When Curated Spoke at the Essential Communication Conference

In the week it was revealed that we published on average over 60,000 unique words of great legal content a month for our clients, we also popped along to the COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh for the Essential Communications Conference.

Hosted by Hollyrood Events, the conference focused on successful marketing campaigns, social media fundamentals and the best way to create engaging content. Unlike previous conferences we have attended, however, this time we had a stage presence in David Kerr, who spoke on behalf of MLT and Curated Media about our services and the importance of measuring your content.  

The Essential Communications Conference: A Breakdown of the Speakers

The format of the conference was different to others that we have attended (see our previous blog posts) in the fact that the morning session focused solely on case studies. Rather than having speakers discussing the importance of content marketing and what you must do to improve your communications with customers, the morning session saw real life examples of effective communication from people that worked in the communications industry.  

An interesting case study came from Clare Smith of the Scottish Government, who spoke of the campaigns and communication devices used when trying to encourage people to donate organs. One of the TV adverts launched involved seven seconds of silence to encourage viewers to talk about organ donation when the advertisement came on. As a result of the campaign, which was risky, there was a 96% increase in organ donor registrations in Scotland.

Visit Scotland, responsible for promoting tourism, were an inspired choice, offering one of the most unique takes on content marketing. Helen Campbell spoke about how difficult communication and marketing campaigns could be when you do not own or control a product. She also highlighted that for many, the close proximity of Scotland to Europe made it difficult for the group to attract youngsters who tended to consider that they would visit later on in life.

The final talk of the morning session was from Duncan Robertson of Entrepreneurial Spark, who spoke of the difficulties that can arise when working in a niche marketplace or with a traditional type of company that isn’t willing to embrace the digital side of marketing. His example, of working with law firms, showed that given the right support and encouragement, legal firms could grow and become successful on digital platforms.

Later on, Chris Marr of the Content Marketing Academy provided an introduction to PR and social media and how digital tools could be used to enhance reputations, build trust and grow an organisations online influence.

Both David Kerr and Esther Stringer looked at the importance of online strategy and the best ways to boost content. Both spoke of how content could be a lasting digital legacy, helping brands and companies achieve their long-term business development goals.

Key Lessons Regarding Social Communication

By providing case studies, it allowed those at the conference to see how professionals dealt with certain situations and some of the key aspects of social and digital communication. Here are a few of the key lessons we took from the speakers:
•    It is important to amplify your communications - by working with partners, you have a greater voice and a greater say in the digital sphere. A prime example of this is Visit Scotland having partnerships with airlines and other transport links about how to get to Scotland rather than simply using one platform to push tourism.
•    Champion your product - a lot of brand success and company growth is about belief in the product/service offered. Success often depends on confidence.
•    Criticism is your friend - regardless of what you do, there will always be some sort of criticism and criticism can often lead to you knowing who your audience is.
•    Put yourself in someone else’s shoes when sharing content.
•    Have a single aim with a number of additional targets elsewhere.
•    Never underestimate people power - customers are the biggest weapon for or against a business.
•    Plan your content and have an online strategy.
•    You can never be over prepared.
•    “Sweat the asset” - this phrase, taken from Duncan Robertson’s talk, highlights the importance of using a number of channels and methods to promote your content and to make your product seen across a number of platforms.

Growing Your Online Brand: How Can We Help

At Curated Media, we believe in getting to know our clients. Specialising in legal copywriting, our team can help firms grow their online presence and generate inquiries. With more legal firms embracing digital content, it is important that your firm does not get left behind. We provide highly reactive content, measure its success and build a digital strategy for our clients.

Content Marketing for Law Firms

If you would like some help to nurture your own content, Curated Media can help. We work with lawyers and law firms to help fulfill their online content needs. Our team of experienced writers, lawyers, online marketers and web developers have the practical knowledge to curate, as well as create.

Contact Us.
0141 811 0286 or fill out our online enquiry form