Every Friday, we’ll deliver some of our thoughts on content marketing, curate a few interesting articles we’ve come across (from the legal industry and otherwise), and tell you what we’ve been up to.

As Pablo Picasso said, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

We think this describes the route to success for content marketing too. Without a well-formed plan that we can, and do, throw ourselves behind wholeheartedly, we risk flailing about in chaos, never making discernible progress, and ultimately feeling confused and dissatisfied.

The key to success—both in creating a content marketing strategy and in drafting every piece of content within it—is to direct our efforts consistently toward a clear, measurable goal.

But what should your content marketing goal be for 2019? Here are five potential goals you might consider as you’re setting up your content marketing strategy for the approaching new year.

1. Raising brand awareness

When your brand is associated with fresh, high-quality content—content that’s written with purpose, heart, and a unique viewpoint that leaves readers wanting more—your readers are going to be inspired to learn more about you and your company. And it doesn’t hurt that great content can help your search engine ranking, either.

2. Educating clients

When you keep the goal of informing prospective clients at the forefront of your mind, rather than constantly trying to sell them on a product, you’ll paradoxically bring them further into your sales funnel.

3. Building brand loyalty

If you regularly publish useful content that’s relevant to your audience’s needs and eases their pain points, they’ll start to view you as a trusted resource. Generate a following of loyal brand advocates and you’ll see your business skyrocket.

4. Increasing customer engagement

The higher the quality of your content, the more engagement opportunities you’ll have. When you write thought-provoking content that urges curiosity, your readers will respond with questions, comments, and, ultimately, leads.

5. Recruiting talent

The content you generate offers a window into your company’s very soul. Make sure it reflects your character and values, and you’ll find that suitable, qualified candidates will find their way to you.

Before the holiday rush, take some time to sit down and figure out your high-level content marketing goals for 2019. The more you can connect each piece of content back to your ultimate goals, the more success you’ll have with your marketing campaigns in the new year and beyond.

What’s new this week in the legal industry?

Lawyers must monitor for data breaches and inform affected clients (Legaltech News)
Implications of the midterm elections for business (Mayer Brown)
New California law is the first to regulate the Internet of Things (Legaltech News)

Looking for some (more) tips to improve your content marketing?

How a focus on content development helped a David beat a Goliath (HubSpot)
How to power up your LinkedIn profile (ThinkTank of 3)
How to integrate content marketing into your schedule (Attorney at Work)

Need something to talk about while you’re stuck in line at the grocery store?

How to fight blue light (Lawyerist)
Amazon Echo “testifying” in a homicide case (ABA Journal)
Here’s the word of the year, according to Oxford (New York Times)

So, what has Scribe been up to this week?

Predicting what artificial intelligence will influence next in the legal industry
Writing sales courses on how to sell restroom products (we work with non-lawyers too!)
Researching economic sanctions for a client’s website copy
Interviewing ediscovery heroes
Writing about website archiving for regulatory compliance
Analyzing the differences in tech adoption between lawyers and accountants

Drop us a line and let us know what you’re doing during the pre-holiday rush—we’d love to see how we can help!

Friday scribbles: trying to identify your 2019 content marketing goals? Start here