Digital White Papers

I L T A W H I T E P A P E R | M A R K E T I N G T E C H N O L O G Y 23 W H A T S K I L L S D O Y O U T H I N K P E O P L E W I L L N E E D T O D E V E L O P O R R E F I N E I N O R D E R T O B E S U C C E S S F U L ? From a firmwide perspective, people will definitely need to be adept at technolo and willing to embrace new systems, platforms and processes. Those who can't get on the technolo bandwagon will be left behind. From a marketing professional standpoint, they will need to be good stewards of the systems the firm uses, helping promote their use with internal stakeholders while also spotting opportunities to use those systems in new ways to support the needs of the lawyers and clients. I'm not sure if this is a skill, per se, but something I think everyone in a law firm business professional role needs is to not be afraid of failure. What I mean by that is to take ownership of our roles and not be afraid to try new ideas just because they may be unpopular or even worse, fail. If you are given decision-making authority, use it. Make decisions, stand behind them, and don't be intimidated if it doesn't work out. Use what didn't work to figure out another way of addressing the issue. I also think it is important for anyone looking to grow in the business of law industry to develop a full understanding of the business of law. Because you are a marketing technologist it does not mean that you don't need to understand how the firm makes money, what makes a LG LPM W H A T D O Y O U T H I N K T H E M A R K E T I N G T E C H N O L O G Y F U N C T I O N O F A L A W F I R M W I L L L O O K L I K E ? Laura Gracey: I may be biased, but five years from now I think Marketing Technolo will be integral in defining the success of a law firm. As clients from all industries become increasingly technologically savvy, firms won't be able to rely simply on good lawyering to bring in new business. Just as you can't walk into Google or Facebook with an antiquated laptop and expect to be taken seriously, firms can't rely on the technolo of yesterday to acquire and retain new clients. Law firms need to be prepared to use technolo to help them anticipate the needs of their clients, from spotting trends that may impact them to developing pricing models that are realistic and palatable. Laurie Paul Mittenthal: In 5 years I think the marketing technolo function will be a main driver (if not THE main driver) of a firm's marketing and business development department. As more actions become automated, as firms start to better integrate and align administrative functions, as firms start to more effectively utilize data in their strategic decision making processes, marketing technolo will be an integral part of not only pushing initiatives forward with technolo solutions, but also in the upfront development of strategic initiatives as the function LG LPM provides the brains behind data gathering and analysis. Jenna Schiappacasse: I think that marketing technolo will sit in each relevant department, lending credibility, expertise and strate to each approach. Communications, business development, client service, knowledge management, research or librarian services: all of these efforts need marketing technolo to help them operate at peak performance and efficiency in their roles. I imagine members of the marketing technolo department within firms becoming absorbed by each of the departments that they drive productivity within, and will allow marketing technologists to specialize (as we often advise our attorneys to do within their practices) in a specific arm of the business. This will make them more marketable within their firms as experts in their fields, as well as when making lateral moves. John Witts: I expect the Marketing Technolo function to blend with emerging roles in marketing operations and innovation at firms. Marketing technologists, by virtue of job responsibility, need to be forward-thinking to ensure the firm's marketing technolo resources support business development and strategic direction, and I'd expect the function to continue to move out from behind-the-curtain to a more visible place among firm professionals. JS JW F U T U R E O F M A R K E T I N G T E C H N O L O G Y - F R O M T H E P E R S P E C T I V E O F T H E N E X T G E N E R A T I O N O F I N D U S T R Y L E A D E R S

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