Digital Content Annual Report AUGUST 2019
P R ES IDE N T ’ S L E T T E R
Amplifying the ABA’s voice in a digital age As the only national representative of the country’s legal profession, the American Bar Association is informed not only by our values as lawyers, but also by our knowledge and experience. In a digital world that too often elevates the chaotic and the combative, the ABA’s voice matters more than ever. Rising to the challenge, we are delivering on our commitment to ensure that our content rings clear and true across an ever-evolving network of digital platforms, including social media, email, and web. This report outlines the progress we have made in the past year toward bringing a more strategic approach to our organization’s content efforts. It is a delivery on promises made when we approved ambitious plans for the ABA’s new membership model. It is how we are working to provide members and potential members with more personalized, curated, and relevant content tailored to their interests and needs.
For an organization that publishes more than 1,000 publications, periodicals, and newsletters a year, the way we package and deliver substantive content matters greatly. We are putting in place structures to ensure that we consistently reap returns on our investments that reflect the extraordinary value of ABA content. Associations across the board are experiencing great change. The ABA must meet the evolving needs of our profession and the changing needs of the next generation of lawyers. The progress we have made with content initiatives is an important element of our promise to members, the legal profession, and the public we are sworn to serve. Thank you for your commitment to the American Bar Association and all that its voice represents.
BOB CARLSON ABA President Courtesy of ABA Media Relations
Table of Contents 03
Executive summary
05
The business case for content
07
Progress report
13
Case studies
26
Appendix
E X EC U T IVE SUMMA RY
The ABA has a vast inventory of content, but it must do more with what it has EDI TO RI AL G OV ERN A N C E
The lion’s share of ABA content is produced by members with deep expertise in the law. Therefore, the opportunity lies not in altering effective content creation efforts but rather in optimizing the distribution of that content. Outlined on the following page are the approaches the ABA is taking across five key elements of the ABA content strategy: editorial, governance, planning, audience development, and talent and structure.
AUDI ENCE DEVELO PMENT TA LEN T & ST RU C T U RE
PLA N N I N G
03
Editorial
Planning
We’re continuing efforts to optimize ABA magazines, newsletters, and other valuable content assets for a digital world. At a high level, it means parceling out the component parts of an asset, such as separating a magazine into individual articles, in ways that travel broadly across the mobile and social web.
We’re lifting up from the day-to-day to organize efforts around the week-to-week, the month-to-month and the quarter-to-quarter. Building in time allows us to apply strategic approaches to deliver successful results.
Governance
Audience Development
We’re defining the universe of content available to the ABA and organizing it in ways that make it easier to develop insights that drive our mission. In this way, we can deliver a more personalized, curated content experience that reflects members’ areas of interest.
We’re placing the member at the center of content initiatives, constructing campaign-style approaches that are scalable, replicable, adaptable, and reflective of member interest. By focusing on the needs of the member, we increase our reach and demonstrate our relevance.
Talent & Structure We’re adapting powerful workflows and tools from the worlds of digital media and communications to suit the needs of a sophisticated content-producing organization such as the ABA. Stakeholders across the organization are sharing content planning efforts, allowing everyone to see the full picture.
04
T HE B USINE SS CASE FOR CO NTENT
How the ABA uses content to drive growth Lawyers and legal professionals are bombarded with content at every turn—from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep—on phones, in cars, through headphones, and via smartwatches. And they’re not alone: American adults, on average, spend about twice as much time with digital media as they did about a decade ago—from about three hours a day in 2008 to about six hours a day in 2018.
In this environment, it is more important than ever for organizations to deliver information in meaningful ways. The ABA is rolling out a comprehensive digital content strategy to do just that, drawing on lessons from leaders in a
05
variety of sectors. Many of these frontrunners have developed smart strategies for using content to connect with audiences and build deep, long-lasting relationships that generate revenue. Publishers with high-quality content have found success in nudging users to pay for subscriptions using paywalls that strategically limit access. The New York Times introduced a paywall in 2011 and has used it to acquire 2.2 million paying readers through digital subscriptions. Other leaders in the content space include Wired, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Newcomers such as the digital music provider Spotify have also leveraged strategic access to content to grow business. Spotify has grown steadily since its 2018 IPO by offering a mix of free and premium content to bolster subscriptions. Its paid users as a share of total customer
base soared to nearly 50 percent in 2018—up from less than 25 percent in 2015. Why does any of this matter to the ABA? As an organization, the ABA has a wealth of content that can be used to drive conversion to membership. It publishes about 5,000 unique digital articles per year across 245 legal topics and 3,500 entities. The lion’s share of this content is produced by members who are substantive experts in matters of the law, making it even more valuable. This is why the ABA committed to a bold new content strategy at
Annual 2018. The Board of Governors approved funding to develop a team that would work across departments to pursue modern content tactics to help deliver a compelling user experience for all members. Key elements of the strategy included a focus on personalization and curation, high-quality execution, and a thoughtful approach to paid and free content. The ABA has made great strides in its content efforts over the last 12 months. This report provides a mere snapshot. It includes details on the ABA’s most recent approaches along with a few case studies.
