The Thought Leadership Project

Here we go again. Just when we thought we’d be spending the fall taking people to lunch and networking at conferences, we’re back to discussing social distancing and delayed returns to the office. But that doesn’t mean the need to market and develop new business is any less urgent. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss why it’s important to use the last few weeks of August to plan for the new business sprint ahead, and share some practical tips on what to focus on, including:

• Sharpening positioning

• A formula for creating thought-leadership content

• A consistent approach to LinkedIn

• Simplifying the marketing tools and tactics you use

• Outreach to key contacts

Reading & Resources

• Learn more about the Thought Leader Collaborative

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

Referrals don't happen by luck or happenstance. Lawyers who are "referrable" are purposeful and intentional about how they interact with clients and other professionals in order to generate new opportunities. In this episode, attorney Joshua Baron joins Jay to discuss:

• What it takes to be referrable

• The importance of client experience

• How a narrow niche helps generate referrals

Reading & Resources

• Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn

• Check out the Business of Criminal Law Podcast

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

There is a reason this is the longest episode ever recorded on this podcast: Alex Su takes us on a deep dive into the strategies and tactics that have helped him grow a large, engaged audience on LinkedIn. Jay, Tom, and Alex cover lots of ground, including:

• How LinkedIn helps content creators develop new business opportunities

• The path to a critical mass of followers

• Tactical posting advice

• How frequently to post

• Developing an audience-focused content strategy

• What metrics matter

Reading & Resources

• Join the Thought Leader Collaborative as a Founding Member by August 1st!

• Connect with Alex Su on LinkedIn and follow him on Instagram and TikTok

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

Law firm clients can’t always distinguish between average and excellent work product, but all know whether they’re receiving good or bad client service. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss the benefits of creating a remarkable experience for your clients, including building a loyal band of advocates in the marketplace singing your praises.

Topics addressed include:

• What client experience is and why it matters

• Client experience as a point of differentiation

• The three phases of client experience

• The peak-end rule

• Tips on improving client experience

Reading & Resources

• Thought Leader Collaborative

• Book suggestion #1: Flip the Funnel

• Book suggestion #2: The Power of Moments

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

The only way to create LinkedIn content seen by lots of people is to first create lots of content seen by few people. This unavoidable (and often discouraging) truth is what stops many people from creating content in the first place, or starting and then stopping way too soon because it seems futile. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss how to approach content creation with the appropriate (long-term) expectations, and why you’re likely to exceed expectations when you have the right mindset.

Topics addressed include:

• The difference between buying and earning an audience

• The importance of writing for someone, not everyone

• The benefits of a 30-day writing challenge

Reading & Resources:

• Jay’s LinkedIn post referenced in the episode

• Learn more about the Thought Leader Collaborative

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn
  

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

On this episode, Gen Xers Jay and Tom sit down and chat with Matt Margolis, also known as #MattTheMillennialLawyer LinkedIn. Matt posts some of our favorite content—hilarious memes, TikTok, and Piñata Farms videos—on LinkedIn, and he shares the tricks of his trade that have helped him build his personal brand and his legal practice on the platform.

The discussion covers:

• Matt’s take on the old trope that all an associate lawyer has to do to advance is “keep their head down and do good work”

• How Matt comes up with ideas for content

• Why you shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself on LinkedIn

• Whether to niche or not

• The benefits of being a thought leader on LinkedIn

Reading & Resources

• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

• Follow Alex Su on LinkedIn

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

Brian Clark is a serial digital entrepreneur, with a track record of building successful businesses using content and thought-leadership marketing techniques as the primary driver of business growth. A former attorney who practically invented content marketing while building Copyblogger, Brian shares his latest ventures, and how content curation — a close relative of content creation—are the building blocks to building an audience, engaging prospects, and growing revenues.

• How is a book of business like a 7-figure small business?

• Why is future freedom a compelling reason to rethink your approach to marketing?

• What is content curation, and how can attorneys use it as a component of—or precursor to—thought leadership marketing?

Reading & Resources

• Sign up to the free newsletter at further.net

• Learn how to turn your practice into a "7-Figure Small" at Unemployable.com

• Take the email course at FutureFreedom.com

• Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

Still skeptical about the benefits of a niche legal practice? You may change your mind after hearing Phillip Russell, a partner at Ogletree Deakins, describe the benefits of niching down. Phillip has what he describes a “triple niche.” He’s an employment lawyer who specializes in OSHA for the construction industry. The specificity of his approach helps him stand out—not to mention develop deep expertise—with his practice. And by combining niche expertise with consistent content creation on LinkedIn, Phillip has grown his practice significantly. Listen in and learn more about:

• The benefits of a niche legal practice

• Phillip’s LinkedIn strategy

• The importance of storytelling on LinkedIn

• The one piece of advice Phillip believes will help you achieve your professional goals

Reading & Resources

• Connect with Phillip onLinkedIn

• Phillip’s website bio

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

Jay Harrington

Tom Nixon

Jay Harrington is a lawyer, author, executive coach, and marketing consultant for law firms and lawyers. Tom Nixon 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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created for lawyers and those in the professional service industry. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your practice on LinkedIn.

You don’t need to do all forms of marketing. You don’t need to be on all social media platforms. In fact, as Jay and Tom discuss in this episode, you should choose just one. Listen in as Jay and Tom address:

• The hidden costs of trying to be omnipresent across all platforms

• The benefits of building a skill set on one

• Tom’s new take on “FOMO”

• The importance of understanding where your audience spends its time and attention

Reading & Resources

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created exclusively for lawyers. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your legal practice on LinkedIn.

By listener request, Jay and Tom address the issue of how to engage in thought-leadership content marketing when one feels they don't have the accomplished career or track record to claim a title of "thought leader." Common to junior associates and recent law school graduates, this phenomenon comes up quite a bit, so this show will help people in that position overcome some limiting beliefs.

Discussion Points:

• Imposter syndrome, or legitimate objection?

• How to overcome the mindset roadblock

• A beginner's guide to thought leadership, for those who hesitate to consider themselves thought leaders

• A step-by-step process to implement tomorrow, with "thought leadership" at the end of the rainbow

Do you have an idea for a future episode of The Thought Leadership Project podcast? Let us know on LinkedIn!

Reading & Resources

• Sign up now for updates on the soon-to-launch Thought Leader Collaborative, going live August 1st!

• Jay's latest read: The Martian

• Tom's shameless plug.

• Connect with Jay on LinkedIn

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

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.

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.

The Thought Leader Collaborative (or the “Lab” as we like to call it) is created exclusively for lawyers. Learn how to build your brand, become a thought leader and grow your legal practice on LinkedIn.