Law firms increasingly recognize the importance of digital marketing, which encompasses all the critical tactics, technologies and strategies needed to engage and inform consumers of legal services. But new research shows more resources and support may be needed.
The new report from PR, branding and content services firm Infinite Global and management consulting and executive search firm Calibrate Legal provides fresh insights into how law firms are approaching digital marketing.
“In our online-driven world, most leaders in legal marketing don’t need to be convinced of the importance of digital marketing, but they need financial support and buy-in from management,” said Jamie Diaferia, CEO of Infinite Global, in a news release.
Among the topics covered in the survey: staff structure and skills; marketing technology; content marketing; training and policies; and performance metrics.
Among the notable findings:
A vast majority of respondents report having either no digital marketing staff (26 percent) or very small teams consisting of 1-5 people (62 percent). At the same time, nearly 30 percent report that digital is in every marketing employee’s job description but that no one is fully dedicated to it. Only 14 percent say they have an integrated team of digital specialists reporting to a digital marketing leader.
On a more positive note, the vast majority of respondents definitely agreed (65 percent) their firm had a social media policy or somewhat agreed (22 percent). Those results are generally in line with other industries.
“It’s clear that many law firm marketing departments have made major strides in their digital efforts despite not receiving significant additional investment,” said Jennifer Johnson Scalzi, CEO of Calibrate Legal.
Download the full report here.
The survey draws on data from about 100 respondents from a range of firms: 43 percent from firms with 100-500 attorneys; 39 percent from firms with 500 or more attorneys; and 17 percent with fewer than 100 attorneys. Most respondents (53 percent) report that they are at a director level.
