As law firm marketers, we know that there are times, far too many times, when you want to get to certain projects but just do not have the time or resources. Looking back on our years of in-house experience, we counted hundreds of times that we wish we had the resources to move meaningful projects forward. Also, the idea for this blog came from our in-house frustrations of always being in reactive mode. That is to say, on a daily basis, we were often buried dealing with attorney requests. We called this being constantly “mosquito-bitten.” Would it be great, on the other hand, to have the opportunity to be proactive? To get to those things that you know will bring value to your firm and help your lawyers. So, how do you get there?
Obviously, you can ask, or beg, your firm to hire more people. This may be a realistic or unrealistic approach for you and your firm. If you are going to take this path, make sure you have a detailed list of all of the projects that you want to get to but cannot. Include as much detail as you can for each project. Also include how each project will benefit the firm. Further, explain how the firm suffers from the inability to address these projects.
So, what happens when you cannot hire more people?
Maybe you can outsource certain projects and marketing functions. We recommend going through the same exercise as above. Write a list with benefits and costs of inaction, prioritize the list, and go to decision-makers about getting help. As a shameless plug, we work with many in-house legal marketers on a project basis. We know the issues that you are dealing with and know how to help you navigate your environment. Therefore, think about the following areas and determine where you need help. If not us, find it elsewhere.
Possible Projects
- Review and rewrite attorney bios
- Update practice area descriptions
- Create and optimize blogs
- Update the website
- Strategic planning
- Client interviews or surveys
- Get attorneys in the media
- Have a robust and effective social media program
- Clean up and better utilize your CRM
- Internal communications programs
- Review data analytics and build programs around same
- Integrate systems (expenses, CRM, accounting)
- Business development training
- Niche market creation and strategy
The above are just some examples of projects that you may not have the time to tackle. The life of law firm marketers is busy and complicated. At the end of the day, all of us must provide value to our clients – the law firm. Be creative to get the work done and show the value that you bring. As always, feel free to contact us if you need help or just to talk about these issues.