Curated Media

There is a school of thought that social media, and social networking, is imply an egocentric self-promotion tool at worst, and a useful but time consuming marketing tool at best. But can it bring you new legal business?Very often, the initial justification for firms of all types for starting to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook, and indeed individuals, is that ‘everyone else is doing it’. Whilst this mentality is intrinsically human behaviour, it is not sufficient when it comes to benefitting your business.Marketing the Law Firm Through Social MediaIn looking at the pros and cons of social media, it is important at the outset to assess exactly what you want to gain from it; exactly how you want to benefit.There is no doubt that updating your Facebook status once a day or more, tweeting as often as you can, and targeting the topics to your intended audience will...

Curated Media and sister company Moore Legal technology is unique in that few other agencies do what we do: provide content and digital marketing services to the legal industry, and the legal industry alone. Our team is almost entirely made up of digital marketers with law degrees and many staff have worked as solicitors in previous lives. We know the profession inside out. It’s this first-hand experience coupled with more than a decade of marketing expertise that gives our clients the enhanced assurance that law firms need when choosing an agency.The range of services now offered as standard by full-service digital companies is vast:• Web design and development • Content marketing • SEO• SEM / PPC • Social Media Marketing• Email marketing… the list goes on.With so many digital marketing and communications agencies out there, all claiming to be experts in multiple sector areas and having the relevant in-house niche specialists,...

“Google it”. It even has its own verb - by ‘it’, I mean Google. When your company name becomes a verb, safe to say things are looking good. A few weeks ago, I was in London at the Google St Giles’s offices for a training event. Although the new Kings Cross space has been dominating the headlines lately, the St Giles High Street offices left a lasting impression. Multinational tech companies don’t come bigger, so expectations were accordingly big. Luckily it didn’t disappoint and weeks on … I’m still talking about it. Why? The Google brand: a perfect blend of personality and consistency! Every touch point reinforced or related to the Google brand in some way. By the time I left I felt more invested in and engaged with the company than I did when I had arrived that morning.This blog discusses why law firms should invest in developing their brand...

Whilst it’s always nice to be recognised for your hard work, it’s important to understand why you’re pursuing a certain award or status. We can work with our clients to draft prestigious award submissions, but are their resources better spent elsewhere? Awards and trust icons look great on your website; they instantly tell the visitor that you are a leader in your field. But do law firm clients ever go on to look at the Legal 500? Does having a large trophy cabinet equate to large profits? Do website trust icons for awards actually induce your customers to trust you more? We think, like the answer to most vexing legal questions, that it depends.What are your goals?Law firm rankings and awards are an excellent tool for recruiting and retaining the best people to work for your firm, but not necessarily for gaining more clients. Awards and rankings boost morale in your firm...

We extol the written word at Curated Media. Labouring over every sentence until we get it right is what we strive for. For many, that’s web content - the written word; especially so in terms of lawyers and law firms. Long-form evergreen content and insightful whitepapers effectively showcase expertise and knowledge, instilling trust in clients and respect from peers. High-quality, expertly written content is absolutely vital for the legal sector and so all law firms need a bespoke content marketing strategy in order to thrive - and ultimately survive - online.However, it’s important to bear in mind that ‘web content’ doesn’t begin and end with writing. Anything the user sees and engages with when they arrive on a landing page is content.Wikipedia defines web content thus: “ … the textual, visual or aural content that is encountered as part of the user experience on websites. It may include - among other...

I spend a lot of time talking to lawyers about the Internet. Quite often, usually at our first meeting, I will hear the comment: “We don’t get any business at all from the internet”. This is usually said in one of two ways; with pride or as a lament. Those who talk with pride believe their reputation alone brings them work, and thus they have no need of ‘internet work’. Those who speak with despair talk of their website never serving up business opportunities, either through not being prominent online or the site being nothing more than an online brochure, which doesn’t in any way articulate their expertise and service offering.

