Be the Big Dog: The Young Lawyer’s Guide to Working with Marketing

By Jamie K. Mulholland

This article was originally published on Law.com.

Years ago, I worked on a marketing team with a guy who had a wealth of witty one-liners for pretty much any situation. One week, with a few significant deadlines in front of us, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. “When you’ve got a bunch of hungry dogs in front of you, you know which one you feed first?” he asked. 

“The big one.” 

When newly admitted lawyers arrive at a firm, they are not always sure how to take advantage of an on-staff marketer or external marketing partner. In some cases, they fear that a direct line to marketing is something available only to senior partners or more established attorneys. In other cases, it’s a matter of simply not being able to articulate what they think they might need.

Part of the problem is that many law schools generally do not teach marketing. Young lawyers have been immersed in theory, law, writing and reasoning, but have no idea how to establish a personal brand. However, the attorneys who build the strongest reputations are the ones who make marketers their internal strategic partners from day one. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been at the firm or how much you are bringing in. It matters that you integrate marketing into your practice right away and have it become an innate part of everything you do. 

Here is a guide on how you can initiate that relationship and set the foundation for a productive, long-term collaboration.

Meet the Marketer

Don’t wait to be asked – request a 20-minute coffee or chat and come armed with your requests and questions – but also prepared to learn. 

"I want to make sure I understand the firm’s brand and messaging and the best ways I can incorporate the marketing initiatives you already have in place as I start to grow my practice. Can you walk me through what's worked well and what I need to be mindful of?"

By starting the conversation with an openness to instruction, you will not only gain valuable insight into what has worked well for other attorneys at the firm, but you are also creating a foundation of mutual confidence, earning their trust and ensuring they are as invested in your visibility as you are. 

At this meeting, you can also brainstorm about what you think you might need to do, what your marketer’s ideas are, and where you go from here. 

Plan Your Work So You Can Work Your Plan

After that first meeting, I always like to sum up what we have talked about into three brief lists: immediate priorities, mid-range goals, and long-term ambitions. 

Here’s a sample list:

• Within 60 days: Photos taken; Draft bio for website; Update all external listings and social media accounts; PR announcement out; Communications to clients, family, and colleagues 
• Within six months: Aim to produce one or two pieces of substantive content (client alert, blog post), Secure a speaking opportunity (local bar association, guest spot on a podcast); Do some networking (internal and external); Establish a presence on the firm’s news pages and social media
• Beyond year one: Sustain the cadence of your content; Get yourself known on a larger industry scale (national speaking gig or larger conference), Establish yourself with journalists who cover your area of practice so that you’re not just writing stuff – you’re also getting called for quotes; Work with marketing to generate reports and trackers that establish the ROI of all you are doing

Use Content to Scale Your Visibility

One thing that will help you move from "just starting out" to "recognized authority," is a predictable collateral rhythm. Work with your marketer to build a quarterly content plan. This plan will serve as a roadmap that integrates your writing, speaking, web presence and social media presence. When you map these out, you are, in effect, creating a multiplier effect: your article becomes a LinkedIn post, which serves as talking points for a podcast or local panel, which then informs a section of your bio. By planning these components as a cohesive network of activities rather than one-off projects, you are integrating yourself into marketing’s mission, saving yourself valuable time and, doing the most important thing of all in marketing: staying consistent.

Never Be Afraid to Provide Raw Material

Don't ever feel as if you have to write a polished article or blog yourself. If you have an idea, send the marketer a list of key points, some relevant case studies, and the reason this topic matters. They can help generate a draft to which you add key legal points and edit in your voice. Also, by giving marketing a starting point rather than a finished draft, they’ll know where to add in key phrases and other content that helps with search and generative engine optimization. 

Reassess Regularly

How often do you want your marketer to check in with you? Be specific and realistic. “Please follow up with me once each month on this plan.” You may not have time to answer, but you have now given a directive on how often you want to hear from them. Beyond the check in -– this one is important –set a date to meet, at least quarterly. Even if you’re just updating that initial list, you are connecting and cementing that partnership. 

Embrace the "Check-in" Even Without Results

One of the most common mistakes new attorneys make is skip the marketing check-ins because they feel they haven't accomplished enough. Do not do this. Revisiting your goals, even if you have accomplished less than you wanted or expected to is important for both of you. If you haven't hit your goals, use the meeting to troubleshoot why. Are you having trouble finding the time to write? Regular, candid touchpoints help build trust, and trust is what turns intermittent help requests into a proactive, long-term partnership.

Be a Conduit for Feedback

If you hear a recurring question from clients or see a trend in your daily work, let your marketer know. They don’t have the same client exposure that you do, so your front-line insights may help inform not only their content strategy, but help the firm overall. 

Provide feedback from your clients on their experiences with the firm: how phone calls are answered, how intake was handled, how communications are received. Provide your own feedback on things like how RFP process could work better. 

All of these are key points in the client’s journey with a firm. Working together to improve them benefits you both. 

Respect Lead Time

Remember that marketing requires planning. If you have a speaking engagement or something that is promotion-worthy, give them as much notice as possible – weeks or months, not days. This allows them to calendar supporting social posts, email blasts, or website updates rather than scrambling at the last minute.

Above All, Trust the Marketer

Don’t design logos. Don’t ask for web editing credentials. Don’t write social media copy. A strong partnership is built on mutual respect for each other’s craft. Just as you wouldn't invite a marketer to draft a motion or refine a legal argument, it’s equally important to resist the urge to handle the back-end work of marketing. Trusting the marketing team to do what they do best only produces a better result, it frees you to concentrate on the high-level thought leadership that will truly grow your practice. 

Prepare for Greatness

By investing this time and energy into your partnership with marketing, you aren’t just building a rapport with your marketing team, you are effectively positioning yourself as a future leader whose business development acumen makes you a true "big dog" at the firm.

About: 

Jamie Mulholland assists attorneys and law firms across the country with marketing and business development. Learn more at mulhollandmarketing.com.