Appeared on LinkedIn, August 8. August has always been a special month for me. It always feels like the kick off to the school year, and it’s a time to celebrate my birthday and watch mystical fireflies.
If you oversee a marketing function, August is also a unique month for you. While lawyers continue connecting to their clients, most will have some vacation plans, leading to fewer marketing fire alarms. It’s the perfect time to think about the following:
Looking at the growth plans for your directors, managers and those below them.
The market for finding and retaining talented marketers is more challenging than ever. Each team member should have a growth plan: what they want to accomplish for the year and how the firm can partner with them to achieve their goals. Firms rightfully focus on training associates, yet what about training marketing professionals?
Reviewing your social media, year to date. How is the firm doing in terms of LinkedIn?
Individual lawyers should use it in three ways: to create a profile that reflects what makes them unique, to reach out and connect with their contacts, and to post high-value content. If they are not doing so, offer coaching in this area.
Reviewing the functionality of your CRM.
For individual lawyers, this may translate into reviewing contact lists. Still, for a firm, it’s helpful to roadmap your processes to ensure that your software systems seamlessly communicate, produce intelligent reporting and avoid silos of information and double-entry.
Revisiting how your department promotes its services to the firm’s partners and associates.
Do your internal clients know how to utilize the talents of your department? If not, consider communicating with them via your intranet, brochures, presentations and one-on-one talks.
Considering the firm’s strategy plans for this year.
You are likely eight months Into those plans; it’s a great time to review where you are and where you are going and try to attack some of the impediments in your way.
I hope you are able to take advantage of the next few weeks to set up for your own successful back-to-school September.