Our last blog discussed what tools law firms could use to enhance their online reputation and increase the likelihood of being found in search results. Like so many pieces relating to online marketing, there was one search engine that dominated the blog. That was, of course, Google.

In the past, we have analysed whether or not legal content is held to a higher standard by Google and what must be done to excel in Google rankings. We have also mentioned the importance of search engine optimisation, and have shared countless articles on our social media accounts about this search engine giant.

However, today, we take a look at why, when conducting business online and implementing an SEO strategy, it is vital that you take into account other search engines.

Members of Team Curated offer some insights into key components that can help law firms improve their sites’ search ranking. Broadly, it’s about creating a site and content that appeal to users as much as search engines.Senior Content Strategist Emma Flood describes nurturing and growing your website for search through strategy and commitment:"Many people believe that succeeding in search is all about SEO wizardry, but this is only part of the story. Like most other endeavours succeeding in search is also about good old-fashioned hard work. When you build a website for your law firm, it is similar to setting up shop. You don’t simply put up an open sign and expect clients to find you, you still need to put in a great effort to find clients and attract their attention to your business. One of the best ways of attracting new clients in search is through creating consistent, high-quality...

Most people associate Instagram with young people, celebrities, and bloggers. However, what is often overlooked is the business case for using the social media platform, and whether it is an appropriate tool for professional industries such as the legal sector. The social network boasts a community of 150 million users. Users that are well informed, and highly attune to brand identity. If you have been wondering whether your firm should delve into the world of Instagram, you are not alone. In fact, some major firms have already begun to harness the photo-sharing platform to shake the image of the law firm as being unapproachable and intimidating. Firms choose to display ‘behind the scenes’ photos of law firm staff and their interests, to show the softer side of their business.   This post looks at why so many large brands including law firms and other professional services are now using Instagram to promote their brand and also how the platform could be utilised to win business for your law firm. 

Artificial intelligence is on the horizon, and it’ll be able to achieve feats far superior to those the humble human brain is capable of. But lawyers and law firms shouldn’t worry too much – it’s an opportunity to put our sluggish biological lumps of grey matter to better use.

Following Episode 2

In the previous episode, Andrew begged his colleagues to create some content for their new website but could not understand why their content was not performing, despite having no strategy in place.

Effective Distribution is Key to Successful Legal Content Marketing Creating and publishing high-quality legal content that speaks to your law firm’s target audience is just the beginning of the content marketing process. At the heart of any successful legal content marketing strategy is effective content distribution. By targeting the distribution of your content, you guarantee its amplification. All too often, law firms and lawyers take the time to create great blogs, in-depth articles and infographics, for example, yet neglect to strategically think ahead about how, where and when to position these in front of the people that actually matter.“Content is King but distribution is Queen, and she runs the household.” - Gary Vaynerchuck Understanding how to properly leverage strategic distribution techniques is essential in ensuring that the time and effort you invest in your content marketing efforts is worthwhile. Furthermore, Google being the clever search powerhouse that it is, rewards high-quality content by recognising...

As a lawyer, I am fully aware that the legal sector is subject to extensive regulation given the nature of the job and the importance of maintaining standards and professional integrity. So it shouldn’t really come as any surprise to lawyers to hear that legal content, when published online, is subjected to the most extensive scrutiny by Google, much more so than is the case for many other industries.Why does Google treat legal content differently?For all industries, Google is generally looking to show search results with websites that it deems to have authority and can be trusted. After all, when we search online we really only want to see sites that are trustworthy, usually from businesses or sites with general information that we can rely upon or do business with.Buying a pair of running shoes, though, is clearly of far less consequence than obtaining legal advice on a potentially life changing...

SpaceX – the first private space transport company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft – is changing space travel, commercialising and revolutionising the industry; it's innovations challenging the old school and injecting some healthy competition. But this isn't all down to good old capitalism or free economics; it's also an example of how a company's underlying ethics, vision and culture, and its founder’s personality, can stamp itself on public consciousness – something lawyers and law firms can take inspiration from when thinking about how to market themselves in the modern world and improve their brand’s equity.

