Consider this to be your very own JD Supra In-Box, a powerful tool in your account dashboard where you hear directly from readers – and respond to them accordingly!
What's included?
- Direct communications from readers. Each reader message includes the sender’s name and email, the full text of their correspondence, and the JD Supra URL from which they submitted the contact.
- Messages from the JD Supra team sharing media opportunities & visibility.
- Alerts from JD Supra of high-value, public shares and engagement with your work with a direct link to that social engagement (on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc).
[*Note: this Content Strategy dashboard includes all message types. In-boxes on your BD and PR dashboards include only communications relating to each role.]
Notes and next steps
Next steps for any particular message depend on its type and source:
1. Speaking/media/republishing requests
- If the specific opportunity is a good fit for your firm, respond promptly as editors, journalists are often on a tight deadline and will be reaching out to experts at other firms simultaneously.
- If the inquiry is not a good fit (e.g. a conflict related to the subject matter of the inquiry), but you would be interested in other opportunities with the entity or individual submitting the request, let them know! Also connect with the individual on social media to ensure you remain top of mind for future opportunities.
- In either case, these inquiries provide valuable insight into market and media interest and can serve as a guide for future writing.
2. Requests for calls/consultation
Where the specific opportunity is desirable:
- respond promptly (or make sure your author does so), as clients sometimes reach out to more than one person.
- replicate your success: did the lead come from a particular article? Has that article generated multiple leads? If so, use that article as a model for future content to replicate its success. Did the lead come from an author’s profile? If so, look at what that author is writing about, and how, and use that knowledge to replicate their success with others at your firm.
Where the specific opportunity is not desirable:
- if possible refer the prospect to a colleague (at your firm or another) who practices in that area. Karma is a wonderful thing!
- learn from the readers’ response: if your content is driving the wrong leads, consider why. Is your content about a specific topic for which you want to be retained? Does it make clear for whom you are writing, and how/why your thought leadership applies to them? Use the answers to these questions to optimize future content for business development success.
3. General questions or feedback on your content
If the sender is a potential client or referral source:
- respond promptly to not only cultivate a relationship for future business, but to assess the need behind the question. The question may well be a clue that the sender has an immediate need for your services of which they themselves may be unaware.
- consider other opportunities: if the sender, who is a desirable client, has this question, perhaps your existing clients do as well. Incorporate this insight into your communications with them.
- Use this direct evidence of the issues and concerns of your target audience to frame your next piece of thought leadership.
If the sender is not a potential client/referral source and/or the question is not related to your area of expertise, you can still derive value from the exchange:
- if possible refer the sender to a colleague (at your firm or another one) who practices in that area. Again, karma is a wonderful thing!
- learn from the readers’ questions in order to:
- Fine-tune your content strategy – if your content is generating questions 1) from the wrong people or 2) that focus on topics unrelated to your work, consider why. Use the answers to these questions to optimize future content for business development success.
- Inform/guide your clients – if you're fielding queries from the opposite side of the table (for example, your represent employers but employees are asking you for insights; or, you represent creditors and the questions are coming from debtors) plumb these questions to identify any timely issues or potential liabilities your clients may be facing. Don't just create new thought leadership for future clients, but communicate what you've learned with existing clients directly – they'll appreciate your knowledge of their challenges.
4. Shares/likes/comments on social media
- Thank & connect: If the person who has engaged with your work on social media is a prospective client, referral source or media connection, make sure the author(s) thank them for their engagement and connect with them on social media to stay top of mind (this is particularly effective in combination with the JD Supra social sync tools, to automate network updates with your authors’ latest content).
- Enlighten us: These social engagement alerts involve, among other things, our assessment of whether a particular engagement will be notable to your firm. However, you are the ultimate expert on your particular firm’s goals. Let us know if we’ve missed the mark on the engagement we’ve sent so that we can do better next time!
Who receives these messages in your organization?
- Direct communications from readers: are emailed directly to admins who have subscribed to receive them. Messages submitted from an author profile or article are also sent to the author.
- Opt-in to receive these direct messages by email in your Subscriptions page (available under the Account drop down).
- Alerts from JD Supra: we send these messages to admins who have requested to receive them. Contact Client Services to be added to the list!