|
 Interview with Phil Cox, Director
Global
Law Marketing
AS: Tell us a little about Global Law Marketing. What
exactly do you do?
PC: Global Law Marketing is a consultancy serving the
marketing needs of the international legal community. But the reality
is less grandiose than that. Global Law Marketing is a small business
with Intellectual Property legal clients who are based in Latin
America. The company is based in New York City and I am the only
full-time employee. I do, however, outsource a lot of work to companies
with specific expertise in developing bespoke, high-end marketing
tools. My relationship with Algonquin Studios is the classic
example of this. I organize my client's strategies and then get outside
vendors to help in implementing each part of the strategy.
AS: When making a strategic
marketing plan for a new client what consulting areas or services do
you offer?
PC: Each client is different and has different needs, so the
resulting consulting services needed can vary greatly. We first look at
what strategy they should pursue, e.g. they might want to protect their
position as a market leader or be looking to increase market share as a
smaller player in the market. This will affect the way they attack the
market. We then help them create marketing activities that fulfill
their needs. Communications strategy is a large part of this and thus
the technologies that facilitate communications - CRM systems, web
sites, micro-sites and SEO work, e-newsletters, etc. Law firms in
general tend to be behind the curve in using technology to help them
achieve their marketing goals.
AS: How long has Global Law
Marketing been working with Algonquin Studios? How did the
relationship develop?
PC: We started working with Algonquin about 2 years ago when a
client in Mexico needed to build a new web site with specific criteria.
I actually met some of the team at the LMA Annual Conference, where you
had a booth. From there, I asked for a quote and it quickly became
apparent that the quality of services Algonquin provides is very high
and your flexibility and willingness to discuss options was really
great.
AS: What are some of the
marketing/communication struggles that you feel the legal community is
facing today?
PC: Legal marketing in the US is growing and so are law firm
needs. However, I think the main struggles being faced in this market
are not technological, they're human. Specifically, the structure of
law firms doesn't lend itself well to decision making. For example,
marketing managers frequently get stymied when trying to send
communications to clients and prospects. Instead of letting the experts
get on with what they've been employed to do, committees often step in
and muddy the waters. Also, lawyers, as a general rule, aren't
the strongest sales people, yet they're on the front lines and client
facing. This is where tools like ERM and CRM can be truly helpful.
AS: How does using Algonquin's QuantumCMS as your content management
system help you deal with these difficulties?
PC: QuantumCMS has been great for us. The biggest benefit is
the ease of use; with only two or three hours of training we've been
able to accomplish 95% of what we need to. We've trained 6 staff
members to use the system, so no matter which partner wants an urgent
or immediate change we have staff available to make it happen. If we
experience turnover we can easily train new staff, thanks again to its
ease of use!
AS:What do you feel are the most current legal marketing
trends?
PC: In recent years there has been more of a focus on business
development activities rather than traditional marketing
communications, such as advertising and PR. This means getting in front
of clients and finding new markets to enter and educate about legal
issues. Activities that are tangible and can show a return on
investment have become more popular in the past three years, for
obvious reasons - things like CRM, web tools such as webinars, and
traditional face-to-face seminars, among other things.
AS:How important do you feel an online marketing strategy is
for the legal industry? How do you advise your clients on using social
media channels?
PC: In the near future online marketing is going to be
integral to all law firms' marketing strategies. Right now most firms
in the US are watching and waiting to see how the rest of the market
adopts these new technologies. Obviously most firms have a web site,
but what they're actually doing with it is different matter.
Webinars
are somewhat popular and social media is a hot potato! Blogs can be an
effective tool, as can setting up groups on Linkedin and connecting
with clients through Twitter. However, I usually advise my clients to
only go this route if they are willing to put real time and effort in.
The reality is, many firms aren't making the commitment needed to make
these tools work for them.
Online
marketing can be very cost effective if it's directed and understood. I
really like using social media to generate attendance at webinars. Then
I encourage my attorneys to go and visit the attendees that have a
clear need for legal services in area on which the webinar was focused.
This leads to actual business coming through the door, which is
something legal marketing has not traditionally been expected to
achieve.
AS:Do you feel it is important for the legal industry to make
investments in professional associations?
PC: Absolutely. Professional associations are the life
blood of legal marketing. Without professional associations, there'd be
a huge gap in how professionals find lawyers to fulfill their legal
needs. They truly go hand-in-hand and so I don't believe we'll see any
change in this in the next 100 years!
|
