Key to legal thought leadership strategy: Researching issues, trends
RESEARCH CAN BUILD LAWYERS’ REPUTATIONS AS THOUGHT LEADERS
Original article published 11/4/14 – Campos.com
By: Steven Alschuler
Having worked with numerous law firms over the years, as well as the largest voluntary state bar association in the country, I’ve seen a wide disparity in the way lawyers perceive the potential for coverage in the media. These different mindsets are not necessarily related to whether the firm is large or small, global or local, or whether its clients are plaintiffs or Fortune 500 companies. More often, it depends on partners’ perceptions about the competitive landscape and the value of more effective external visibility in their business development and retention efforts.
The most successful public relations campaigns for law firms are ones built on thought leadership rather than hype—projecting lawyers as experts on the issues facing their clients, who can provide insights into emerging trends and how best to prepare for them. Being able to comment in the media on those issues and trends—even without naming clients—provides an extra level of credibility and validation. If The Wall Street Journal quotes you, the thinking goes, you must be an expert.
Often, it’s possible to mount a thought leadership program based purely on what the partners in a law firm already know – what they’re talking to clients about, what issues they’re seeing and what their clients are most concerned about. This might include commenting on regulatory issues, legislative initiatives, court decisions or business issues that require legal analysis. If these are issues that potentially affect an entire industry or group of people, they will be of interest to the media. Reporters, editors, producers, influential bloggers all are constantly on the lookout for insights into the fields they cover and appreciate being introduced to professionals who can provide them.
One way of elevating a firm’s reputation and “branding” it in connection with various industries (if it’s a corporate law firm) is through the use of proprietary research—surveys of companies and organizations within those industries, all of which are potential clients, about what’s on their minds. Surveys of this kind can be done at relatively low cost compared to overall marketing and business development budgets and, if used effectively, can have a unique and compelling impact.
At the outset, merely communicating with the universe of clients and potential clients who will comprise your “sample”—even before a single survey is completed—provides a connection to that industry in a very positive context. It offers an opportunity to have your name connected to something, the results of which they will all be interested in.
Then, of course, at the conclusion of the research, opportunities can be created for sharing the results with the appropriate audience. This might be done at firm-sponsored events, industry conferences or through direct contact and distribution of an attractively designed presentation piece—again providing something of interest to clients that bears the firm’s name.
Research also provides an excellent tool with which to approach the media. Assuming the survey was designed professionally, in a way that garners results that are interesting and newsworthy, members of the media will be receptive. Handled skillfully, new research providing insight into the views of any industry—or any group of people or organizations—can be fodder for significant publicity, along with a corresponding marketing campaign.
Doing such research on an ongoing basis, even if it doesn’t always garner publicity directly, enables lawyers or their communications team to position the firm and its partners as being attuned to emerging trends—making the media think of them as expert sources they can call on in the future and quote in breaking news and industry trend stories.
For a law firm, the quality of thought and insight into news and trends—the things that matter to their clients—is essential in differentiating itself. It is also an essential component in any external communications program.
Effective, purposeful research is a cornerstone of such an effort.
Original article – Campos.com.
