How to Collect Ongoing Marketing Info Inside Your Firm
[A sample memo you may circulate is below.]
It can be pretty tough to collect information inside a law or accounting firm. People are busy; they’re often billing hourly, and when they win a case, finish a deal, or close a file, their first thought isn’t always “Hey, I’d better tell Marketing about this!” But, of course, we really want them to. It can be helpful to occasionally remind them to keep Marketing updated, to give your professionals a gentle nudge.
Here’s a memo I wrote when I was marketing partner of a law firm, reminding the lawyers and paralegals to bring useful information to my attention.
I’d circulate this periodically just to get the Marketing Department back into the lawyers’ collective consciousness. As always, we tended to get most of the information from a small group of aggressive self-promoters (so we’d need to regulate the flow of their material to help protect them from themselves). Our goal was to create some internal “Hey, what about MY win?” competitiveness among the lawyers. This usually generated a second round of information back to Marketing. Feel free to use it, if it’d help.
Regards, Ross
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE: Increasing Our Internal Communication
As we continue to grow, it becomes even more important, and more difficult, to maintain a steady flow of information throughout the firm. More communication leads to stronger links across the different offices and practice areas, resulting in a healthier firm and more opportunities to expand our client relationships. We intend to increase the substance in the Daily Memo to help us accomplish this goal, by reporting on new clients, success stories, and unusual representations, as well as new hires, occasional client profiles, and a report on the firm’s ongoing marketing activities.
This is to request that you bring to our attention the cases, transactions, matters, and representations that can help keep us all informed about your activities.
Further, as you have seen by the regular attention we have been receiving in the media, we continue to focus significant efforts on enhancing the firm’s external image, and increasing our firm’s name recognition in the minds of the general legal and business public. To make the most effective use of the media, we must feed them information as quickly as possible, while it is still newsworthy. By informing us of a probable significant event before it occurs, we can have our resources ready to move when the news breaks.
When you are approaching a crucial point in a case or matter, or receive a favorable result of any type, call me at extension XXXX. We can easily handle client sensitivities and confidentiality issues, but we cannot freshen a stale story.
Examples of this information include:
- Our filing, or our being hired to defend against, significant litigation
- A litigation victory by verdict, motion, appeal, or settlement
- The beginning or end of either a large deal or one with well-known names
- A significant new client or representation that can be disclosed
- Something with unique interest to the firm, general public or the business/legal communities, even if it is a small matter
- An award or appointment
Your cooperation is appreciated!
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Interested in booking Ross Fishman for your retreat, marketing training, or Ethics CLE program?
Contact Ross directly at ross@fishmanmarketing.com, or 1.847.432.3546! Click here for a demo video.