There’s a ghoulish rumour going around that some law firms don’t write their content. Some firms employ ghostwriters to write content on their behalf. I hope we haven’t given you too much of a fright… Here at Curated Media, we have been startled by some even more terrifying divinations – that employing ghostwriters doesn't work as a marketing strategy. Instead of packing up shop, we're here to dispel this rumour, not only because we’re of the opinion that the right ghostwriter can bring a firm’s online presence to life… but also because busting makes us feel like Bill Murray.The Spectre at the FeastAs we have heard time and time again, the purpose of online content is to give value to the site visitor, and ultimately convince the visitor that you are the right firm for them. Much of this content relies on giving the impression of thought leadership and authenticity. However,...

If your News Year’s Resolution is focusing on your content marketing more than developing your fitness, then this is the blog for you.As we begin 2016, it is the perfect time to think about what lies ahead for the content marketing world and the shifts that some businesses are going to go through in the next twelve months. In this post we take a look at some of the trends that may soon be at the heart of online business.Mobile is the New NormIt’s fair to say that companies have, in the past, focused their content, app and web development strategy primarily on the needs of the desktop user, with other platforms coming as an afterthought - many sites are still not properly designed to operate using a mobile phone. However, 2015 showed that the trend was slowly buckling due to the sheer number of mobile visitors to websites. This increase...

The internet could not disguise it’s outrage after artist Ellie Harrison set up the Facebook page describing her latest project “The Glasgow Effect”. This project involves Ellie not leaving the greater Glasgow area for an entire year, in order to “test the limits of a ‘sustainable practice’ and to challenge the demand-to-travel placed upon the ‘successful’ artist / academic.”The controversial part of this project for many, is that Ellie received a grant of £15,000 to undertake the experiment from Creative Scotland through the Open Project Funding Programme. The mob could not contain themselves, highlighting that many people in Glasgow never leave the area, and don't even come close to earning £15,000 per year, accusing Ellie of attempting to create “poverty porn”.The premise of Ellie’s project is that many artists and academics feel the need to move away to become successful. However in the world of content marketing, we like to think...

Christmas is nearly upon us, and here at Curated Media we are working hard to make sure we have everything wrapped up before we take a break for the holidays.However, the festive season wouldn't be complete without wishing our loyal clients and customers all the best for the holiday season. We have created a short video, featuring some of our finest actors from Curated House, to let you all know how much you mean to us this festive season. Our office will be closed from the 23rd December, 3pm, until 5th January, 9am. We look forward to working with you again in 2016.Happy Holidays!The Curated Media Team 

Following Episode 1In the first of this series, Andrew literally begged his colleagues to create some content for their new website. Here is what happened when someone actually rose to the challenge…One Month After The Last Partners MeetingEmail from Emma to Andrew“Hi Andrew,I hope you are well. I am delighted to say I have finally managed to come up with some content for the website, sorry it has taken so long. It is for a fairly niche area of my work and there is virtually nothing on the website about it currently. I did a search on Google and we don’t show up for it at all so hopefully this will help. This is a high value area and if we get any work from it I will be delighted! I will also look to do so more content when (and if) I ever get a free moment.Many thanksEmma”Response from Andrew“Hi...

In the age of rapid digitalisation, people now have access to more information than ever before. This allows us to make more informed decisions about our lifestyles, our health and the way we eat.The online food world is an ever-changing battleground, between the weight-loss community, the food-for-fitness junkies and, of course, those who advocate a meat-free lifestyle - it’s no surprise that the internet is a great influence on the food choices we make day to day.I haven’t yet used the term vegan or vegetarian because people who describe themselves in this way are only a small fraction of the meat-free marketing revolution. We now have: meat avoiders; meat-reducers; juicers; plant-based lifestyle advocates; plant-protein fasters; weekday vegetarians; and, many more in between. We also have ‘pegans’ which, after much research, I discovered are those who collaborate paleo and vegan in quite a vague way that I don’t fully understand. However, what...