned far lower success rates.

How and where are attorneys distributing their thought leadership content?

What social networks do lawyers report using the most to share content online?

No surprises: What did survey respondents say is the biggest content-marketing challenge facing law firms today?

How can content marketers use the data in this report to optimize their own thought leadership and content marketing initiatives?

What the data tells us about 2019...and beyond!

In-house legal marketers play a critical role in helping lawyers become thought leaders. In this episode, Jay has a discussion with legal marketer-extraordinaire Stefanie Marrone. Stefanie has nearly 20 years of experience in professional services marketing, Stefanie Marrone leads the business development, marketing and communications functions at the New York City law firm Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. She works with firm leadership to develop and implement strategy to enhance client and business development, marketing, social media, content marketing and media relations efforts.

Jay and Stefanie have a wide-ranging conversation on thought leadership marketing topics, including:

How content marketing and thought leadership fuel legal business development

What "content paralysis" is and why it stops lawyers from creating content.

Tips for overcoming content paralysis

The importance of using a client-centric tone and voice with your content

How to find time to create content

Tips to help you get started creating content

The concept of "beta testing" is common to software releases, technology more generally, and even applies to the performing arts. In this episode, Jay and Tom advocate that lawyers used LinkedIn status updates to "beta test" their content ideas before committing to a full-length article, and walk listeners through specific steps to illustrate how one might approach this tactic.

Matters Raised:

What can attorneys and other thought leaders learn from comedian Ricky Gervais?

How does the concept of "beta testing" apply to thought leadership and content marketing?

What's to be gained from this approach? What are the benefits to a busy lawyer?

How can a 250-word status update serve to overcome content paralysis and engage in deeper conversations with desired audiences?

Content crowdsourcing strategies.

Does thought leadership really lead to new business?

The three simple steps to employing this time-saving practice, even for beginners who are just getting started (or thinking about getting started) leveraging LinkedIn to nurture business development opportunities.

On the first episode of The Thought Leadership Project podcast featuring a guest, Jay has a conversation with Scott Becker. Scott is a graduate of Harvard Law School, is the founder and publisher of Becker's Hospital Review, and is a nationally recognized healthcare lawyer at McGuireWoods.

In addition to being a great lawyer, Scott is a prolific and extremely effective thought leader. In this episode, you'll learn:

Why it's critical to have a niche focus to build a legal practice

How Scott went about choosing and building his niche in the healthcare space

The integral role that thought leadership plays in building a lawyer's reputation and positioning lawyers for business development success

How, in the days before the internet (or the term "thought leadership" was even around) Scott used a small industry-focused newsletter and a conference to reach his audience and develop business

The intense focus required to become a thought leader

How Scott build a well-respected and highly-successful media company from his initial content marketing initiatives

Several tips for getting started with thought leadership

Jay and Tom address one of the most commonly expressed obstacles to becoming a thought leader: the confines of time. In this episode, they demonstrate how carving out 60 minutes every two months just might be enough to build a well-oiled content marketing machine.

Matters Raised

How do lawyers overcome the downward pressure on their bandwidth to find enough time to devote to thought leadership?

Making the distinction between "unicorn content" and "donkey content" and that distinction's importance for lawyers looking to become thought leaders.

Going deep on one topic, versus wide on many topics.

What resources will a lawyer need to limit their personal day-to-day involvement in the nitty-gritty of content marketing?

How can one blog topic be enough fodder for a multi-media, multi-sensory content campaign (written arguments, infographics, video, keynote addresses, presentations, podcasting, etc.)?

If I'm a lawyer, and can only carve out 60 minutes of my time to get started, how would I spend it?