Struggling with content?

One of the consistent struggles mid-size law firms face is the challenge of creating fresh content for news sections of their websites, for blogs and for newsletters or alerts they’d like to send to clients.  What most firms and lawyers don’t realize is they have already created most of the content they need— it’ s in your email archives, in your brief bank.

All firms need to do to create content is rewrite work product in more general form.  A free-lance writer can do this if you don’t have the time yourself, or don’t have marketing personnel or associates available. Every day your lawyers are advising clients through letters and emails about specific situations.  That advice can be modified into content suitable for client alerts, for articles or website news sections and blog posts.  Legal discussions in briefs, say, of the current state of the law as it relates to non-compete agreements in your jurisdiction, content that becomes a public document upon filing, also can be modified into content.

Here’s a specific example: I received a wonderfully detailed and informative letter today from our IP and employment lawyer about our newly-registered trademark “Alyn-Weiss’ Monthly Marketing Brief®”.  Within that letter from Dan Block of Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, www.rwolaw.com, was guidance that could be slightly rewritten and used as numerous blog posts or articles for the firm’s website.  Dan has in the past written articles on trademarks, employment law, and his other areas of expertise.  And, I think he could modify various portions of his letter to me to create two or more “client alerts.”  These could be written alerts sent as letters or as emails.  He could send these alerts over time directly to all of the firm’s business clients so they understand issues related to fully protecting their marks.  I advised him to do this. From a single letter advising me Dan can create an online presence that may get him work from online organic search. He can also mine the firm’s client base for additional IP assignments.  He also provides his firm’s clients with a wider view of what his firm can provide— cross-selling!

Do I mind that a letter he charged my company for (which probably contains information used before in his other letters but was customized for my trademark and my business) will be subsequently modified and used this way?  Absolutely not.  Dan’s understanding of my business, his forethought and diligence and responsiveness, and his demonstrated expertise with IP, in other words, his overall relationship with me, is why I retain him.  I know what he advises me to do he also advises others in similar situations to do.