What do you do when you learn that your firm has published new content, such as a client alert, newsletter or podcast?
Many years ago, I was talking to a partner at a large firm when, at one point, he asked me for a suggestion. I no longer remember the exact context of the conversation, but my response suggests that we were discussing ways to use content created by lawyers to approach prospective clients and other contacts. I suggested, for example, that he could forward the latest client alert, whether from his own practice area or another, to a few close contacts – clients or not – for whom the topic would be relevant, accompanied by a brief message explaining why he was sharing it. He told me that he thought the suggestion was too pushy. In other words, that it might come across as intrusive or inconvenient to the recipient. After that, I think I moved on to something else…
With existing clients, the doors are already open. The question is what you can bring to their attention that might genuinely interest them – the latest client alert, as in the example above, or some other piece of content. Still, even under these favorable conditions, you often end up doing little or nothing because you “don’t want to bother the client,” “they’ll get in touch when they need something” or some variation of this old excuse. After all, we don’t want to be pushy with our customers, do we?
The same thing happens with prospective clients, even when you already have some contact that gives you a foot in the door. With or without prior contact, you need a relevant update, a fresh idea, an innovative legal solution or some other insight that fits the prospective client’s business so well that it captures their attention. On the other hand, if we don’t want to be pushy with those who are already a client, it certainly doesn’t make any sense to act like that with those who barely know us, does it?
Are we ready to change this attitude?
Assuming you already have access to a selected group of relevant contacts (the “who”), whether you know them well or only loosely, and relevant content and ideas to share (the “what”), then we can focus on “how” to get closer through an easy-to-implement strategy.
This is nothing new, but it’s worth remembering that law firms are producing increasing amounts of content for “one-to-many” distribution through their usual marketing channels. This content tends to be broad in scope – the quality varies greatly, as does its depth – but that doesn’t mean it cannot be useful in the “one-to-one” interactions that are central to business development. What makes little sense is to stop using this content in personalized outreaches because you believe that broad marketing distribution already solves everything. No, it definitely doesn’t solve it.
You probably produce content regularly, as do other partners and lawyers at your firm. So, the next time you come across a piece of content like this, look beyond regular distribution through website, social media, email marketing and similar channels. This is even easier when the content is your own, of course. Start by asking yourself:
• Who could really benefit from this content?
• Whose names (or companies) come to mind?
Think about existing clients, prospective clients, business partners and other contacts in the market. Can you come up with five names? The goal isn’t to create a marketing mailing list, but to identify a select group of contacts with whom you want to build closer relationships and develop new opportunities.
Once you have identified these contacts, the idea is to send each of them a personalized message sharing the content. The best channels are:
• WhatsApp – perhaps the most suitable option because of its immediacy;
• E-mail – a more traditional option, particularly when an immediate response is not necessary;
• LinkedIn DM – useful for reaching people you don’t know yet or have only recently connected with;
• Telephone call – only when the context makes it appropriate.
The message should be brief and, above all, convey the feeling that “this content reminded me of you,” providing a clear reason for sharing it. For example, you could add a concise, pointed comment of your own, linking the topic of the material – or even a specific excerpt – to the recipient’s business and challenges. In other words, the original content may be broad in scope, but you can tailor it to the recipient’s reality, adding value through your personal touch. That’s the key difference in this approach: you.
Does this strategy take effort? Certainly, but I’m not asking you to apply it to dozens of contacts and to every piece of content your firm releases. When genuinely relevant content comes along, choose three to five contacts who are worth reaching out to and send them personalized messages as soon as possible. If you put it off, you’ll not only miss the moment but, being honest, you’ll probably do nothing about it. If that happens and the content is your own, think about the time you invested in creating it…
One important point: don’t use the fact that these contacts are already on your firm’s mailing list as an excuse not to send them personalized messages. “One-to-many” communications rarely have the same impact as a well-thought-out, contextualized “one-to-one” message, especially when the goal is to elicit a response. In this context, what’s more likely to deliver results nowadays: generic institutional messages or relevant personalized messages, sent by a human being?
As for what to share, here are some common types of content produced by law firms and their lawyers – some are better suited to a personalized outreach than others:
• Articles;
• Books (or book chapters) and other publications;
• Client alerts;
• Event recordings (webinars and in-person events);
• Institutional news (recognitions and promotions);
• Invitations to events;
• News stories (via mainstream and specialized outlets);
• Newsletters and bulletins;
• Podcasts and videocasts;
• Presentations and event materials;
• Thought leadership materials.
You’ll notice that I included invitations to events above, specifically those organized by your firm. An invitation is also a form of content: it can open the door to further conversations and content around the event, so it can benefit from the same approach. In my years at law firms, I often saw partners rely entirely on institutional email campaigns – even when segmented by practice area – and then complain that important contacts hadn’t responded or were unaware of the event. The solution? Send personalized invitations to the people you really want to meet at the event. For obvious reasons, this is one situation in which it makes sense to reach out to more than the three to five contacts suggested above.
The same reasoning also applies to third-party content, such as thought leadership materials produced by large companies, industry reports and even events sponsored by your firm, provided they don’t feature or involve competitors. There’s plenty of valuable content out there that may never reach the contacts you want to engage. Even if your personalized message doesn’t introduce anything genuinely new, it still reinforces the message: “this content reminded me of you.”
One more important point: if you don’t invest enough time in making the message engaging enough to elicit a response, you’re better off doing nothing and going back to whatever you were doing before, right?
If you’re reaching out to three to five contacts, you’re looking at about ten to fifteen minutes of your time. Isn’t it worth breaking your routine to do something that could pay off later and that, ultimately, only you can do?
So, what recent content from you or your firm will you share with a few contacts after reading this article?
Marco Antonio Gonçalves is a founding partner of Betwixt Conhecimento & Consultoria and general director of DCM Insights for Brazil and Latin America.
