In our last blog post, we presented the case for developing a content marketing strategy, which begins with an initial process termed “curating.”
But, to curate effectively, you need to know your audience, and know them well. Then, you must identify the content that is most relevant and valuable to them. And, finally, you need to deliver it to them in a timely fashion in a format that is easy for them to digest.
Determining what is most important to your clients and in what areas they are seeking to develop greater expertise is critical to the curating process and must be integrated into your strategy. Do you perform regular client interviews or end-of-matter surveys to determine their ongoing needs and interests? Do you ask them for feedback on types of publications they read or seminars they attend? These are all important aspects to determine their ongoing interests and need for information.
Further, the content need not be generated entirely at the law firm. The firm can become the “trusted curator” that law professor Renee Newman Knake recently noted in a piece she published. She identified the “enormous potential for lawyers as trusted curators to help narrow the access-to-information gap” that perpetuates the access-to-justice gap in this country.”
Joining self-generated content from law firms with references from the media, blogs or other professionals lends credibility, as well as context, to the content provided. It also makes it easy for the marketplace to identify valuable information that will help them in business decision-making.
In his classic book, Trusted Advisor, David H. Maister states:
The theme of this book is that the key to professional success is not just technical mastery of one’s discipline (which is, of course, essential), but also the quality to work with clients in such a way as to earn their trust and gain their confidence.
Content marketing is one important way to establish that trust and gain confidence, not only from existing clients, but from those who may be seeking counsel in specific subject areas.
Marketing professionals, along with library, competitive intelligence, knowledge management and IT staff, can make the curating process easier for internally generated content. Join this internal content with assistance from services that curate external news, blogs and other information sources and it will place the firms that do it well in a clearly competitive marketplace advantage.
There are some wonderful resources to assist marketers in developing strategies and overcoming obstacles. The Content Marketing Institute publishes helpful white papers and a monthly magazine, Chief Content Officer.
cc:Clients has been doing content curation and publishing for 10 years. We have an “Editorial DNA” process that helps to identify the specific content to be used in the curating process for each particular practice/topic/firm.
The keys to effective content marketing are delivering content that educates the customer, enhances a company’s business goals, and establishes credibility and reliability as content experts. It’s about communicating consistently valuable content to the marketplace.