Marketing

Articles

• Practice Group Marketing Showcases Expertise
  by Atlanta Business Chronicle
  

  We're huge believers in Industry Practice Groups (IPGs) to market legal services. Most importantly, clients want and look for industry expertise in lawyers and law firms. Beyond that IPGs help firms cross-sell services and focus their marketing resources on defined target audiences. Last month, I was interviewed by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and my comments were featured in a special section on law and accounting. The article has since appeared in several other business journals around the country.

• Marketing to Your Existing Clients: Three Can't Miss Programs 
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  This classic article originally appeared in Law Marketing Exchange, LMA's national newsletter, back in 1997. Although written almost 15 years ago, its lessons are more important and relevant than ever. Take great care of your current clients - the ones you want to keep, anyway - and focus your marketing resources accordingly. Provide solid legal work and great service. Go visit them. Hold a client appreciation event. Unlike trying to figure out all this social media stuff, it's not rocket science.

• BTI's How Clients Hire:
  The Role of Legal Directories and Online Lawyer Profiles
  by BTI Consulting Group
  

  Generally, I'm not a big fan of law firm rankings and directories. Many (maybe even most) are little more than a play to lawyer ego, and have little or nothing to do with clients and prospective clients. There are exceptions, however, like Martindale-Hubbell and Chambers USA. This report concludes that directories have much more influence that I thought. For example it finds that 77% of in-house counsel regularly consult them to validate credentials of a lawyer or firm, and 80% use them to identify lawyers/firms in unfamiliar jurisdictions. It also finds that opting out of certain directories, especially Martindale, could very well be a costly decision.

• Building and Sustaining a Marketing and Sales Culture at Your Firm 
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  Today, most law firm leaders today recognize the important and necessary role that marketing and business development play in operating a profitable and successful law firm. But getting lawyers to work together, and invest the non-billable time and effort required to be effective rainmakers - "mist"-makers, anyway - is no easy assignment. Planning, monitoring and accountability are recommended.

• Good Waiters Make Good Lawyers
  by W. Leighton Lord, III, Esq.
  

  Leighton Lord recently stepped down in his role leading Nexsen Pruett, a 180-lawyer firm with eight office locations in the Carolinas. He was kind enough to share this article he recently wrote for Lawyers Weekly. Leighton says that, like waiters, lawyers are in the service business after all.

• Law Firm Social Media Policy - Bodine 
  by Larry Bodine
  

  This is the first of three examples of Law Firm Social Media Policies we are featuring on the MPF Website. Larry Bodine's two-pager is a solid template that can be further modified to fit your firm's specific requirements. As you may know, Larry runs the popular Lawmarketing listserv. The other two examples appear immediately below.

• Law Firm Social Media Policy - Jaffe 
  by Jaffe PR
  

  Jaffe PR offers by far the most comprehensive version of Law Firm Social Media Policy we feature here. It does an especially good job dealing with blogs and blogging issues within its last few pages.

• Law Firm Social Media Policy - Byrne 
  by John Byrne
  

  John Byrne's template for Law Firm Social Media Policy is practical and to-the-point....perhaps the shortest and sweetest of the bunch. It clearly sets forth guidelines for responsible, common-sense online behavior.   

• What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession 
  by Robert W. Denney
  

  Every December, Bob Denney presents his annual report entitled "What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession." This is the 22nd year he has compiled his observations and shared them with clients and friends. In this year's edition, Bob reports that law firms are adopting formal social media policies and, after a one or two-year hiatus, are getting back to holding their annual Firm Retreats.

• 2010 Law Firms in Transition: An Altman Weil Flash Survey 
  by Altman Weil, Inc.
  

  Here's yet another report suggesting that alternative fee arrangements are here to stay, with BigLaw leading the way. According to the survey of mostly larger law firms, 95% say they use some form of alternative fee arrangements. Yet, the percentage of total revenue generated through non-hourly based billing remains quite low.

• Your Guide to Developing Your Personal Marketing Plan…and Why Every Lawyer Should Have One
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  There are two kinds of lawyers - those who have their own clients and those who work for lawyers with their own clients. The difference between the two is having an individual, written marketing plan.

• What's Really Going On In Today's Legal Departments 
  by Lauren Williamson
  

  Good news for smaller and mid-sized firms, according to this article which appears in the current issue of Inside Counsel magazine. According to a recent survey of over 550 in-house counsel, 65% say they have retained more smaller, regional firms over the past two years. The reason? Lower price tag for legal services. But there is even better news. They say they will continue using smaller firms, even after the economy improves.   

• 2010 Law Firm Marketing Effectiveness Survey
  by Alyn-Weiss & Associates, Inc.
  

  For the past twenty years, Alyn-Weiss & Associates has conducted its bi-annual marketing effectiveness survey. Its purpose is to identify what midsize firms are doing to market, and what they say is most effective. The #1 tool to bring in new cases according to the 2010 survey? Web sites. We've featured a brief overview of the survey here on our Web site. Subscribers to the MPF E-Newsletter can order the full report (regularly $395) for just $99.   

• Does Your Law Firm Need a Marketing Director?
  by Mary K. Young
  

  The right marketing director can add substantial (yet difficult to quantify) value in helping your law firm develop strategy and setting priorities for your marketing and business development programs. If your firm has 30 more lawyers, hiring an in-house marketer can be a very wise investment indeed.

• Turning The Business Model in Your Law Firm Inside Out
  by William E. Lowell
  

  According to a recent Harvard University study, more than 70% of a customer's "brand perception" is based on experiences they have with the organization's employees. For law firms this means both lawyers and support staff. This article speaks to the concept of "relationship capital," which is created when everyone in the firm is focused on working together to achieve a positive brand image and deliver the brand promise to each and every client, prospective client and referral source.

• Dealing with the Downturn: How Law Firms Can Meet the Challenges and Exploit the Opportunities
  by Stephen Armstrong, John Claydon, Tony King and Norman Letalik
  

  This two-part Lex Mundi article focuses on what law firm leaders can do to deal with the downturn through both aggressive law firm economics and strengthening client relationships. The suggested practices can help firms survive the downturn and strategically position themselves for the recovery.

• Young Professionals: Cultivate the Habits of Friendship
  by David Maister
  

  Law firms often struggle with how to get associates and younger professionals involved in business development early in their careers. In this article, Maister offers the best piece of advice - they should start by cultivating the habits of friendship. Forward this must-read primer to your associates today!  

• The Declining Client Satisfaction Antidote: Nearly 70% of In-House Counsel Are Dissatisfied
  by Michael Rynowecer
  

  According to research conducted by the highly-respected BTI Consulting Group, 70% of in-house counsel are dissatisfied with their primary outside law firm. Astonishing, don't you think?

• Building and Sustaining a Marketing and Sales Culture at Your Law Firm (Or, How to Make Marketing Really Matter)
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  Making marketing a living, breathing part of your firm's culture begins with you. The managing partner and other firm leaders must be passionate and consistent in order to gain buy-in from everyone on the team.  Use this top 10 list as your guide.  

• Seven Habits of Successful Rainmakers
  by Sara Holtz
  

  What separates the "minders and grinders" from the successful rainmakers who are bringing in their own client work and contributing to the firm's bottom line? Holtz has identified seven telltale traits. The good news? She says rainmakers are made, not born.

• Wasted Time and Money: The Top 10 Ways That Firms Squander Precious Marketing Resources
  by John Remsen, Jr.
  

  Counting down the Top 10 ways that law firms often squander their marketing resources. Is your firm guilty of any of these?