The year 2024 is poised to bring about significant transformation in the field of marketing operations for many law firms, according to several panellists at the Thomson Reuters Institute’s 31st Annual Law Firm Marketing Partner Forum held recently. This trending development is set to drive a marketing tech evolution as economic and technological pressures drive firms to hone and maximise their marketing tech stack. As a result, law firms are ramping up their focus on their marketing operations as they seek to deliver increased efficiency and better client service.
As a law firm marketing professional, what strategies unique to the legal market do you use to enhance the firm’s marketing efforts, client engagement and drive innovation?
Rahul Gossain, chief strategy and brand officer, J Sagar Associates:
Law firm marketing has undergone significant evolution in recent years, particularly in jurisdictions like India, wherein legal advertising and solicitation are prohibited, and foreign law firms are yet to enter.
A strategic approach to legal marketing involves defining a distinctive position aligned with overall business objectives and adopting an approach with the primacy of Below The Line (BTL) marketing. This requires establishing a clear marketing and communications architecture, which relies on carefully designed strategic programs and initiatives tailored to each firm's unique strengths and priorities across various levels of the organisation – firm, leadership, practice areas, partners, sectors, practice groups, and management teams – in the short, medium, and long terms. To be meaningful in today’s cluttered era, legal marketing strategists need to focus on continuous innovation when driving thought leadership and other initiatives, for them to be able to effectively deliver client outreach and engagement.
Given the legal constraints and restrictions, content, innovation, relationships, partnerships, and research become the central pillars of law firm marketing strategy. Effective approach involves careful planning and readiness to be able to deploy multiple marketing, communication, and outreach tools in a synchronised manner, time and again, while simultaneously incorporating external feedback and adapting to changes in market dynamics.
Navigating the complexities of a matrix law firm environment, especially within full-service firms, thus demands highly agile and responsive marketing teams capable of adapting to dynamic internal, domestic and international external environments.
Archana Venkat, chief marketing officer, Trilegal:
Law firm marketing is evolving beyond social selling, and India’s competitive market demands a more structured and data-driven approach. Clients seek transparency, collaboration, and business acumen from their legal advisors. Marketing teams can enable this by leveraging data and technology to personalise outreach, improve client service, and drive innovation.
Firms are increasingly investing in building robust scalable marketing infrastructures, alongside processes, and centralised information systems, such as CRMs. These systems can provide a single view of the client’s touchpoints and experiences with the firm, and nudge collaboration among Partners. Advanced CRM systems can also make engagement pricing recommendations based on historical comparisons and market data. Future CRM systems can also integrate with content marketing systems and workflows to support the creation and dissemination of multi-channel content.
In future, the role of the law firm CMO could evolve into more strategic areas, such as identifying key clients and developing special programs to improve profitability, structuring business collaborations with the legaltech and AI ecosystems to power client experience and co-create products with clients.
Hitesh Kalwani, business strategist, Khaitan & Co:
In the contemporary landscape of the business arena, flexibility and adaptability reign supreme. Marketers must meticulously tailor strategies to align with their distinctive strengths and circumstances. The essence of adept business development lies in the cultivation of relationships, sustained engagement, promise of delivering value, and assertive pursuit of opportunities. Several guiding principles underscore this approach.
First, consistently prioritise the cultivation of connections with clients and prospective clients. Business transactions thrive on the foundation of familiarity and trust, particularly when clients are confident in one's comprehension of their industry intricacies and individual requisites.
Second, remaining visible within one's network is of paramount importance. Failure to periodically engage with clients and referral sources risks relegating one's presence to the periphery of consciousness. It is essential to maintain a structured follow-up regimen and utilise social media platforms as conduits for sustained engagement.
Finally, harness technological resources to streamline activities in alignment with targeted marketing objectives. Given the advent of generative AI and a myriad of legal tech tools tailored to specific requirements, it is crucial to remain abreast of technological advancements and leverage them to yield tangible results.
