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Running a business large or small requires an enormous investment of time and attention to dozens of details.  So how involved should the CEO or business owner be with marketing, communications, and messaging?  Is it worth his or her time for the CEO to blog?

In short, the answer is Yes.  And there are ways to do it effectively and efficiently without removing his or her managerial responsibilities.

A Credible Source

Perhaps the best reason for a CEO to blog is authenticity and credibility:  if the public has the chance to read the words of the leader, the organization can break down barriers of communication and the public can not only learn more but also, via the Comments or sharing features, engage in a one-to-one dialogue with the most senior leader.

What’s Old Is New Again

The idea of a personal letter being written from the CEO and disseminated to a wide audience is nothing new.  The CEO is often the byline of the ‘Welcome’ letter in a New Employee Orientation package, and the CEO (or CFO) is the one authoring the Management Discussion and Analysis portion of an Annual Report. 

However, for anyone who’s spent time in the PR or HR function of a company, such letters are often ghostwritten, and final signoff from the CEO doesn’t come until much later.  If this is widely understood and accepted, does that undermine the credibility of the CEO?

Not necessarily.  Single-use letters like the Welcome letter or Annual Report introduction can have long lead times, but a blog’s format requires a much more active messaging format.  As such, a reader may fully expect that the CEO receives assistance from a PR team member or designated writer, but by and large, many of the posts will be written directly by the source.

Delegate But Still Oversee

One strategy for the CEO to blog or write personal thoughts is the idea of note-taking, and using technology to ‘ideate’ and capture thoughts as they occur.  Communications professionals can provide their CEO or members of senior leadership with tools to capture thoughts in transit – as they often travel – and then take these disparate notes and put them into a more structured format suitable for a blogpost.

Indeed, even recording audio or video clips can be extremely valuable, as the communications or marketing team can transcribe the material – or with permission, use it as part of the blogpost itself, for extra authenticity. 

For CEOs involved in a more day-to-day, client-facing capacity – as so many are these days – a video capture can do wonders for communicating with a key prospect, supplier, or industry partner, and can open the doors to more detailed discussions and communications.

For busy or shy CEOs, all it takes is one customer to reveal, ‘I read your blogpost,’ or ‘I saw your video,’ and they will realize the value of the effort.

Perfect Shouldn’t Be the Goal

The search for perfection is what often prevents many people from starting on their social media journey.  Luckily, with the dynamic tools of social publishing these days, attempts can be corrected or modified quickly.

Over time, the CEO will discover his or her ‘voice,’ and a willing audience will embrace it.

Final Thought:  As businesses of all sizes these days are doing more with less, and with so many customers bored or tired with faceless communications, a continuous stream of real messaging from the CEO can go the extra mile in converting naysayers to believers.

Figure out a combination of tools and strategies that work, and produce an outstanding platform that makes people want to come back for more.

Want Help? Contact our team today to ask a question via the form to the right.

ChangeU: for your independent study…

1. THE 2103 BRANDFOG CEO, SOCIAL MEDIA & LEADERSHIP SURVEY:http://goo.gl/fH8CBi  This second annual survey was conducted to better understand C-Suite social media strategy and measure its effect on executive leadership, brand image, and brand trust.  The results?  Over 80% of respondents believe that that social media is an important communication channel for CEOs to engage with customers and investors.

2. THE SOCIAL CEO:http://goo.gl/6yHKL4 Research firm KRC and public relations firm Weber Shandwick teamed up to study perceptions of CEOs who engage in social media.  One interesting finding:  73% of executives with social CEOs search to see what their CEO is posting.

3. RESEARCH FROM CEO.COM: http://goo.gl/CYHRyM  After sending his first tweet, Warren Buffett joked, “Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”  However, according to this report from CEO.com and Domo, 68% of CEOs have absolutely no presence on any of the major social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google Plus). 

For medical professionals who maintain longstanding relationships with their patients – and whom they often recruit via insurer networks – one might ask:  why should a medical practice engage in digital marketing?

With the costs of running a practice increasing exponentially, especially with investments needed in EMRs and cutting-edge diagnostic technology, medical practices might struggle with investing resources in intangibles like a website, blog, Facebook page, and the like.

However, a medical practice should absolutely consider maintaining a website and engaging in multiple digital marketing strategies.  The ability to present thought leadership and increase the likelihood of getting found by prospective patients are proof of the positive outcomes of a robust digital marketing program.

A Little Help from Friends
The good news is that several participants in the healthcare industry – from large hospitals to insurers to startups – have made it easier for doctors and other medical professionals to begin building their presence without having to start a website from scratch and hope patients find it.

Hospitals and healthcare systems, for example, maintain increasingly sophisticated digital presences, and often feature physicians on several of their webpages or microsites.  This could serve as a good first start for a doctor.

