NALP Marketing Branding Differentiation for Law Firm Recruiters, Headhunters, and Law Schools. Ross...

© 2014 Fishman Marketing, Inc.

NALP National / Seattle Standing Out in a Crowded Market: Branding, Online Marketing, and Social Media


Ross Fishman, CEO Fishman Marketing, Inc.

Tel: 1-847/HEADLINE Twitter: @rossfishman

www.FishmanMarketing.com LinkedIn.com/in/rossfishman

Blog: FishmanMarketing.com/blog


Ross Fishman, JD CEO, Fishman Marketing, Inc. W: +1.847.432.3546 M: +1.847.921.7677 [email protected] www.fishmanmarketing.com Subscribe to our blog:

fishmanmarketing.com/blog Connect with us:

Twitter: @rossfishman LinkedIn.com/in/rossfishman

Ross Fishman, CEO, Fishman Marketing, Inc.


It’s tough out there.

  Increased: – Competition

  Law schools for US News rankings   Who attracts the top law students, 2Ls, laterals?   How make your lawyers more successful?

– Confusion   Which firm to hire?   Which school to attend?   What students / laterals should we hire?   How are we different?   How can I stand out in my own career?


Proof that Marketing Matters


Describe This Firm


Is this firm . . .

  Creative –  Fun –  Powerful –  Dynamic –  Smart –  Nice, friendly –  Leaders –  ““A”” quality

  Average –  Typical –  Dull, boring –  Conservative –  Cold –  Lethargic –  Nothing special –  B- / C+ quality


Rate the firm

  1-10 for “Quality of litigation skills” –  1 = Terrible – 10 = High-quality

(Lawyers, marketers, administrators, and recruiters typically rate this firm approximately a 3.5)


Describe This Firm


Is this firm . . .

  Creative –  Fun –  Powerful –  Dynamic –  Smart –  Nice, friendly –  Leaders –  ““A”” quality

  Average –  Typical –  Dull, boring –  Conservative –  Cold –  Lethargic –  Nothing special –  B- / C+ quality


Rate the firm

  1-10 for “Quality of litigation skills” –  1 = Terrible – 10 = High-quality

(Lawyers, marketers, administrators, and recruiters typically rate this firm approximately a 7.5)


Which looks more unique?


US News Rankings

“Taken together, the two so-called ‘quality assessment’ surveys comprising 40% of every school’s ranking are a self-reinforcing contest for brand recognition. As measures of substantive educational value, well, you decide.” - The Lawyer Bubble: A Profession in Crisis - Steven J. Harper


Your Goal Should be Market Leadership


Not “Get our name out there.”

  Where’s “there?” – How do you measure “out?”

  What’s the ROI?   How do you know if it worked?

  Can’t be all things to all people today   Dominate a market

– Own something –  Industry – Sub-specialty practice


What’s your plan?

  What can you dominate? – What makes you unique? – How is your firm / practice / school different?

  Where are the opportunities? – Dynamic practice leader? – Niche industry? – Emerging market? – Someone you want to make successful?


You can’t do everything

  Smaller firms, schools, programs can’t do much.   Market strategically and efficiently   Stand out, don’t be boring.

– Do it great or don’t do it. – Have fun with it.


More creative is cheaper


Which would you open and read?


Front and Reverse


School on a Raft


Beloit


“Decide Who You Are. Then Own It.”


You can’t be “Smarter than Skadden.”

  (You can’t be “Better than Harvard.”)   But you can in a narrow niche.   Find a subset you can excel in

– Boutique expertise – Corporate Finance


Marine Finance


Rail Finance


Aircraft Finance


200 Lawyers 230 Practice Areas

39


How can law schools use this?

  What can schools become leaders in? –  International – Technology – Practical – Trial skills – Writing technique – Value – Hiring – Diversity


Buzz Building


More creative is cheaper

  Every dollar counts.   How can you tell your story better?   Perception of quality, 1-10?


Buzz building


Referral-seeking ads


Lawyer trade shows, banners


LOW BALL. HIGH STANDARDS.

LOW BALLHIGH QUALITY

OK, yes, we freely admit it. Low Ball is a funny name. But there’s nothing funny about our high standards. We’re lean and mean. We keeps cases moving along. We don’t waste a client’s time or money. We’re practical, creative and efficient. Those are the things that are high on Low Ball’s list.

More can be found at lowball.com.

LOW BALL. HIGH STANDARDS.

LOW BALLHIGH STANDARDS

OK, yes, we admit it. Low Ball is a funny name. But there’s nothing funny about our high standards. Our trial lawyers are lean and mean. We keep cases moving. We don’t waste a client’s time or money. Our litigators are practical, creative, and efficient. Those are the things that are high on Low Ball’s list.

More can be found at lowball.com.


Creating the Perception of Expertise


Drinker Biddle Health Care National firm targets two industries


Drinker Biddle & Reath

  650 lawyers – 11 offices

  Rapid growth through mergers   Typical big-firm structure, siloes, etc.

– Most full-service firms   John Byrne, CMO


Firm’s long-term goal

  Create national leadership in: – Health care –  Insurance

  Strategic mergers to add those practices


Health Care Challenge

  Lost local HC leadership after mergers – Predictable decrease in name recognition –  (Nearly every firm fails here)

  How leverage firm’s internal assets? –  Increase HC name recognition, visibility – Create HC market leadership – Work together, develop synergy

  What’s the plan? – Can it work within existing marketing?


