Should Lawyers Outsource Their Marketing Efforts?

One of the most important elements in establishing a good attorney-client relationship is the ability to communicate value to clients. Unfortunately, many legal marketing professionals have the same problem that many lawyers do- they fail to communicate the value of their services – or of marketing in general – to the lawyers or law firms they work for.

In house legal marketers have begun to complain that firms are starting to consider outsourcing marketing efforts to foreign companies. Some of these marketers recognize that law firms aren’t necessarily dissatisfied with their current marketing departments, but they’re trying to drive down costs. That’s the first clue that there’s a value communication problem.

If law firms are satisfied with their marketing departments but questioning the costs, the legal marketers are doing a poor job of explaining to their law firms why marketing shouldn’t be outsourced and why their current marketing professionals can do the job better. In order for law firms to stop thinking about cost, they have to see the benefits.

Legal marketers have also expressed concerned that in the future it will take fewer marketing positions to do what we’re doing today. But I haven’t seen or heard much discussion about why this might be the case, or why it shouldn’t be that way.

Competition for clients takes place one client at a time. Not only is this true for existing client relationships and the attempt to get a larger share of a particular client’s total business, but it’s true for new clients, too. Clients come to law firms individually, based upon relationships. Lawyers are experts at the law. But they aren’t necessarily experts at building relationships and getting to know their clients’ businesses. Many (if not most) lawyers and law firms need help to push them into the business of marketing.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to marketing professionals, nor should it be something for them to ‘worry’ about – it should be what they’re advising their law firm clients about, since it’s axiomatic that it’s easier to get more business from an existing client than it is to get a new client. It’s also easier to cultivate an existing relationship and have that relationship lead to new relationships than it is to start building ‘new’ avenues for business.

Unfortunately, many lawyers don’t value the business aspects of the business, and that’s part of the reason why they don’t manage or market their firms well, and they fall into the same misconceptions (below) over and over.

One legal marketer says that legal marketers should be able to prove that marketing is an integral part of the business and not a support function, and that legal marketers should change from merely being reactive to a more proactive business model. 

This entire discussion demonstrates two of the biggest (and costliest) misconceptions about the business of law, and one of the biggest reasons why law firms are skeptical about most marketing consultants, whether in-house or outside of the firm. Contrary to popular belief:

• Growth isn’t always the answer, and MORE isn’t always better
• Cutting costs isn’t the most effective way to increase profits
• Increasing the number of clients isn’t always the most effective way to increase profits