Meet Tara Busby, Marketing Manager at Keller and Heckman LLP
I had the opportunity to profile Tara L. Busby, a Marketing Manager who loves what she does at Keller and Heckman LLP. Since 2007, she has been responsible for all of the marketing and business development initiatives at the 75 attorney law firm with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Brussels and Shanghai. She believes that her work is exciting and diverse at the firm that specializes in serving business through law and science.
Q: Please give me a brief overview of your background and your role at Keller Heckman.
A: My career in legal marketing began in 2002. I was fresh out of college with a Business degree in Marketing Information Systems from James Madison University. I graduated with a job offer from a local dot-com company, but that was short lived because the dot-com bubble quickly burst leaving me looking for a new direction.
My roommate's sister-in-law was in the legal marketing profession and suggested that I apply for a Marketing Assistant position with Pillsbury Winthrop. As they say...the rest is history.
I was fortunate to work directly for the Chief Marketing Officer, and my position at Pillsbury allowed me to gain in-depth knowledge about law firms and, more specifically, law firm marketing. I was able to see the big picture and to get a sense of coordinating multi-office practice group initiatives.
After two years at Pillsbury, I moved to Heller Ehrman as a Marketing Coordinator, and shortly switched paths to a more business development focused role at Keller and Heckman.
Under my direction, the department is responsible for all of the marketing and business development initiatives firm-wide including: seminars, webinars, events, budgets, advertising, rankings and profiles, firm retreats and all internal and external communications.
Since my arrival, we have completed a full re-design of the firm website and re-design of two practice group sites. We are currently in the process of designing a coaching program for our attorneys, creating a social media policy, and implementing a CRM tool for 2012.
Q: What is a typical day like for you?
A: There is no "typical day" at Keller and Heckman, as every day seems to bring something new and different. This year, I joined the "working mom" world. Most mornings begin anytime between 4:45 and 6:00 am. After day-care drop off and the madness of the Metro, I arrive at the office with my "to do" list for the day. Usually it becomes apparent early on that not every task on my list is going to be completed that day as there are always unexpected meetings and projects that arise. This keeps my days exciting and it is why I love what I do! The day can range anywhere from planning an upcoming ad campaign to working with a design team on a video to highlight the firm's upcoming 50th Anniversary.
Q: Please give our readers some advice for building a career in
legal marketing
A: Networking, networking, networking! The more people you know in the legal marketing industry the better! I was introduced to LMA early in my career and believe that the local chapter programs and annual meetings are the key to staying "in the know." If you are in a multi-office environment, it is also critical to get to know the other people who perform marketing tasks in other offices of your firm. I worked with a wonderful professional at Pillsbury Winthrop from San Francisco and seven years later I was able to collaborate with her on a public relations initiative and she served as a consultant for my current firm. Although there are hundreds of law firms, it seems that the legal marketing industry is a small community and membership in LMA is a doorway to keeping up-to-date with current trends.
Profile written by Raychiel Webb, business development and marketing manager at Bryan Cave LLP