Nobody likes to say it out loud, but the toughest part of hiring a great law firm marketing manager is that law firms often don’t have a clear idea of what they actually need a marketing manager to do. They just know that they need help!
But absolutely no one wants to waste a lot of precious time and money interviewing, onboarding, and training a “wrong fit” that doesn’t work out. So, it’s all about narrowing in on the things that matter.
Below, let’s get specific about the types of skills and qualifications you really should be looking for in a winning candidate.
The Basic Qualifications Every Law Firm Marketing Manager Should Have
Like we’ve talked about before, finding the right marketing manager is partly about identifying the gaps in your strategy and thinking about where an extra pair of hands will be most productive for your firm. However, there are a few, basic skills that EVERY potential marketing manager should be able to demonstrate:
Excellent verbal and written communication.
This is a no-brainer! This person is likely to be one of the main people that vendors, contractors, community representatives, and marketing partners interact with, as well as one of the main generators of your content and campaigns. Their communication skills need to be absolutely on point.
Past experience creating marketing campaigns and strategies.
Hands-on experience in marketing is just as valuable as an academic degree or certification—maybe even more valuable! And, since best practices change over time (especially online), recent experience is preferable to experience from 20 years ago.
Good understanding of law firms as a business.
Marketing a law firm isn’t like marketing a retail site or restaurant. While experience in other industries can be valuable, you’ll save yourself some time if your candidate already has a good grasp of marketing norms in the legal industry.
Experience with law firm automation tools.
It’s a great time to be a marketer because there are all kinds of sophisticated marketing tools and software out there that save tons of time and keep your strategy consistent. The perfect marketing manager should be able to use and understand content management systems (CMS), customer relationship management software (CRM), practice management software, and marketing automation solutions.
And, with the basics out of the way, it’s time to dig a little deeper into how your candidate actually uses those skills in practice.
Digging Deeper to Find the Perfect Fit for Your Law Practice
You have a few candidates that look good on paper. What next? Well, it’s time to start investigating how they actually use those “on paper” skills to attract more clients to your business:
- Do they get the concept of your “perfect client” avatar?
- Do they have promising ideas to reach potential clients that fit that profile?
- Can they develop and strategize a marketing plan from start to finish?
- Can they work seamlessly with internal teams, external teams, and marketing partners?
- Can they bring together digital marketing, traditional marketing, paid ads, and other marketing avenues to maintain a cohesive strategy?
- Do they mitigate risk by balancing several marketing modalities instead of relying on just one?
- Do they have a plan to keep tabs on analytics data, lead reports, and other KPIs?
- Can they identify important trends, branding opportunities, and new audiences?
- Will they work well with you and your existing team and take your input seriously?
As you get into these specifics, you’ll probably notice that a few candidates rise to the top of your list—even if they looked the same as everyone else on paper. There can be quite a bit of difference between what a candidate KNOWS and what they can actually DO.
So, ask some hard questions, and put them to the test.
Are You A Lawyer Or podiatrist Who Needs To Get More Clients?
If you've been trying to get more leads, more clients or patients, and you're not sure how to get there, Foster Web Marketing is here to help. Contact us online or call our office directly at 866.497.6199 to schedule your free consultation. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.
