As a MarTech expert who has spent her career at the intersection of CRM technology and customer data, Aisha Amaira has a unique perspective on how professional services firms can turn abstract goals into measurable growth. We sat down with her to discuss the power of intentionality in content marketing. In our conversation, she unpacks how professionals in law, accounting, and engineering can move beyond vague resolutions to build a strategic content engine. We explore how to structure writing goals for long-term career milestones, break out of industry echo chambers to reach C-level decision-makers, and create a “content flywheel” that maximizes the impact of every single article. Aisha also shares practical advice on using calendars and internal teams to build a system of accountability that transforms intent into real, repeatable success.
Many professionals aim to write more as a New Year’s resolution. How can they structure these individual writing goals to build upon each other for larger objectives, like speaking opportunities or professional awards? Please share a step-by-step example of this long-term strategy in action.
That’s the core of the issue—moving from a simple resolution to an intentional strategy. An isolated article is good, but a series of complementary pieces is a career-builder. For example, if your ultimate goal is a prestigious “40 Under 40” award, you need to demonstrate influence. You start by planning three or four foundational articles for the year. The first article establishes your core thesis on a key industry issue. Once that’s published, you immediately leverage it to pitch a speaking opportunity at a trade conference. Your second article can then build on the questions you received during that talk, showing you’re engaged in the industry conversation. By the end of the year, you don’t just have a few clips; you have a narrative of expertise that makes your award nomination compelling and serves the ultimate goal of developing business.
Professional services often see a circular pattern of experts writing primarily for their peers. What specific strategies can they use to break this cycle and reach key C-level decision-makers in targeted industries? How do you recommend identifying the most effective publications for this broader audience?
I see this all the time, especially in the legal industry—lawyers writing for other lawyers. It creates an echo chamber. While referrals from peers are valuable, true growth often comes from reaching the ultimate business decision-makers. To break this cycle, you must first think like your target client. Where do they get their information? The most direct way is to simply ask them during a conversation what they read. A more systematic approach involves using your marketing resources to research the trade publications where your ideal client companies are frequently quoted or featured. Don’t overlook niche industry blogs or podcasts. Landing one thoughtful article in a targeted construction or finance journal can be far more powerful than ten articles in a general legal publication because you are fishing in a pond stocked with the C-level executives you want as clients.
Creating a high-quality article requires significant effort. How can a professional create a “content flywheel” to maximize its impact beyond the initial publication? Could you walk me through the process of repurposing one article into a client alert, a social media campaign, and a speaking proposal?
Absolutely. Viewing a published article as the finish line is a huge missed opportunity. You have to build a flywheel where that initial effort powers multiple other marketing activities. Let’s say you’ve just published a deep-dive byline article. That’s just the start. Your marketing team can immediately repackage it as a client alert, swapping out some examples to make it highly relevant for a specific industry you’re targeting. Simultaneously, they can deconstruct the article into a week’s worth of LinkedIn posts, each highlighting a different key takeaway to drive engagement. Finally, you take the core argument, refine the main points, and massage it into a compelling speaking proposal for an organization whose members include your ideal clients. This way, one significant investment of time and talent generates a continuous stream of visibility and business development opportunities.
Open-ended goals often fail. How can professionals use their calendars not just for final deadlines, but for crucial project milestones like research and outlining? What role should marketing and communications teams play in providing accountability and securing pre-placements with editors to ensure commitment?
Open-ended goals are like the classic cheeky bar sign that says, “Free Beer Tomorrow”—tomorrow never comes. To make a goal real, you have to anchor it in time. Don’t just put the final deadline on your calendar. Instead, block out time for the actual work: two hours next Tuesday for research, three hours the following Monday for the outline. This breaks a daunting task into manageable steps. A savvy marketing and communications team can supercharge this process. They shouldn’t just be a resource; they should be an accountability partner. By pre-placing the article with an editor, they create an external commitment. Suddenly, it’s not just an item on your personal to-do list; you have a commitment to a real person at a publication who is expecting your content. This adds a layer of professional responsibility that ensures the work gets done.
Successfully executing a plan can create a powerful, virtuous cycle of motivation. From your experience, how does an intentional and accountable approach to content creation impact a professional’s long-term success and morale? Please share an anecdote that illustrates this transformation over the course of a year.
The psychological impact is profound. Our brains reward us with a little hit of dopamine for completing tasks, and this system turns resolutions from a source of guilt into a source of energy. I remember an engineer who felt perpetually behind on his business development goals. Every year, his plan to “write more” fizzled out by March. The first year we implemented an intentional, calendared plan, he produced one solid article in the first quarter. That single, tangible accomplishment was a huge morale boost. After his second article in Q3 was picked up by a major trade publication, he was energized. By the end of the year, he wasn’t just looking back at a list of completed tasks; he was looking at tangible business leads that came from his content. He went from feeling like his plans were just a hopeful wish to seeing them as a predictable engine for growth, which changed his entire outlook.
Do you have any advice for our readers?
My advice is to stop thinking about content as a series of isolated tasks and start treating it as a strategic business asset. Instead of a vague resolution to “write more,” get specific and intentional. Ask yourself one powerful question: “What is the single most important article I could write this year, and where could it be published to reach my ideal client?” Then, build a real, accountable plan—with milestones on your calendar—to make that one article happen. The momentum you gain from that single, focused success will be far more powerful and rewarding than a dozen half-finished drafts and will create a virtuous cycle for the years to come.