Two years ago, at the annual Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Tech Conference, the topic revolved around content: how to create it, how to leverage it and how to produce more of it. Fast forward to the 2015 LMA Tech Conference, where we are now spewing out so much information that most marketers don’t know what to do with it all.
In her keynote speech, Jamie Moldafsky, Chief Marketing Officer at Wells Fargo, addressed the fact that we are “drowning in content,” which complicates our job as marketers to package all of this content in ways that clients can both use and understand.
According to reports, 53 percent of people have a great deal of trust in the high-tech industry, with leaders being Google and Amazon. It can be a daunting task to filter your message through the thousands of other messages professional service firms are attempting to convey to the customer. However, taking a page from these technology leaders, we learn that the key is building the relationship and the trust, and transparently conveying your shared values with your client.
Universal truths speak to a wider audience; some of the people they reach may not be specifically in your target market, but these truths usually strike a chord in the emotional core of whoever is consuming the content. Universal truths are ideas and situations that anyone might relate to, such as getting your first pay check, the hardships of being a startup business owner and even the desire to start a family. These are examples of television advertisements from Wells Fargo, which they found did exceptionally well in their market. These advertisements do not directly sell you products; rather, they convey the impression that your values as a consumer align with their values as a provider.
The role of marketing should focus on two things: the customer and your shared values. Once these two are aligned, it’s no longer about how you tell the story, but rather having the right story to tell.
