Content is King

Post Date:

January 20, 2011

Last week, the Great Jakes blog ran an important post about the author's sinus trouble. Okay, the post is not so much about the author's persistent sinus condition (for which he has our sympathy) as it is about how people search for professional service providers today . . . and for that reason, it's of great interest to all legal marketers. The post underscores a point we've been making for some time: content is king.

The post, in which the author describes his search for a sinus specialist, perfectly captures how professionals who create valuable content have a huge advantage in business development. There was nothing remarkable about the author's search method: he took to the Internet, checked the bios and writings of various physicians, and selected the one most impressive to him. The most impressive, of course, was the doctor who had created the most valuable content about sinus conditions.

Every day, thousands of people who need legal representation are going about their searches the exact same way. And the lawyers with interesting content in their areas of expertise are winning those people's business.

The fact that your content-articles, videos, bios, etc.-shows up when people perform searches in your areas of concern is more than enough to make content creation worthwhile. There are, however, additional reasons:

Referral verification: Getting a referral is a wonderful thing, and as our research shows, it is still the most influential tool to getting new business. But like it or not, referrals aren't enough. As the Great Jakes post points out, when a prospective client is referred to a professional, the prospect's next step won't be to simply hire the professional. First, the prospect will investigate the professional online-it's just too easy not to. And if their search turns up a whole lot of nothing, that's a big strike against the recommended professional. Quality content, by contrast, will play a huge role in sealing the deal.

Networking food: LinkedIn, JD Supra, Twitter, and other networking platforms are wonderful, but keep in mind what they are at their essence-content delivery systems. In order to be attractive and influential on these platforms, you need to be sending your audience information of interest. You need good old-fashioned content-well-written articles, client alerts, or blog posts-to share through these channels in order to make them work for you.

Greasing the wheels: In many cases, partners at large law firms know a number of specific clients whose business they would love to have. But how do you get a conversation started with that General Counsel or CEO? Good content is the ultimate icebreaker. If you've written something of importance to your prospect, passing it along with an introductory note is an ideal way to get their attention. The lawyer who sends the content along is being helpful from the start, and the substantive content allows for an easy transition to a conversation about specific issues facing the prospect.

Good content gets noticed and builds reputations. And as the Great Jakes search for a sinus doctor shows, it's vital to winning business in today's world.

If you need help getting started on your own valuable content, let us know.