Focus on personalization and curation High-quality execution Strategic approach to paid and free content
Sources: “Internet Trends 2019,” Mary Meeker, June 11, 2019 @ Code 2019 “Are Paywalls Saving Newspapers?,” Kristen Senz, July 8, 2019 “The Comprehensive Effects of a Digital Paywall Sales Strategy,” Copyright © 2019 by Doug J. Chung, Ho Kim, and Reo Song ABA Analysis of ABA Content Inventory, Premium/Free Content, July 16, 2019 Data Never Sleeps 7.0, https://www.domo.com/learn/data-never-sleeps-7, accessed July 23, 2019 “The New York Times digital paywall business is growing as fast as Facebook and faster than Google,” By Edmund Lee and Rani Molla,” Recode, Feb. 8, 2018
06
Progress report At the 2018 Annual Meeting, the Board of Governors approved ambitious plans to both improve member value and promote the quality content created by ABA entities. The plans outlined an approach to deliever a more personalized, curated content experience for ABA members and potential members.
P R O G R ESS R E P OR T
Activating the strategy Objectives
Build value in basic membership by implementing a modern content strategy to both improve member value and promote the quality content created by entities. Develop and promote high quality, original digital content of sufficient appeal to all potential members. Strategically deploy content among all available channels (website, email, social media) to engage with members and potential members where they currently consume content while also drawing them back to ABA-controlled platforms. Support the content effort with a new, cross-functional, dedicated content team that includes content strategists, social media experts, and talented creators with modern storytelling skills (e.g., video, podcasting, design).
Outcomes
December 2018
January 2019
Baseline analysis
16-point strategy across 5 key vectors
May 2019
June 2019
Early Career Strategy Group
ABA-sponsored content pilot
content pilot
March - April 2019 Coordinating calendaring begins Focus first on website and social channels Email efforts launching in fall 2019
October 2018 - April 2019 Five hires with expertise in digital media strategy and production
Source: Board Memo, “Request for Approval of New Membership Model� July 25, 2018
08
P R O G R ESS R E P OR T
Amplifying the content Objectives
Invest in tools to produce and curate content, data management tools to better gather and utilize member data, and paid social/digital advertising to improve our ability to segment and reach our key audiences. The content team will draw from a virtual library of e-content to deliver substantive content to members that is relevant, timely, and fresh. The content team will work with all providers of e-content to educate on the most effective ways for e-content to be presented to today’s audiences. The content team will generate e-content and use e-content generated by GP Solo, LP, CPR, ABA committees and commissions, ABA Journal, and third parties (e.g., ABA Insurance administrator USI).
09
Outcomes
October 2018
April 2019
Social media calendaring tool
Cloud-based content
activated
calendaring tool activated
October 2018
June 2019
Coordinated story selection for
Content recirculation begins
americanbar.org homepage
on main social media handles
January 2019 Socialize baseline analysis and content strategy Addressing SOC Fall Leadership Meeting on Sept. 11, 2019
April - June 2019 ABA content universe defined, catalogued
Source: Board Memo, “Request for Approval of New Membership Model� July 25, 2018
Collaborating at scale Objectives
The sections, divisions, and forums not included as part of ABA base dues will provide a substantial amount of high quality and relevant “evergreen” substantive e-content to create the initial virtual library. The content team may ask a producing entity to provide additional pieces of e-content for the virtual library or discrete marketing campaigns. The decision of whether that piece of e-content is included in the virtual library or marketing campaign rests with the producing entity.
