Many of us in legal marketing wait with bated breath for the results of the Greentarget “State of Digital and Content Marketing Survey” every year.

Building on Greentarget’s inaugural study in 2010, [it gives us] the latest insights on how corporate general counsel – your clients – are engaging in social media and law firm-generated content.”

We also learn how our “legal marketing peers are evolving their own content and digital strategies to build relationships and fuel business development.”

During LMA’s Technology Conference this year, we were treated to a preview of the survey, which is officially released on November 18th, with Greentarget’s own John Corey. You’ll want to check back on their website on the 18th for the full report (and you can register now to make sure you get a copy on the day it’s released), but we learned some interesting things.

[Caveat: all of these statistics are based on the survey results, and are not necessarily representative of ALL in-house counsel or CMOs – in the 2015 survey, there are 167 in-house respondents and 81 CMOs].

From the in-house counsel:

• In 2010, 23% of in-house counsel didn’t use any social media. Now that number is 10%.
• 82% of the AmLaw 200 are publishing around 1,000 blogs today – there has been an explosion of content in the last five years.
• The “most valuable” content to in-house counsel continues to be client alerts.
• More than half of those in-house counsel surveyed feel that blogs are credible.
• The survey saw a big uptick in the use of social media platforms for professional reasons:
  • 37% on Facebook, up from 27%
  • 29% on YouTube, up from 21%
  • 24% on Twitter, up from 16%
• 51% of in-house counsel use LinkedIn to receive news and information, but they are also using it to look for jobs more than in teh past.
• 42% (up from 34%) of in-house counsel are using LinkedIn to research potential outside counsel. 70% (up from 56%) are using LinkedIn to contact or build connections with outside counsel.
• Law firm attorney-authored blogs are rating higher in credibility than media-branded blogs – that’s a significant opportunity for law firms.  However, the number of in-house counsel who feel that blogs will influence their hiring decisions is dropping – to 38% from 50%. John Corey extrapolates this to mean that counsel are struggling to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to content.
• Wikipedia jumps way up in the last five years as a research tool for in-house counsel – it was at 51% in 2010 and is at 71% in 2015.

Then, Corey moved on to talk about the CMO portion of the results:

• 58% of CMOs interviewed said that they have a content marketing strategy, but only 13% have it written down.
• 87% of firms are producing more content in 2015 than in 2014.
• Firms have moved from 29% having a dedicated content marketing person to 40% having one – still not optimal staffing, but better.
• 21% of those interviewed have plans to launch new & innovative content vehicles in 2016.

What then are our takeaways from all of this?

• Earned media & traditional forms of content are considered to be the most valuable by in-house counsel.
• Social media usage by in-house counsel is growing incrementally, and is about content, not channel.
• Firms producing more content, but are optimally staffed for professional storytelling, have a big opportunity in the market.
• Write your content strategy down.