The Lawyer’s Guide to Thought Leadership by Noreen Fishman
Y
ou might question if it’s necessary to be viewed as an expert in your industry. The fact is that great lawyers tend to be great thought leaders, as well. Being a thought leader is particularly important for lawyers because being viewed as a credible source of knowledge is a key differentiator. Keep reading to learn more about lawyer thought leadership and how to use it to reach potential clients.
LAWYER THOUGHT LEADERSHIP What is Thought Leadership? The term “thought leadership” refers to a type of content marketing that is used to build credibility for individuals or leaders within a firm. The general goal of thought leadership is to become recognized as an expert within your field. You want to be seen as the go-to resource in your industry. In order to become thought leaders, successful lawyers should focus on creating and promoting informational, valuable content and become active in communities associated with their industries. One of the main channels for doing so is social media. Thought leadership is most effective if you can position yourself as a resource that can provide value and advice to your audience. Then, when someone is seeking legal services in the future, they’ll turn to you first. They will already trust you and view you as knowledgeable in the subject matter, so you’ll be topof-mind when they need the services you offer.
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Attorney Journals San Diego | Volume 225, 2022
Lawyer Thought Leadership Best Practices Before you dive into creating thought leadership, consider the following:
R ESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
(AND KEEP LEARNING ABOUT THEM)
Compelling thought leadership starts with your client personas. What motivates your audience? What are their main challenges? What questions are they likely to ask throughout the process? Conduct research through your digital channels, perform client interviews, talk to your sales team about their experiences, etc. Make sure to evaluate this information over time, as it could evolve. Are the questions you typically get changing from year to year? You’ll need to know what’s changing so that you can address the most accurate and relevant information.
INTERACT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media can be a powerful channel for growing your brand and credibility as a lawyer. It’s important to be active and engaged with your industry communities online. Participate in relevant conversations about industry events, updates, and trends. Once you have been active in online groups, you can promote your own thought leadership more organically.
C REATE A VARIETY OF CONTENT AND PUBLISH IT ON MULTIPLE CHANNELS
Thought leadership for lawyers involves a lot more than just posting to your blog. It requires being active on social media, guest posting on other sites, and speaking at events, podcasts, and more. Mix things up with owned media and
