One of the most significant measures of a law firm's marketing director is business development.
For more than 30 years, law firms have had the right to market their services in a manner similar to other businesses. This has led to the growing recognition of the power of marketing to improve referrals, business development and sales. Legal marketing directors wear many hats, but central to their role is elevating the firm's brand in the marketplace, driving traffic to the firm and delivering a measurable return on the marketing investment.
Leadership
Legal marketing directors lead and inspire a marketing team fulfilling the marketing function through many areas, including creative services, events, proposal/pitch processes and business development. They must conceptualize, develop and execute a firm's marketing plan and oversee its activities. Their main job is working with all teams and using methods that reach internal and external audiences, articulate the firm's brand strategy, drive business, and create collateral material, tools and systems needed to support their efforts. They must also plan and administer a marketing budget and successfully demonstrate the money a firm puts into marketing is worth it.
Collaboration
Marketing directors are essentially principals of an internal consultancy within a legal firm. They must work closely with each practice group as well as other divisions to understand their business processes and offer strategic guidance for developing and executing marketing and promotional plans.
Outreach
Core responsibilities include developing marketing materials for the firm and individual teams, recommending outreach strategies, coordinating media and speaking opportunities, managing media relationships, writing and editing marketing materials, maintaining the firm's website content, facilitating marketing training, assisting practice area leaders in the RFP process, performing market research, planning special events and assisting in seminar and conference preparation.
Marketing directors must also communicate with external sources, including previous clients. They must "stay in front" of these potential referrers by developing and distributing educational material to them, showing them newspaper articles about the firm, developing and inviting them to seminars and talks that may be of interest to them, and keeping them on any regular communication (like a newsletter) the firm regularly issues.
Educational and Professional Requirements
Marketing directors must have four-year degrees, although an MBA in marketing is a plus. They need at least five to 10 years' professional marketing experience, with the bulk of it coming from management-level positions in the legal field. Proven business development experience almost certainly will be a selling point, as will know-how in new media technology. They must be excellent project managers and planners and superior communicators.
Soft Skills
This is not an easy job. Legal marketing directors must be strategic thinkers and be able to work with different groups of people to fulfill their goals. In addition, they must be highly creative and work with high energy on a regular basis. To be realistic and successful in this type of position, you must be able to stay highly positive, easily manage multiple priorities and be flexible in working out a customized marketing approach for each group in a firm.
Tags: business development, They must, directors must, Legal marketing, Legal marketing directors, firm brand, Marketing directors