A Good Marketing Plan Today

Marketing Planning: Good + Action > Waiting 4 Perfect

A good battle plan that you act on today can be better than a perfect one tomorrow.
- Gen George S. Patton

Although Patton wasn’t talking about legal marketing, a well thought out plan is key to developing successful marketing efforts. In most law firms, there are an abundance of officers – each with his or her idea of the perfect “battle plan” for conquering advertising and marketing.  Before investing resources in advertising wars, however, it’s important that everyone read from the same map -- agreeing on the starting point and the end target. Otherwise, the battle will certainly be lost to funding, political and morale struggles.

Creating a “good battle plan” is simple and takes little time and effort from the attorneys. But, the “leaders” do have to lead by sharing their thoughts and ideas, in writing. A Communications Work Plan (CWP) is a simple document, which helps to ensure all the parties concerned are on the same wavelength.  Each attorney involved in the project should complete this informal worksheet, which is an easy brainstorming exercise. Then, the comments are combined, shared, tweaked and agreed upon.  The road map to a marketing plan is established.

Technically, the CWP can be used in place of the “perfect” marketing plan.  As long as there are clear goals of what’s being marketed, what the assignment is and when it is to be complete… as well as a budget. Ideally, it is used for creative development as well as the cornerstone of building an integrated marketing effort that includes advertising, public relations, etc.

The key questions to answer in a Communications Work Plan are (answers can be bulleted, sentences, slang, etc.):

PROJECT:

1. What are we marketing?
2. What is our assignment?

INPUT:

1. Who is the target audience?
   External
   Internal
2. What do they think or do?
3. What do we want them to think or do?
4. What argument will convince our target to think/do what we want them to?
5. What information will support the argument?
6. What competitive considerations should be reflected in the argument or message?
7. What tone or manner should be reflected in the argument or message?
8. What are the mandatory components of the execution, if any?
9. What is the budget for the project?
10. What timing (scheduling) considerations must be considered?
11. What are the geographic considerations?

Remember, ACTION on a good plan today is better than growing stagnant waiting for the perfect plan tomorrow.

This op-ed column is written by Nancy Harrison Parker, APR, Director of Marketing for Vandeventer Black LLP. Parker has over 18 years experience in professional services marketing, eight of which are in legal marketing. She is a past president and founding board member of the Legal Marketing Association – Virginias Chapter and is one of only 5,000 in the U.S. and Canada who are Accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America.  LMA is a resource for marketers, attorneys and administrators and is dedicated to promoting ethical marketing in the legal industry. You may contact Parker at nparker@vanblk.com or 757.446.8682 for more information or to submit ideas for future columns.

Reprinted with permission from NPBA and the Norfolk Law Library.