 
The website for Scottsdale Medical Center. 

Healthcare startup HealthTap, which started out as a Q&A site in which patients can ask a medical expert a question, and ZocDoc, an appointment-setting app, have created opportunities for physicians and other medical professionals to create their own personal pages and upload various digital assets.  

Physicians see the value of participating on these apps and networks when new patients discover their practice and make appointments.  Usually it takes one such conversion to get a doctor hooked.

 
The website for HealthTap, connecting patients with physicians and other medical experts.

Not Giving Away the Store
A huge concern with medical marketing is content:  what should a physician or medical expert broadcast online?  What would be considered appropriate or valuable – or legal?   

The idea of giving away advice, opinions, or perspectives via a public blog has been a tough decision for many professionals, not just physicians.  The basic rule of thumb:  if it wouldn’t be appropriate for a healthcare blog or the health channel of a major news site or portal, then don’t publish it.  

Finding the time to blog often proves to be difficult, as even CEOs and other business leaders are still figuring out how to engage in content marketing.

There, of course, exists the possibility of a reader – a current or prospective patient – taking the advice and simply not scheduling an office visit.   

But the good news is that as content builds, the site is being optimized for search, and after a few months, the doctor can enjoy higher discovery, more clickthroughs, and multiple inquiries on the Contact page.  

Joining the Conversation
Thought leadership is what separates one expert from another online, and in the competitive medical industry, a highly regarded blog can make all the difference.

As individuals consume the Web with more specific intent, users are increasingly typing in longer phrases, questions, and search strings.  A medical practice’s blog that can anticipate and address such expected medical questions, or specific medical terms, acronyms, conditions, symptoms, or medications, is sure to get found more quickly.

These thought leadership efforts can be amplified by syndicating the content with links published to the practice’s social channels, like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and any email newsletters or alerts distributed by the practice.

Final Thought:  A medical practice should have a digital presence for several reasons, perhaps starting as a page on an existing healthcare social network and eventually building to a robust, standalone presence.  The key is to present compelling thought leadership and engage in proper search engine marketing.  Getting found based on insights and expertise will serve the medical practice well.
 

Want Help? Contact our team today to ask a question via the form to the right.
ChangeU: for your independent study…

ChangeU: independent study…
Healthcare Social Networks:  New Choices for Doctors, Patients
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient-tools/healthcare-social-networks-new-choices-for-doctors-patients/d/d-id/1234884
A review of social networks for the medical community.

Social Media on HHS.gov
http://www.hhs.gov/web/socialmedia/
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines on social media usage.

3 Keys to Digital Marketing in Healthcare
http://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/digital-marketing-in-healthcare
Digital marketing insights from marketing software provider Hubspot.

What is Content Marketing?

According to Wikipedia, content marketing ‘is any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.’

This catch-all phrase certainly means different things to different marketers, in different companies and in different industries.  As such, a community of content marketers and professionals has evolved to address the ever-changing needs of this business process.

A content marketing strategy occurs when a brand, company, or organization utilizes longer-form content – articles, videos, photos, research findings, among other assets – to capture the attention of potential customers – hopefully leading to engagement, and then eventually, sales. 

While advertising campaigns are designed to generate awareness, the discipline of content marketing involves a dedicated, focused approach that includes any or all of the following aspects:

• The development of a content marketing team of bloggers, researchers, editors, designers, and developers to create the company’s content
• A schedule or calendar for content distribution
• A platform to publish and distribute the content, often the company’s website but also various social media channels and email or automation programs
• Monitoring and metrics tools to measure audience reception to and engagement with the content

Spreading the Love

Discussions of content marketing generally include social media, but there are many other business functions to which content marketing extends.  As such, one or more individuals from these departments could take a more active role in a company’s content marketing strategy.

• Sales.  Salespeople and those supporting sales operations need a consistent stream of content to put in front of prospects.   Sales professionals are a perfect group to measure the strength of content assets, as they can give immediate feedback to the marketing team as to what is performing and what is not.
• Customer service.  As customer care has largely moved online, a customer community, self-service site, or FAQ webpage are all considered content marketing, as customers go online to search for the information they need.  Customer service managers can measure the impact and utilization of such content, and so by extension, their content is content marketing.  (They can also insert some helpful information about the company’s new products as well.)
• Human resources and administration.  Many companies large and small have realized that their corporate intranet, in which reside dozens of important employee-related policies and documents, need to be more clearly organized and utilized.  Document retrieval and utilization are by extension, content marketing, as HR managers, using the proper tools, can determine which pieces of content are accessed more than others, and give attention where needed.  Indeed, employees can be considered an internal audience.

Automating the Process

With the proliferation of Twitter timelines, blogs, Facebook Pages, YouTube channels, and Pinterest boards, marketers are very well aware of the need to constantly and consistently feed ‘the content beast.’ 

