In the world of legal marketing, hell hath no fury like an unoccupied lawyer. A shortage of billable hours invariably leads to finger pointing, and the business development and marketing department is usually the first place that finger goes wagging. We haven’t done enough to build that lawyer’s pipeline…our marketing materials aren’t working…our competition is doing it better. Sound familiar?
On all counts, 2013 has been a slow year for legal work. This contracting market could be an anomaly—the aftershock of a wildly busy end to 2012—or it could be the new normal (at least for now). Article after article about the “end of Big Law,” combined with the ongoing shift of power from law firms to their clients, is causing ripples that are impacting even the most historic and stable firms. Combine that with a lawyer who isn’t meeting his or her hours, and panic ensues.
So what’s a legal marketer to do with all this pressure? The uncertainty we’re facing today can be alarming, but it presents a huge opportunity to implement changes that will have a positive impact on your day-to-day work. So take a deep breath, seize the moment, and go back to basics.
Look at What’s Keeping You Busy
Look at what’s keeping you busy, and think about how you can measure it. In 2012, FaegreBD’s business development and marketing team tracked our time in six minute increments, just like the lawyers. The data generated from this project was pure gold. We were burning significant time on internal meetings and big personalities instead of focusing on strategic projects and initiatives that would set the firm up for long-term revenue growth. It wasn’t a fun project, but the data we generated was far more impactful than anecdotes when making our case to spend more time on strategic projects and less time on fluff.
Bonus: we walked away from the project with great empathy for our lawyers. Turns out it’s awfully hard to record six to eight hours of “billable work” per day. (Bring on alternative fee structures!)
Rethink Your Priorities
We’ve all been tasked with projects that we know don’t make sense. Spending 15 hours a week on an internal newsletter that nobody reads? Researching top family law attorneys in all 50 states so the firm has a good referral list, in case a client needs a divorce (sadly, a serious request)? Look at what’s on your plate and think about which of those activities are most impactful. Then develop a plan for phasing ineffective projects out of your workload, or spending less time on them. In my experience, our attorneys often have no concept of how much time projects are taking and are agreeable to scaling back on less strategic initiatives in favor of more impactful projects.
Speak Up
Clients are constantly asking for innovation from our lawyers. We should lead by example. Despite what our friends, families and LinkedIn connections might think, there is room for creativity in legal marketing. Do you wonder why things are done a certain way? Have an idea to improve a process? Now is the time to speak up. Even the smallest changes can have a major impact. For example, FaegreBD is involved in a number of exciting diversity initiatives, but external communication around our efforts was ad hoc at best. Our PR coordinator suggested establishing a quarterly update for clients and contacts, which would also be circulated firm-wide. By raising her hand, she provided a simple solution that resulted in more effective communication around a matter of significant importance to many of our clients.
Practice What You Preach
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Tailor each communication to the client receiving it.
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Respond quickly.
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Use social media thoughtfully.
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Pick up the phone, or meet face to face, instead of sending an email.
Do any of these sound familiar? We frequently coach our attorneys to do these simple things. Now, look in the mirror – do you do the same thing for your clients? Admittedly, I’ve been frustrated after sending a mass email to which nobody responds. Then I realized I would never tell my lawyers to send a mass email to their clients seeking information. Personalize and individualize your communications whenever possible. Stop by offices and have face-to-face conversations as often as you can. Listen to your own advice and think about how you can start practicing what you preach. You’ll develop relationships and trust that will make you much more effective at your job, and life will get easier in the long run (even if it takes more time at first).
To Sum it Up
There’s no question that the ground is shifting under our feet, but it doesn’t have to be scary. Take ownership of your workload and use high demand to prioritize projects that are important to the long-term growth of the firm. Get your boss on board. Raise your hand. Don’t be afraid to innovate (and if one idea gets quashed, try again). Have thick skin, and use this exciting time in the industry to make your job what you want it to be. As marketers, we should be thought leaders in helping our attorney adjust to the new normal. By going back to basics and internalizing industry best practices, we can all go to work a little more energized each morning.
Lindsay Gotwald is director of communications at Faegre Baker Daniels, where she is responsible for the firm’s internal and external communication initiatives including public relations, marketing writing and editing, proposal responses, advertising and social media strategies. Before serving as director of communications, Lindsay was a business development manager for the firm’s corporate and life sciences teams, working with over 200 attorneys on their strategic business development and marketing objectives.