Digital White Papers

26 WWW.ILTANET.ORG | ILTA WHITE PAPER MARKETING TECHNOLOGY The Evolving Role of Marketing How have you seen your role evolve in recent years? The biggest shi I have seen in my role is advancing from not only someone that can administer soware but who can also utilize technology to provide statistics and ROI on marketing initiatives. Now that we have tools in place that can track responsiveness and behavior, reporting and analyzing data is key. I also see marketing technologist viewed more as a role that can offer solutions. In today's environment, we help identify integrations that can work more efficiently as a whole for the department rather than separate standalone products. Probably the most noticeable change is around data analytics. As a whole, law firms are operating more like true businesses, and leadership is demanding metrics to demonstrate the value of every investment in people, systems, initiatives, and day-to-day expenditures. That's exciting for technologists, because people are beginning to really understand the importance of databases and procedures. Which makes this role more vital – and high profile – than ever. We're not just that group that sends out the mailings! The most significant change I've seen is a broadening out of the role from simply looking at business process improvement and technology to also looking at team structure. This focus on a combination of people, process and technology is where I see the future marketing operations role siing. As technology improves, so do the options for how teams are organized. Law firms are increasingly reviewing how they operate and the necessity to PA SB TL Tom Lavin: We tend to summarize marketing operations as "people, process and technology". In the past, the operations focus was more heavily weighted towards technology; however, that's no longer the case. The people element (i.e. team structure) is more prevalent than ever and business process improvements are ongoing. The most important aspect of this role is to act almost like an internal consultant to the function. Whether that be working through technological challenges or ensuring processes are standardized and well documented or working with colleagues to break down business problems, the remit is broad. It is also very much a global role, which I feel is a requirement for success. John Wis: We have both technology and operations functions within the marketing department at my firm. Each has a unique focus but I think both roles function in trying to bridge the gap between marketing and business development – specifically, how do we leverage technology and process to turn our marketing activity into new business opportunities for our aorneys. Within these roles, we have a number of folks at the firm who a) understand marketing and BD strategy and processes, b) understand more of the granular details with technology and operations, c) can bridge the gap between the two and act as "translator" between technical and non-technical roles around the firm when discussing marketing and BD initiatives. TL JW PATTY AZIMI Patty Azimi is the Senior Marketing Technology Manager at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and has over ten years of marketing technology experience within the professional services industry. She specializes in the execution and integration of technology tools that streamline the daily needs of the marketing department. She utilizes technology tools to provide strategic business development opportunities and increase visibility for the firm. Patty oversees the firm's email marketing system, proposal generator tool, mobile event application program, content management system, content optimization strategy, CRM and ERM systems. She stays informed of emerging technology trends through attending conferences, user groups, and webinars.

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