As legal marketing and business development professionals in Ohio, we have a unique set of opportunities and challenges. As much as we dislike it, most services — including legal services — are becoming increasingly commoditized in our current economy. That means our Midwest rates make us more competitive with Big Law on the right and left coasts. But we need strategy, technology and lean, mean marketing teams to make it happen.
We'd like to share a few suggestions for sessions at the 2013 LMA Annual Conference, April 8-10 in Las Vegas, that can help you work efficiently, build your brand and land clients across the country.
For tips on creating high-impact marketing teams, check out A Recipe for SMORs — Smart Marketing On (Limited) Resources. This full-day, pre-conference program on April 8 covers approaches that make sense for smaller marketing teams:
- Hear from the marketing director and managing partner of a 150-attorney firm that implemented an aggressive three-year marketing plan that relies on defined structures, communications, investments and daily interactions to drive success.
- Learn how in-house marketers from three law firms analyze team efforts and determine how to use firm resources and service providers in the most time-effective and cost-efficient manner.
- Participate in a workshop that explores strategies and tactics for integrating individual attorney brands and firm brands.
- Find out how firms are getting their attorneys excited about marketing technologies – including high-quality, low-budget video – and how you can introduce effective initiatives at your firm.
- Understand how developing a work matrix that considers the nature of projects and how to best approach them can affect your productivity and reduce stress.
The main conference, April 9-10, includes sessions on technology and pricing that should be especially interesting to legal marketing and business development professionals in Ohio.
Sessions that discuss how to leverage technology to achieve results include:
- DMI Talk: Digital Marketing Ideas Worth Spreading — Hear big ideas from six of the top legal marketing minds in the country during this rapid-fire discussion format inspired by TED Talks. Adrian Dayton moderates.
- Inspiration & innovation: Applying The Newest Interactive Trends To Law Firm Websites — Learn about emerging technology trends, and see examples of how businesses are using them to create engaging interactive websites and mobile experiences. Presenters also will weave in insights from a recent General Counsel survey.
- The 5 Online Analytics Strategies That Will Help Your Firm Drive More Business — You understand the importance of establishing a proper Web presence for your firm, but how do you know if all of your hard work and money is helping you build your practice? By the end of this session you will be equipped with the knowledge to understand what analytics are important to your firm and how you can use this information to drive more business.
- Re-Invigorating Client Relationship Management — In the battle to win and retain clients a well-designed, well integrated and well used CRM system can be of enormous advantage in differentiating your firm. Three leading CRM solution providers offer insights for invigorating and innovating your client relationship management.
- Law Firm Video: Director’s Cut — Statistics indicate that video is the quickest way to educate and build rapport with potential clients, and is an effective platform for highlighting your attorney’s personal brand. A panel of attorneys and law firm marketers show what worked, what didn’t work and where they think legal videos are heading.
And to gain a broad understanding of pricing structures used in other parts of the country, consider attending:
- Pricing, Profitability and the Role of Marketing — Revenue is key but Profitability is king. Law firms now recognize that it is no longer sufficient to just win revenue; now it must be profitable revenue. This session will cover how law firms are adapting to the new paradigm, including the new role of pricing experts and how pricing, project management, sales and practice management are converging to enhance client relationships and improve profits per partner.
- A New Approach to Implementing Strategy in Law Firms: A Position Dedicated to Strategy — Professionals who are in dedicated strategic roles for three prominent law firms will discuss their positions; their role in improving profitability, client programs, recruiting efforts, mergers and acquisitions and project management; and how they work with marketing and business development colleagues.
Once again, the LMA Annual Conference promises to deliver the education that can take our work to a new level. We encourage LMA Ohio members to take advantage of this opportunity to boost their professional development and build connections with our brilliant legal marketing and business development colleagues from around the world. Read more about the 2013 LMA Annual Conference.
And if you’re not able to travel to Las Vegas, be sure to attend one of LMA Ohio’s “Bringing Nationals Home” programs this spring for a full recap of the hottest topics from the 2013 LMA Annual Conference. Details will be available soon.