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In this installment of Women Who Wow, meet Wilmington-based Jennifer Smuts, the Chief Marketing Officer at Connolly Gallagher. Jenn has been a longtime volunteer of the Legal Marketing Association and has held various leadership roles in the organization. I met Jennifer through the LMA, and we clicked right away. I admire her for many reasons, including the fact that she truly is supportive to other women in the industry and is one of those people who gives to others without expecting anything in return.

Recently, Jennifer joined 2020 Women On Boards, whose overall goal is to educate women about how they can navigate their own contacts to get on corporate boards and be a part of the larger national conversation, an incredibly worthwhile cause to give women a seat at the table (you can read more about her work with them below).

I’m often asked how do you know if your social media efforts are working, and other than resulting in new business, which may take time to materialize, there are other…

While many firms are content producing powerhouses, disseminating client alerts, thought leadership pieces, social media posts and other information daily via the many distribution channels with which they engage their target audiences, they often fail to really think about the how, what, when, where and why of the content they are creating and how it will actually benefit their clients and other influential readers.

These firms are on content autopilot, just going through the motions to churn out thought leadership pieces as efficiently as possible, often because that’s just the way their firm does things or because they don’t want to question a partner or someone more senior to them or because there is pressure to get things out the door to be competitive with another firm.

If you find yourself in this position, take a moment to give yourself a “content time-out” in order to really think about why you are doing what you are doing. If it doesn’t make sense with your brand and business development goals, immediately change course.

Taking the time to ensure that your content marketing and your business development strategies are completely aligned will enable you to create more focused, client-centric content that will better engage with your target audiences and lead to new business and the retention of clients.

Remember that the goal of content marketing is not just about populating your social media feeds with a steady stream of content. Rather, the goal is to use content as a differentiator to help position your lawyers and your firm as thought leaders, which will help to keep you top of mind with key individuals for when they have a matter that fits your background. It’s always about quality versus quantity.

Here are some ideas to take your content strategy to the next level.

Throughout the month of March and beyond, I will be spotlighting “women who wow” me on the blog– these are women I’ve met through my professional and personal lives. They are leaders who inspire and awe me, and push me to be a better version of myself. They are role models for the future generation of women. I think we can all learn from them.

Today I’m highlighting Carolyn Sandano, who I have known for many years through the Legal Marketing Association. Carolyn is a seasoned legal marketer who is always calm under pressure and offers wise advice. I can think of many occasions where she has supported not only me but other women and been generous with her time and counsel. Get to know more about Carolyn.