As a part of the Legal Marketing Association’s partnership with Above the Law, each month we’ll share a roundup of insights and intel from Strategies & Voices, the online trade journal dedicated to the craft of legal marketing.
Spanning the LMA’s Body of Knowledge domains for Marketing Management and Leadership, articles in this edition help legal marketers with three big-picture concerns: how to handle AI with outside vendors; how to lead lawyers to become thought leaders; and how to foster (and leverage) positive firm culture for more effective business development.
AI at Your Marketing Agency: What You Need to Know
As AI-based marketing tools like ChatGPT and Canva’s Magic Design have become more commonplace, what does this mean for the law firms that hire creative agencies? What are the potential pitfalls, and how should law firms govern their agency’s use of AI tools?
In Navigating the AI Revolution: What You Need to Know if Your Marketing Agency Uses AI, readers will learn the major issues surrounding AI in the marketing arena, as well as questions to ask your agency about its use.
Example: “If your firm’s agency is following best practices for implementing AI, you should be able to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:
- Does the agency disclose its AI use to clients for transparency?
- Does it remove all personal identifiers to anonymize data?
- Does it make sure no sensitive data is ever fed into an AI platform?
- Do humans review all the agency’s output before clients receive it?”
Beyond the Blog: Leveling Up to Thought Leadership
“Thought leader” status is an aspirational goal for many lawyers, but what really sets them apart? What’s the difference between a true thought leader and a lawyer who writes articles?
In Lawyers Setting the Bar in Thought Leadership: Takeaways from Two Standout Attorneys, readers will learn five criteria for true “thought leader” status, then see examples of two lawyers building visibility and credibility in this way.
Example: Thought leaders don’t just report the news; they take a stand. “They take risks in both word and deed. By taking bold actions and standing up for what they believe in, thought leaders captivate audiences and garner respect (or reaction).”
The True Foundation for Business Development: Firm Culture
They say you can’t put lipstick on a pig — nor can you use a brilliant brand to disguise rotten firm culture.
In the LMA podcast Cultivating Culture: How Positive Workplace Culture Fuels Law Firm Success, listeners will learn how a positive firm culture is directly tied to business development and client retention.
This podcast reflects the collaboration between the LMA and the Practising Law Institute (PLI), a nonprofit learning organization for the legal sector. Through this partnership, LMA members have access to new educational offerings, such as the course that complements this podcast:
Through August, the LMA’s Strategies & Voices will continue to focus on Marketing Management and Leadership, with scheduled content that will discuss rebranding, strategic planning and more.
Do you have a compelling case study about your firm, or marketing insights to share? Share your ideas with Strategies & Voices today.
Katherine (Katie) Hollar Barnard is the managing partner of Firesign | Enlightened Legal Marketing, a communications agency for law firms and legal service providers. She also serves as co-chair of the LMA’s Strategies & Voices editorial committee.