Digital White Papers

I L T A W H I T E P A P E R | K N O W L E D G E M A N A G E M E N T & M A R K E T I N G T E C H N O L O G Y 56 I N -D E MAN D S KI LL S : The survey asked respondents for their views on demand for key marketing skills and roles in the wake of COVID-19. Unsurprisingly the results show decreasing demand for generalist skills associated with traditional law firm marketing tactics. In growing demand are specialist skills in digital marketing, data analytics and strategic BD – all of which contribute to the ability to measure the impact and return on investment in marketing/BD. Operational Excellence: The Way Forward First-Chair law firm marketing leaders tell us the biggest issue they face is lack of resources for growing the department or making non-headcount investments. At the same time, law firm Managing Partners are reporting that their firms have weathered the pandemic's impacts well – but with the caveat that the good financial performance is due in large part to significant decreases in expenses. We believe that operational excellence in Marketing & BD provides a way forward. Firms may do well to repurpose some of those unused travel, client entertainment, and event sponsorship funds into more efficient and more measurable business development tactics, including digital marketing and marketing technology. Doing so could be a differentiating factor upon recovery and give the firm a head-start in the race for market share in a post COVID world. ILTA Gordon Braun-Woodbury leads Calibrate Legal's Marketing Operations consulting practice. In our consulting practice, we've seen many law firms struggle to get full value from their investment in CRM systems and processes. Despite this, firms continue to double down on technologies, including CRM, that help them understand their clients (and future clients). The leading vendors in the legal CRM space have all updated their platforms in the past 12 months, and several new entrants have emerged. All these vendors are adding AI and automation features – such as signature scraping – with the goal of creating a "zero data entry" experience for lawyers. With COVID triggering a shift to digital engagement, we predict an active market for legal CRM in the next 1-2 years. • In-demand skills: The survey asked respondents for their views on demand for key marketing skills and roles in the wake of COVID-19. Unsurprisingly the results show decreasing demand for generalist skills associated with traditional law firm marketing tactics. In growing demand are specialist skills in digital marketing, data analytics and strategic BD – all of which contribute to the ability to measure the impact and return on investment in marketing/BD. SKILLS Greater Demand Less Demand Conferences (in-person) 87% Data analytics 73% Digital marketing 79% Directories and Awards 50% Pitches/Proposals 41% Product / sector marketing management 48% Research 54% Lead generation & pursuits 74% Sponsorships 65% Strategic BD 86% Percentages of responding firms that answered each category 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Kathryn Whitaker is Calibrate Legal's Director, Recruiting and Consulting Strategy.

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