Outcomes
May 2019 Documentation identifying articles published via automated reports through back end of americanbar.org, identifying entity content for consideration
June 2019 Preliminary requests to open select content for social promotion begin on case-by-case basis
Source: Board Memo, “Request for Approval of New Membership Model” July 25, 2018
10
P R O G R ESS R E P OR T
Timeline October 2018 - April 2019 Five hires with expertise in digital media strategy and production
OCT
NOV
October 2018 Social media calendaring tool activated
January 2019 16-point strategy across five key vectors (editorial, governance, planning, talent and structure, audience development)
DEC
JAN
December 2018 Baseline content analysis
FEB
January 2019 Socialize baseline analysis and content strategy
October 2018 Coordinated story selection for americanbar.org homepage
Budget Projection Sep. 1 to Aug. 31
11
25% UNDER BUDGET
April - June 2019 ABA content universe defined, catalogued
March - April 2019 Coordinated calendaring begins
MAR
APR
May 2019 Early Career Strategy Group content pilot
MAY
April 2019 Cloud-based content calendaring tool activated May 2019 Automation that identifies published articles on the ABA website goes live
June 2019 ABA-sponsored content pilot
JUN
JULY
June 2019 Preliminary requests to open select content for social promotion June 2019 Content recirculation begins on main ABA social media handles
12
Case studies
C AS E 01
Virtual library
C AS E 02
Social media
C AS E 03
Young Lawyers Division
C AS E 04
Sponsored content
C AS E 05
Fund for Justice Education
CAS E ST UDY 01
ABA virtual library: Bringing order to a distributed publishing environment CHA L L E N G E
S OLUTI ON
RESULTS
Historically, a complicated patchwork of publishing tools and spreadsheets has made it difficult to identify the true nature of the ABA content inventory in order to leverage it in strategic ways.
Activated a cloud-based publishing tool used by leading content producers, including Disney, Starbucks, Target, Uber, Bank of America, and Amazon. The tool integrates project management, asset, file storage, publishing, and analytics tasks in powerful new ways.
Established foundation for coordinating planning efforts across ABA Publishing, ABA Journal, Media Relations, ABA CLE, and ABA entities Launched 17 distribution campaigns from May through July Deployed 307 assets across main ABA social media handles Conducted analysis to determine inventory of available article content
15
Insight With a firm definition of its inventory, the ABA can monitor and adjust the mix of topics across platforms and channels in order to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the organization.
Homepage Stories by Area of Interest May-July 2019 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION COURTS & JUDICIARY LEGAL EDUCATION ACCESS TO JUSTICE CIVIL RIGHTS & CONSTITUTION GOVERNMENT LITIGATION & TRIALS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GENERAL PRACTICE ETHICS TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL LAW LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CHILDREN'S RIGHTS CRIMINAL CIVIC EDUCATION FAMILY LAW STUDENTS TRUSTS & ESTATES
In April 2019, the ABA began using a cloud-based calendar tool called Opal to monitor the content mix.
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT MILITARY & VETERANS BUSINESS & CORPORATE TORT CYBERSECURITY HEALTHCARE & PHARMACEUTICALS ENVIRONMENT PRO BONO 0
2
4
6
8
10
16
CAS E ST UDY 02
ABA social media: Scaling prominent channels with a structured approach
CHA L L E N G E
S OLUTI ON
RESULTS
The ABA’s main social media accounts have grown dramatically in the past several years without the benefit of paid promotion that most leading organizations use.
In order to scale the operation further, we needed to start with a more structured and calendared approach to publishing.
Transitioned from daily planning to weekly and monthly planning Developed analytics tracking and dashboard to monitor week-over-week performance Implemented active listening techniques to monitor post and click performance in aggregate
17
Insight With a more structured approach, ABA main handles post less frequently but see higher engagement than other ABA handles. Post Count June 2019
500
Engagement Count June 2019 120
MAIN ABA HANDLES OTHER ABA HANDLES
300 60
4.8575
6.21
30.68
40.075
40
20
36
100
202
79
200
81.8775
426
80
101.555
100 400
0
0 FACEBOOK
LIKES/FAVORITES
SHARES/RETWEETS
COMMENTS/REPLIES
Main ABA handles include @AmericanBarAssociation (Facebook - 76K), @ABAesq (Twitter - 102K), American Bar Association (LinkedIn - 100K), and americanbarassociation (Instagram 7.5K). Other ABA accounts are represented by an aggregate of six high-follower accounts (Litigation - 29K, Shop ABA - 5K, Family Law - 5K, Pro Bono - 5K, Public Ed - 4K, Business Law - 3.8K).
18
CAS E ST UDY 03
Young Lawyers Division: Extending a moment in time with content CHA L L E N G E
S OLUTI ON
RESULTS
The Young Lawyers Division was seeking a way to extend the reach and impact of its meetings.