As such, shrewd marketers understand that not all of their content needs to be original.  Indeed, marketers have learned that they can capture the interest of their core audience of buyers and influencers by aligning themselves and the brands they represent with the content of others, a process otherwise known as content curation.

Examples of content curation include retweets – merely passing along a tweet which you find interesting, while still identifying the original author.  Another example of content curation is finding a YouTube video or SlideShare presentation which you consider interesting, and then embedding it on your website or blog, and including your remarks or commentary.  Thanks to embedding technology, this process is legal and ethical, and serves to promote both the content of the original creator as well as your own.

There now exist several content marketing services that include curation tools, that automate this process and introduce efficiency to content marketing efforts.

The Evolution of an Industry

Content marketing is not new.  Some clever marketers have been utilizing content marketing practices for at least a century.  Recipes and cookbooks featuring branded packaged goods – from Betty Crocker to Martha Stewart – serve as longstanding examples of content marketing.  Magazines, eBooks, How-To-Guides, research studies, articles, and even entire courses have served their purpose in performing content marketing for their underlying brands and companies.

ChangeU: For your independent study….

Annual Research: Content Marketing Budgets, Benchmarks and Trends, for both B2B and B2C - http://bit.ly/1uv4tMu

The Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 study of content marketing in both B2B and B2C environments.

Why Your Content Marketing Team Needs A Marketing Technologist - http://cmo.cm/1uv4EaC

A discussion of the technology needs for a full-in content marketing program.

The Social Customer Engagement Index - http://bit.ly/1tZIThy

The results and analysis of a survey of online communities that serve the social customer.

The internet is the first place people turn to when looking seeking general legal advice or the services of a lawyer.  It is important to develop a clear digital marketing plan for your law firm you can help you identify the right potential clients and grow your practice.  
Here are just a few tips to help you build an effective digital marketing strategy for your practice. 
Invest in your website
Your first plan of action to attract more clients is upgrading your website to stand out from other law firms in your area.  Focus on what you do best by highlighting your specialties because people don’t come to your website to purchase goods, they want to see what you do and how well you do it.   An effective website should be use an advertising channel like search engine optimization to make it easier for potential clients to find the legal representation they are looking for.  Your website should be easy to navigate, have contact information, credentials, office hours, location. Lastly, it is important to note that since law firms are subject to rules of ethics you should make sure that the content on their website is in compliance.
Maintain a legal blog 

Having a blog provides the foundation for social interaction and should be an integral part of your website.  By maintaining a legal blog you can provide clients with useful information and drive traffic back to your site. The content you discuss in your blog will help establish credibility and expertise which can influence a potential client’s decision to choose your firm over the competition. When writing posts be mindful of how you present the content, avoid too much legal jargon as your potential clients are not well versed in legal terms and this could possibly alienate them early on. 

Have a mobile plan
Like most other businesses the success of your practice is affected by how you respond to the emerging technology.  Since you invested time and money in building a great website you will want to reach your audience on the mediums that they have become accustomed to, which is mobile.  A mobile site is easier to navigate and responds to the need for instant access to information, while allow you to offer a more direct call-to- action to ‘Contact Us. This increases your opportunities for success because visitors often want legal advice right way.  Also, in order to stand out among so many other law firms, keep your mobile site focused on a very specific area of law. Being too general will cause visitors will pass up your site in favor of one that advertises a particular expertise.   

Social media
Lawyers need to be active on select social media sites to not only attract new clients but to build a level of trust well.  LinkedIn is one of the best professional social sites used by business owners or people searching for professional services.  However, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are also effective for boosting your visibility, as well as long as you invest the time to create profiles that will speak directly to people looking for legal advice. You can do this by providing useful legal resources to your targeted audience 
Final Thoughts
A digital marketing strategy is critical to the success of your law firm because it provides a unique opportunity to be in constant contact with new and existing clients.  You firm will see the greatest results by identifying the synergies between traditional methods of marketing and new online technology.   

ChangeU: for your independent study ...

Lexis Nexis Resource Center http://bit.ly/1z3ZViU

You know the law, we know law firm marketing. Access these free resources to gain insight into best practices in online marketing for your law firm. Fresh resources are added often so come back frequently to keep abreast of the latest trends.

Business Development for Lawyers: Strategies for Getting and Keeping Clients by Sally J. Schmidt. http://amzn.to/1qSrMbD  

Written by one of the leading law firm marketers, this guide covers the gamut from positioning to preparing pitches and proposals, helping lawyers create their own sources of work

Solo and Small Firm Resource Center  http://bit.ly/1D6UnTa  

Marketing, Technology, Practice Management, CLE & Substantive Law Resources for SOLO Lawyers & Small Firms