What’s the process?

  Interview people from all areas, practices   One-on-one, hour-long meetings, probe

– “Tell me about your practice.” – “Tell me about the firm.” – “Give me 3 adjectives to describe the practice.” – “Who are your competitors?” – “What makes you different?” – “Why should a client / lateral come here?”


Telling Stories with Passion


Case Studies Rural cancer care, enabled by Drinker Biddle lawyers.

When a large nonprofit health system wanted to provide oncology care to a small rural community, they came to us to put the deal together. No surprise, really, since Drinker Biddle has one of the nation’s largest dedicated health care practices. And the key word there is dedicated. We see ourselves aspart of the mission of providing quality health care to the public. Because we’re not just a law firm, we’re part of the solution. Learn more at drinkerbiddlehealthcare.com.

Helping health care clients do good.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | A Delaware limited liability partnership

CALIFORNIA | DELAWARE | ILLINOIS | NEW JERSEY | NEW YORKPENNSYLVANIA | WASHINGTON DC | WISCONSIN


Case Studies Peace of mind for parents with the most vulnerable children. Prescribed by Drinker Biddle lawyers.

When a major metropolitan health system wanted to improve coverage of their pediatric and neonatal services, they turned to us. Drinker Biddle helped them develop a consolidated arrangement with a single pediatric group to cover all of the system’s hospitals, resulting in reduced financial costs, establishing accountability, and improving the care of pediatric patients. Another way Drinker Biddle is not just a law firm, but part of the health care solution. Learn more at drinkerbiddlehealthcare.com.




Peace of mind for parents with the most vulnerable children. Prescribed by Drinker Biddle lawyers.


Safer pregnancies, courtesy of Drinker Biddle lawyers.

A prominent health system was concerned that women covered

under its employee-benefit plan were not benefitting from best

practices in healthy-pregnancy care. We worked with a leading doctor

and the company’s HR sta� to come up with a plan that encouraged

proper treatment. As one of the nation’s largest dedicated health

care practices, we view ourselves as part of the mission of providing

quality health care to the public. We’re not just a law firm, we’re

part of the solution. Learn more at drinkerbiddlehealthcare.com.




Case Studies


Lawyers must see it

  Lawyers have to see it to understand –  If they see it, they want their own

  We created different DBR versions – Started with the most obvious practices

  Regulatory   Transactional   ERISA/benefits


Learned during the process

  Discovered: – 70-100 health care-related lawyers – 14 HC-related practice areas

  IT, IP, Lobbying, L&E, Patent…


Case Studies


Case Studies Less-invasive proton-therapy treatments for more cancer patients. Arranged by Drinker Biddle lawyers.

Proton-beam therapy is an advanced radiation treatment that destroys cancerous cells while sparing healthy cells just millimeters away. There are only 10 of these centers in the country and Drinker Biddle has been involved in establishing 30% of them. Making deals that help patients with prostate, breast, head, and neck cancers avoid the debilitating side e�ects of radiation. Just one more way Drinker Biddle is not just a law firm, but part of the health care solution. Learn more at drinkerbiddlehealthcare.com.





Case Studies

Hospital union contracts. Magnetized by Drinker Biddle lawyers.

When a large Midwestern hospital sought ANCC Magnet status, they called Drinker Biddle. We helped them renegotiate their nursing-union contracts to incorporate the necessary benchmarks and standards. Today, the hospital and its nurses proudly display a prestigious honor, and patients receive some of the nation’s best nursing care. As one of the largest dedicated health care practices, we view ourselves as part of the mission of providing quality health care to the public. We’re not just a law firm, we’re part of the solution. Learn more at drinkerbiddlehealthcare.com.





Case Studies


Two-Day Retreat

  Rolled it out, explained it – Taught them marketing, discussed the plan – Showed each ad – Each partner told the story

  Should have videotaped the poignant speeches

  Started the discussion – “I didn’t know you did that.” – “I have a client who might need that.”


Two-Day Retreat

  Goal is to work together   Increase

–  Internal education –  Internal information flow – Communication – Cross selling – Revenue


Compare. . .


Social Media is your Platform

  Once you know who you are – What you want to become

  Then you can identify the right tools – LinkedIn – Twitter – Facebook


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Impact of Social Marketing

  Largest professional social network – 250 million users – Targeted audience, business professionals

  60% of visitors don’t enter via Home Page   Include narrow keywords


Stand out

  Profile – Compelling headline – List your current and last two positions – Make / seek recommendations –  Interests and Associations – Personal LinkedIn URL – Make it public

  Connections – 10x your age


LinkedIn Revisions


Website

Website

LinkedIn

ABI

Tribune

Avvo

Yelp

Old Site

Martindale

Lawyers.com


Ross Fishman, JD CEO, Fishman Marketing, Inc. Work: +1.847.432.3546 Cell: +1.847.921.7677 [email protected] www.fishmanmarketing.com Subscribe to our blog:

fishmanmarketing.com/blog Connect with us:

Twitter: @rossfishman LinkedIn.com/in/rossfishman


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NALP Marketing Branding Differentiation for Law Firm Recruiters, Headhunters, and Law Schools. Ross...

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