The Digital Content team worked with ABA member leaders to capture video and social media content at the May 2019 spring conference, packaged it for social, and planned a weeks-long distribution schedule.
Created 117 social media assets on the event
19
Published campaign over a 10-week period Activated six digital channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and americanbar.org
Insight By turning a single moment into a multi-faceted campaign, ABA increases its opportunity to connect with key audiences such as young lawyers and law students.
Engagement - Aggregate Total Phase 1: June 24 - July 2
SOCIAL CHANNELS ACTIVATED
691
TOTAL SHARES/ RETWEETS
TOTAL LIKES/FAVORITES
17
TOTAL COMMENTS/ REPLIES
63
77,569 TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
20
CAS E ST UDY 0 4
Sponsored content: Developing a proof of concept with member leaders CHA L L E N G E
S OLUTI ON
RESULTS
With the launch of the new membership model, the ABA needed a high-impact piece to illustrate scalable approaches and demonstrate value through content.
The ABA commissioned a sponsored article through a partnership with The Atlantic magazine to explore the intersection of the law and technology, a key focus for target audiences.
Convened a group of 12 senior ABA member stakeholders to ensure quality, on-message output Managed development of a five-section, 3,000-word article with multiple references to ABA and array of expert ABA sources Coordinated promotion efforts between members, thought leaders in legal space, and other stakeholders to expand reach
21
Insight The ABA can stake a claim to big ideas by concentrating efforts around flagship content programming. Performance June 26 to July 22
Active Dwell Time (Seconds) is five times the industry standard, at 186.3 seconds, compared to the benchmark of 36.5 seconds. This is a testament to the substantive nature of the piece. Scroll Depth is at 100% industry standard, with users viewing about 30% of the page on average, compared to the benchmark of 30% of the page on average. 8,321 pageviews in campaign’s first 29 days, which is about 55% toward Atlantic benchmark of 15,000 over the campaign through Aug. 7. 5,044 unique visitors is 42% toward benchmark
CAS E ST UDY 0 5
Fund for Justice Education: Working across departments to activate ABA mission CHA L L E N G E
S OLUTI ON
RESULTS
ABA’s Commission on Immigration began seeing an increase in unsolicited donations in June as conflict surrounding U.S. border initiatives were elevated in the news cycle.
The ABA Fund for Justice Education coordinated messaging efforts among key internal departments including Media Relations, Government Affairs, Office of the President, the Commission on Immigration, Center for Public Interest Law, ABA Journal, Digital Engagement, and Digital Content.
Activated a quick-turn strategy to respond to timely topic
23
Developed a landing page featuring an array of ABA content on the topic designed to drive users to a donation page Coordinated publishing efforts across email, social media, and website
Insight Being ready with content at critical moments can drive donations.
Immigration Donations June 22 to July 26
10000
8,878
$
6/24
8000
6000
47,749.00
$
4000
TOTAL GIFT AMOUNT IN 36 DAYS
2000
0 6/22
(Chelsea Clinton tweeted on June 24, driving a spike in donations.)
7/26
24
Appendix
N E X T ST E P S
Content Presentation
SOC Fall Leadership Meeting Sept. 11-13, 2019, Chicago
26
A PP EN DIX
Planning efforts guide strategy With new tools and workflows in place, the ABA can now track not only the depth but also the breadth of its content inventory. This allows the ABA to deliver more personalized and curated content across digital platforms and channels.
17
DISTRIBUTION CAMPAIGNS CREATED
307
ASSETS UPLOADED Timeframe: May-July 2019
27
CHANNELS
The ABA commands the legal conversation on digital channels An analysis of online legal conversations in November 2018 identified and analyzed content shared publicly across digital and social channels. It identified the volume of conversation threads, the most popular channels, the most commonly discussed themes and topics, and the most widely shared content about legal topics. The analysis was based on the number of brand mentions of the ABA and its peers.
The ABA has the largest volume of mentions compared to others, followed by Above the Law.
Number of Online Mentions Oct. 1, 2016 to Nov. 1, 2018 ABA
40411
ABOVE THE LAW
17977
TEXAS BAR
14737
ACC
2692
FLORIDA BAR
2573
NY BAR
2325
CLIO
1533
WESTLAW
1252
CALIFORNIA BAR
1248
Key Insights
Among the state bar associations, Texas had the highest mentions, followed by Florida and California. The ABA and Above the Law had the highest growth rates of their conversations among competitors.
