Qualities to Look For in a Law Firm Internet Marketing Professional
While some law schools are beginning to change their ways, historically, most law firms have not adequately prepared lawyers for the business of practicing law.
Operating a law firm requires several business-related skills that most lawyers simply don’t have. From accounting, to hiring, to payroll, to accounting, there are many skills required to keep your firm running smoothly. And just as important as any of these, is getting new business.
Marketing a firm can be a full-time job in itself. In fact is. In fact, it has spawned an entire industry. You don’t have to look very far to find all sorts of marketing consultants, experts, agencies, etc. But how do you choose the right one?
While there are many components to building an effective strategic relationship with your marketing partner, when it comes to hiring an Internet marketing consultant, there are a couple characteristics that I have seen, more often than not, lead to positive results.
1. Experience – Just like with the practice of law, in the practice of Internet marketing, there is no substitute for experience. I don’t care how skilled you purport to be, if you haven’t managed law firm web visibility campaigns, you are more likely to make more mistakes.
2. Technical Knowledge – While you don’t need to be a computer science major to understand the concepts of Internet marketing, you should have a basic grasp of some of the more technical components of the web. Even more importantly, you should look for a consultant that is familiar with the latest solutions available to lawyers online. Web marketing technology is evolving quickly and if you’re marketing agent isn’t keeping up, chances are you will be chasing your competitors’ coat tails.
3. Relationships – Just like any business, when it comes to successful law firm web marketing, relationships matter. The more relevant industry relationships your professional can leverage, generally speaking, the more that their clients will benefit.
When you are interviewing your prospective law firm Internet marketing professional, make sure that they score high marks in these three key areas. While you can never guarantee that you have found the right partner for you, identifying these qualities will increase your likelihood of success.
