Adapt best marketing practices and techniques to your law firm

The Caribbean-American writer and poet Audre Lorde has been quoted as saying: “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt”. To paraphrase (and with apologies ?to Lorde) it might also be said that there are no new marketing ideas – only new ways to effectively engage a defined ?target market.

Generally speaking, what really separates a successful marketing effort is not the uniqueness of the idea, but rather the creative execution of the campaign. This isn’t to suggest that new and ingenious ways of marketing products or services cannot be developed. However, most often it is the implementation methods rather than strategy that have the most flexibility for creative interpretation, encompassing tactics that may vary widely from industry to industry and firm to firm.

I frequently take inspiration from the corporate sector for ideas, viewpoints and best practices for marketing within a law firm setting. Industries such as accounting and financial services long ago moved from an ‘all about us’ mentality to one that is much more client-centric; their corresponding marketing tactics changed dramatically following that shift in strategy.

There are certainly lessons to be learned from that evolution. Although professional service firms (PSFs) often offer the most relevant perspective for law firm marketers, I also encourage my team to learn as much as possible about how companies of all types market their products and services, even if they happen to be consumer-focused rather than service-based businesses. After all, the foundational elements of marketing remain the same across industries.

It is critical to recognise and embrace the many ways in which law firms differ drastically from other PSFs. In addition, law firms should exercise caution in attempting to embark upon marketing initiatives taken directly from the corporate sector. Instead, the challenge is to potentially adapt and modify best practices and techniques so that they work in an effective manner within your law firm.

Law firm marketers should continually immerse themselves in the business of marketing, not simply in the narrow field of legal marketing. As such, legal marketing professionals should be constantly on the lookout for good ideas, both within their primary area of specialty and outside it.

While marketing initiatives taken ?from other industries are rarely going ?to be successful if they are simply lifted and replicated within a law firm, the method and tactics of implementation might be adapted and altered to boost awareness of the firm, drive forward business development opportunities ?or achieve a variety of other benefits ?to the firm.