Content is Everywhere
Content is everywhere. Blame my upbringing as a journalist, or the fact that I live near one of the best bookstores in San Francisco. According to Maslow, my myopia is within the normal range of human behavior.
I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. (Maslow, The Psychology of Science, 1966.)
When the legal community first started focusing on content, people simply wanted something to fill out their CVs, raise brand awareness as being associated with a certain topic, or jumpstart their SEO. All these are still worthwhile objectives. But for most individuals and firms, content is now a key element of business development. Why the change? A more keen understanding of content strategy. I found this succinct definition and wanted to share it. “Content strategy is the high-level vision that guides content development to deliver against a specific business objective.” The word “specific” cannot be overemphasized. Specific, personalized content means you have investigated your high-value business development target and understand their areas of need. Then, you specifically write about those topics, as if you were writing for a single reader. Want to nab Hilton Hotels for your cybersecurity practice? Then don’t write general pieces, but highly targeted pieces, ie, Guarding Against Risk in the Hospitality Industry, or Technology Trends (Good and Bad) in the Key Swipe Market. These will appeal to other readers, but they are dangling bait for your target client. Do your research. Are they in the midst of a massive renovation investment to upgrade their properties? Then craft a piece about securing the comings and goings of tradespeople who need ample access to a site and systems. This approach isn’t for everyone. But if you have identified a few marquis potentials and your fundamentals are sound (meaning no conflicts, the margins are good, you are competitive in the market, etc.), it’s worth a highly targeted, personalized medicine approach. So much of today’s commerce is focused on the ideal pairing of product or service and consumer. Consciously or not, we’ve each come to expect that as purchasers. In that vein, show your target that you are aligned with their business with highly specific content. --stet-- Susan Kostal is a legal marketing consultant and content strategist located in San Francisco Bay Area. Find her monthly column on Attorney at Work & check out more great content here. This post originally appeared in Susan Kostal's Legal Marketing Bits & Bites Newsletter. Sign up for more content here.
