Law firms have had formal marketing departments since the late 1980s or early 1990s. While the number of marketers employed by the firm increased during those early years from one to several, the marketing team members all had essentially the same skill-set. They were smart, well intentioned and hard-working professionals with no job descriptions.
To an outsider (or a law firm partner), it looked like they all did the same thing. They were viewed as marketing generalists.
Enter the mid-2000s and an age where large firm departments were more specialized, the marketing personnel had titles that reflected an intellectual or business discipline, such as PR, marketing research or business development.
Today, where all law firm management has become more specialized and sophisticated, marketing and business development must also. Large firms spend between 1-4% of gross revenue on marketing, and partners wonder what return they are getting for this investment. The return is often far less than it could be--firms are hindered or crippled by a first generation department structure.
Restructure and Realign your Marketing Department
If partners in your firm have asked the "what are we getting for our money" question, it's time to take a strategic, 30,000-foot view of your marketing department. Is it aligned with where your top rainmakers, practice and industry team leaders, office heads and executive committee members see their practices going? Is your department structured and equipped to help you swiftly and efficiently pursue the best new client business? Do you have the right mix of marketing initiatives and are they seamlessly integrated with lawyers' business development pursuits and activity?
This engagement addresses these questions and consists of the following:
- Planning session with firm leaders
- One on one interviews with top partners: rainmakers, practice and firm leaders to assess practice/business development goals, what strategic goals are being served well by the department and are there areas where they fall short, what steps are the partners taking to approach their practices more strategically and how can the marketers help them get there? These and more questions are always specific to your firm and culture.
- Assessment of the firm's marketing staff and positions (often in tandem with the senior marketer)
- Marketing budget analysis
- A summary of the interviews, without attribution, and the department evaluation based on strategic goals of those interviewed
- Recommendations to realign the department, investment and focus so they better support the strategic and business goals of firm leaders
- Presentation of findings and recommendations to management.
The engagement can include other services, such as conducting searches for top positions, serving as an interim CMO, brand and marketing technology audits.
For more information about structure, duration and pricing of this engagement, please contact Deborah McMurray at 214.351.9690 or at mcmurray@contentpilot.net. |