Three steps to marketing success

For some reason, within the legal profession there is a widely held misconception that marketing or business development is all about networking, which in turn means it's all about networking events, which in turn means it's the preserve of a few try-hard extroverts. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If a team, department or practice group in a law firm is going to market effectively (ie bring in work), the only successful formula is to be organised and to make sure everyone is contributing. It is essential to recognise from the start that the contribution of each member must be based on that person’s skillset and on the activities they are most comfortable with.

If you pursue a square peg-round hole policy, the likelihood is those being manipulated into a role that doesn’t come naturally will either do nothing or execute what they’re tasked with badly, which will have the opposite effect on your practice to the one you want.

Before you put your next marketing plan together, you need to sit down and identify honestly what you think everyone’s strengths are. This doesn’t mean hiding behind the old adage that it’s essential you ‘step out of your comfort zone’; the reality is that the further out of your comfort zone you venture, the more likely it will be that you avoid doing the things you have volunteered for and your plan will never be realised.

So, practically, how can you divide what needs to be done marketing-wise so that you implement your marketing plans more effectively in future?

Step 1: Identification

You need to be honest with yourself: I repeatedly tell people I would rather give myself a root canal than attend a formal networking event, and that the very idea of public speaking instils in me a level of nausea that would worry the average school nurse. But give me a keyboard and a good cup of coffee or the inside of a half-decent pub and I’m in my element. That’s why my contribution to our practice’s marketing is the writing and the more social one-on-ones, while my partner takes on big events and public speaking. It works because we do what we like and therefore do it well.

Roughly speaking, the available options are:

• speaking: local events, industry events or your own seminars or workshops;
• writing: articles for the local or trade press, blogs or articles for your website, or e-shots;
• networking: remember that networking events and more intimate social events require different skillsets, as does networking with prospective and current clients; and,
• research: this is a skill that’s all too often overlooked, but it is absolutely fundamental. Researchers will uncover your targets, the trends affecting your chosen sectors, local intelligence and the themes upon which to base your written communications; they will also identify the best marketing vehicles – the publications, events, conferences and networking groups you need to be seen at or in.

Step 2: Planning

Once all of your team members have all completed the self-assessment exercise, meet up and go through the results together. Make a list of who wants to do what, and then match up the fee earners with the different initiatives listed in your marketing plan.

Once you know who is doing what (and, of course, when and how they plan to progress their particular actions), make sure no one is overloaded. You have a day job and billable-hour targets to hit, so if your plan is to be implemented successfully, the required workload needs to stay realistic and manageable for each member of the team.

Step 3: Measurement and management

As with all effective marketing, the key to measurement and management is little and often. Once you have all of your plans on paper and each element has been given to someone to progress, leave it with them. It is their responsibility (although you should make sure they know everyone is on hand to help and support as required) and micromanagement, however well-intentioned, is often more of a hindrance than a help.

However, regular meetings are essential, if only to give everyone a break from day-to-day pressures and provide them with a forum in which to promote their own success and find out about the successes achieved by other members of the team. When agreeing a schedule for these meetings, my suggestion would be monthly during the start-up phase (often), moving to bi-monthly once the wheels are in motion. At the same time, restrict each meeting to 45 minutes (little)by sticking rigidly to actions and avoid endless discussions to keep them palatable and productive.

By ticking off actions and sharing the outcomes, you will be able to measure progress more effectively. You will be able to identify what works for future development and what doesn’t, so you can drop the unsuccessful initiatives and spend more time and budget on the initiatives that deliver.

It is also essential to instil into your staff the fact that these meetings are mandatory. They are as important as an open matter because they will create your future matters, and they are as important as client meetings because they will create your future clients. SJ

Douglas McPherson is a director at Size 10 1/2 Boots