Taryn Elliott is the marketing administrator at Kightlinger & Gray, LLP, a law firm with approximately 50 attorneys, more than 25 practice areas, and five offices in Indiana and Kentucky. For more than six years, she has led Kightlinger & Gray’s marketing efforts, serving as the firm’s sole marketing professional. Before joining Kightlinger & Gray, Taryn held marketing roles outside the legal industry. She earned her B.S. in business and marketing from Miami University in 2001. Taryn is the treasurer-elect for the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Midwest Chapter and served as City Group co-chair for the chapter’s Indianapolis City Group from January 2012 – December 2013.
Q: How did you get into the legal marketing field?
In college, I was thinking about law school while also taking marketing classes, trying to decide what to do. My mom even bought me the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) prep books. But she also alerted me to a branding internship with a retail design firm. I got the internship and fell in love with branding. I changed my major to marketing and pursued a career in professional services marketing. When I saw the job listing for my current position, I knew I had to apply. The law did, and still does, fascinate me, and I still occasionally toy with the idea of law school. At the end of the day, however, legal marketing allows me to combine two things that I am passionate about. So, it seems like the perfect fit for me.
Q: What do you find most interesting about branding?
I love how you can tell a story—convey the essence of who you are—without having to use many, if any, words. A friend of mine just showed me the new logo for her company—just three words and one graphic—and it sums up why her company was founded, what they do, what they deliver to their customers, and the inspiration behind all of it. That is amazingly powerful.
Q: What’s the most satisfying branding initiative you’ve engaged in for Kightlinger & Gray?
Two years after I joined the firm, I was able to convince them to undertake a logo and website redesign and everything that goes along with it. It was a long process, but at the end of the day, the identity we implemented is the right fit for our firm and everyone has been happy with it. A new identity can be a very divisive process, but as you work through that, you get to the heart of who you are as a firm.
Q. I’m having the most fun on the job when . . .
I am being creative. Or being incredibly organized. I have a weird right brain/left brain thing where I really love to be creative, but I am equally satisfied with a filing system and a well-laid-out spreadsheet. Being the only marketing person at my firm, having both of these traits really helps me accomplish the myriad of tasks asked of a solo marketer.
Q: What advice do you have for others who might be considering a role as a solo marketer for a law firm?
Form relationships with other legal marketers, especially those your firm does not directly compete against. Those are the people who will offer you advice on how to approach something or, better yet, offer you a template they have already created. They are also going to be the people you bounce ideas off of when you are working through a problem.
Q: What is a hidden benefit of being a solo marketer?
Every day is different. If I were in a bigger firm with a larger marketing department, I would likely be devoted to just one aspect of marketing and business development, or just one practice area. Being a solo marketer, I may be working on individual marketing plans, creating ads for one office, planning an event for a particular practice group, and creating strategic marketing plans for the firm, all in one day. If ever I am not excited about a project, I know that it will not last forever and there will be something more intriguing to work on just around the corner.
Q: What led you to get actively involved in LMA?
This was my first job with a law firm. Upon being hired, my firm told me that I would be joining LMA and attending the lunches and the annual conference. They even set up a lunch for me with the then-chair of the Indianapolis City Group. Being new to legal marketing and a solo marketer, I learned so much from LMA, and the connections I made were invaluable. When the opportunity arose to be a City Group chair, and then to join the LMA Midwest Board, I not only wanted to give back but also wanted to get even more out of my LMA membership. I know it is cliché, but the more I put into LMA, the more I get out of it.
Q: What’s been the most satisfying thing about being active?
Meeting all the wonderful people who are a part of LMA. Being a solo marketer, it is really essential for me to know that I can pick up the phone and call any number of people with a question I may have. Some days it is just nice to know there are people who understand the intricacies involved in marketing at a law firm.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I have two little boys (ages 2 and 4), so I spend a lot of time building trains, being a superhero, racing cars and pushing swings. When not spending time with my family, I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time with friends and running. This spring, I will put my marathon and half-marathon training to good use as I prepare to walk 40 miles over two days to raise money for breast cancer as part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.