899
CHICAGO BAR 0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
Source: Demand Mapping Report, Finn Partners, December 2018
28
A PP EN DIX
The ABA outperforms its peers on social media Number of Likes, Shares, Comments Oct. 25, 2018 to Nov. 25, 2018
14759
ABA
10187
5395
NYSBA
CLIO
1557
CBA
1022
Key Insights Facebook is the key platform for engagement, surpassing Twitter. The ABA has more engagement than all of the competitors combined.
425
WESTLAW
In the competitive set, YouTube has moderate engagement as a platform.
168
ACC
0
29
4572
3000
6000
9000
12000
15000
Software: SEMrush • Time period: 30 days, Oct. 25, 2018 to Nov. 25, 2018 Note: Numbers reflect aggregate picture of 93 active ABA Facebook and Twitter accounts over the period.
Source: Demand Mapping Report, Finn Partners, December 2018
Mentions of the ABA are on the rise Timeframe: Oct. 1, 2016 to Nov. 1, 2018
40,441 TOTAL POSTS
286%
Mentions of the ABA in the conversation were driven by news channels (50%), Tumblr posts (27%), and Twitter posts (19%). Mentions of the ABA grew by 286% over the timeframe. Tumblr featured long-form politicized content, where users commented on the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh, international policy, and U.S. politics. There were a high number of mentions of diversity and inclusion, government and legislation, and immigration, but limited mentions of ethics, disaster response, and cybersecurity.
TOTAL POST VOLUME
Source: Demand Mapping Report, Finn Partners, December 2018
30
A PP EN DIX
Social media findings and implications Competitive Ranking The ABA has the largest social media audience and earns the most engagement among companies tracked by market researchers. The ABA has the third largest amount of activity compared to its competitors, indicating that it gets more ROI on its posts in comparison to others. The most engaging posts by the ABA and competitors feature content on current events involving news on law-related topics. Humorous posts by the ABA featuring references to contemporary TV shows also earn high engagement.
31
Source: Demand Mapping Report, Finn Partners, December 2018
Social media findings and implications Channel Usage & Performance Twitter: The platform by far has the largest audience and most activity. Yet, it is second to Facebook when it comes to engagement. Facebook: The platform is second in activity and audience but earns the most engagement for the ABA and many competitors. YouTube: The ABA and its competitors are less active on YouTube. There is limited engagement from YouTube posts with the exception of Clio, whose customer-oriented videos accounted for more than half of its engagement.
Source: Demand Mapping Report, Finn Partners, December 2018
Largest audience and most activity
Most engagement for the ABA
Less active and limited engagement
32
DIGITA L CONT E NT T E A M
Jim Walsh
Cara DiPasquale
Digital Content Director
Planning Editor
Jim oversees the ABA Digital Content team and creates strategies that deliver a compelling, personalized digital experience for our members. Jim comes to the ABA from Atlantic 57, The Atlantic magazine’s creative and consulting division, where he served as Editorial Director. In that capacity, he developed integrated content strategies and organizational growth plans from a journalistic perspective. He previously was News Editor at the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in integrated marketing from Georgetown University.
Cara DiPasquale is an editor and content strategist with 20 years of experience in digital and print media. She comes to the ABA from the Chicago Tribune, where she supervised reporters, edited news and feature stories, created and launched new products, and spearheaded a newsroom planning process to create and deliver content that drove audience engagement. She has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in English from Cornell University.
Edward McEneely Social Media Manager
Jazmin Beltran Growth Editor Jazmin Beltran is a bilingual multimedia journalist who has spent more than a decade covering stories in Chicago and the Midwest. She’s been a TV news reporter for Univision Chicago, publisher for Univision.com and adjunct lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She has also served as lead instructor for Global Girl Media, where she taught young women from under-resourced communities digital journalism, creative writing, interviewing skills, and video production. Ms. Beltran earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Journalism from Northwestern University.
33
Edward McEneely manages the ABA’s main social media channels and has worked at the Association in various capacities since 2006. He received a BA in the Humanities from Shimer College in 2003. Edward’s short fiction has been published in the Hugo-nominated Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet and in Talebones.
Rico Lajom Digital Content Design Rico Lajom is an energetic Senior Graphic Designer based in Chicago. Skilled and knowledgeable in print, web, motion, and graphic design, with an aptitude for working with multimedia. Flexible and versatile, Rico can work with different formats, technical or creative. He graduated with a BFA in Multimedia from the International Academy of Design and Technology.
N OT ES
34
© 2019 American Bar Association • www.americanbar.org