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"Koeppel Direct's media buying expertise has played an integral role in making my company successful. Koeppel generated so much business for our company, occasionally we have to limit their media buys, in order to handle all of the new business." | |
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MEDIA BUYING DIRECT RESPONSE TELEVISION (DRTV) ARTICLE ...... |
How to market to attorneys
By: Roger Slavens
Published: 07/06 - BtoB Online |
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For the more than 1.1 million practicing lawyers in the U.S., ramping up their business savvy is the
No. 1 priority in 2006 and beyond, according to leading legal publisher ALM.
"Increasingly, law firms-particularly the larger firms-are recognizing the need to bring in outside, nonlegal
managers to help run the business side of their practices," said Kevin Vermeulen, VP-group publisher at
ALM.
Business development investment by law firms includes such expenditures as customer relationship management
software, competitive intelligence and knowledge management tools and services, Vermeulen said.
In addition, legal services are a rapidly growing area, said John Bigay, VP-marketing and programming for
Captivate Network, a media company that helps marketers reach lawyers and other office workers via video
stations in office building elevators. "For example, lawyers have used LexisNexis for years, but now RFP
and database software are making inroads at law firms. These software tools are designed to help in the
search for clients."
Professional managers-those who oversee business development and other administrative functions at larger
law firms-are very receptive to targeted messages, Vermeulen said. "However ... law firm partners, through
committees or managing boards, remain the ultimate decision-makers on many major purchasing decisions,"
he said.
The best way to establish a long-term relationship with a law firm is to focus your efforts on the
administrative staff, said Peter Koeppel, president of marketing agency Koeppel Direct. "They're the
ones who open up the doors," he said. "After those doors have been opened, you can target individual
partners directly."
Savvy marketers know they must market at multiple organizational levels at larger firms and connect with
as many influencers of the purchasing decision as possible. "Every partner is, in effect, an owner of the
business, investing his or her own money in every product or service purchase," Vermeulen said.
While smaller law firms may not have as many owners of the purchasing decision, the marketing process can be
equally or more challenging, Vermeulen said, because the lawyers take on the role of purchasers.
But the extra effort involved in engaging smaller firms is definitely worthwhile. "Small firms-those with 10 or
fewer lawyers-make up about 90% of the legal market today," Vermeulen said. "And 50% of all law firms are
solo practices. These firms have the same needs that every small business faces. ... In the technology area,
quality and support are often major issues, since support staff is often minimal or nonexistent."
Lawyers at firms of all sizes are busier than ever, even more so than your average business owner, said
Sadie Peterson, president of marketing agency SD MarCom. "Their time is very valuable, so any offerings
that require a major investment in their attention span will most often be overlooked."
Other ways to best engage lawyers in the workplace include advertising in legal publications, sponsoring
e-mail newsletters and building Web microsites that not only market a product or service but also provide
them with useful information for their jobs. "Lawyers continue to get more sophisticated about using the
Internet, especially when it comes to research," Koeppel said.
The best marketing approach with lawyers, however, is to make personal contact, said Barry Solomon,
VP-general manager for the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Network, a database of lawyers and law firms.
"Relationships between vendors and lawyers are built on trust, and firms must trust that their vendors
are reliable and committed to the legal marketplace," Solomon said. "This might require very close
hand-holding and relationship-building at the beginning, but putting in this face time with your prospective
law firm customers ... will go a long way in earning their business."
Click here to view the full article
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