In my last post, I wrote about how law firms often start their marketing from the middle. Over the weekend I gave it some more thought, and came to an obvious approach to counter this way of thinking.

I am absolutely positive that this is not a new idea, and I’m sure someone more eloquent than me has said it better. But here goes: start from nothing.

For marketers, experience and knowledge are the skills that justify our existence within a law firm. And it is through the lens of our own “expertise” that we approach each marketing endeavor. We think “I don’t think ___ will work. I tried it at my last company and the results were underwhelming.”

Well, forget all that. At least temporarily.

Try out this little mental exercise and you may be surprised what you’ll learn about your current marketing efforts.

Today is your first day at your firm. Whether you are a marketer or an attorney, today is the first day for you. And you’ve been given one assignment: you have to do something marketing related. What do you do?

For me, the first step would be to figure out the ultimate goal. Why are you marketing? Are you simply tasked with bringing in new clients? Maybe you’re there to get more business out of existing clients.

Regardless of the reason, starting with a clear slate allows you to have an “untainted” perspective. Instead of just trying to “do marketing”, you will instead be able to question why you should be spending your time on a particular activity.

Here’s another example for attorneys: Imagine that you woke up this morning and learned you are now a solo. What marketing activities would you continue to perform, and more importantly, what would you do differently.

I realize that their are obvious differences, but that’s not the point. The point is perspective. If you’re able to think outside of your preconceived notions of what marketing is, you’ll be able to figure out whether you are really accomplishing a goal….or just going through the motions.

Popularity: 2% [?]