A large and established firm was substantially underperforming its peers in marketplace visibility, yet it was spending a higher percentage of its revenue on marketing and business development than its direct competitors. We were asked to determine how the marketing department could have more impact for the resources the firm was committing. We interviewed all practice heads, partners with key client relationships, administrative department heads from across the firm and held one-on-one meetings with each member of the marketing department from directors through administrative assistants. These interviews were designed to surface unmet needs, areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
Results
We developed a concise and actionable report with a roadmap for an overhaul of the marketing department. The goal was alignment of marketing department resources with the lawyers’ and the clients’ needs while also allowing it to scale based on the firm’s growth. We redesigned the expectations for each professional on the marketing staff. We aligned job duties with skill sets, many of which were being overlooked or underutilized. We restructured the business intelligence, CRM, and media relations teams. We created a system for tracking and reporting on all marketing department teams focused on results rather than simply reporting on activity. Within a year, the department was reinvigorated, and partner satisfaction had significantly increased. So too, the department itself was working more collaboratively and all productivity metrics increased. Additionally, the earned media placements quadrupled. During this time, the marketing department budget remained flat and there were only two net new FTEs hired.
