With hopes rising for a recovery in legal work as Asia’s economies roar back to life in 2023, law firms are pulling out all the stops to burnish their marketing strategies to woo clients. Marketing and business development leaders tell ALB how they plan to pivot and grow their business to better meet clients’ needs.
WHAT ARE YOUR MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR THIS YEAR, AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO IMPLEMENT THEM EFFECTIVELY?
PADMINI RATHORE, chief executive officer, and PRIYAN GARG, business development and knowledge management senior manager, DSK Legal
A good marketing and business development strategy is imperative to any law firm today. We are operating in a sophisticated market where these terms are no longer “buzzwords” or “nice-to-have” initiatives but actual strategic engines that fuel the firm’s growth.
The growing complexity of legal work requires lawyers to collaborate across expertise and organisational boundaries. At DSK Legal, we have carefully examined the circumstances around us to create a marketing and business development structure that adapts and fits the requirements. Our marketing and business development goals flow from the firm’s strategic business plan that is put in place right at the beginning of the financial year. The firm-level plan is further broken up into sub-plans by geographies (domestic and international), practice areas and industry sectors or verticals that would be our focus for the year.
Some of the goals that the firm is looking to accomplish through marketing and business development in 2023 include the following: Creating a strong brand presence and identity across geographies and industry sectors; communicating effectively and continuously about the firm vis-à-vis its policies, developments, achievements and, most importantly, its people with the target audience; and building an online presence that resonates with its core values of “True Value, True Values;” collaborating with government institutions and private players for events; and strengthening our relationships with the existing clients and chalking out plans to find new ones.
As a firm, we are extremely cautious about our marketing and business development strategies and have, time and again, held open discussions internally to review and identify the correct approach for creating a roadmap of the firm and the perception that we would like our clients and the market to build about the firm.
BEN CHEOK, chief operating officer, Kudun & Partners
Thailand’s legal services sector continues to grow over the years. As clients’ interactions with legal service providers have evolved, competence and client service alone are no longer sufficient; law firms must also have a solid marketing and business development strategies in order to compete effectively. Our firm’s business development, marketing, and communications (BDMC) team will continue to capitalise on digital marketing, where we already have a strong online presence. Over the years, we have grown organically on LinkedIn, increasing our followers from single digits to over 2,000. We will continue to engage our audience on various online channels, promoting the firm’s services by creating valuable and informative content including quality legal updates, white papers and thought leadership content as well as showcasing our strengths and capabilities through the announcement of our deal completions, client testimonials, and firm updates.
This year, we will take focus on the approach of switching from practice-focused to client-focused specifically targeting certain industries and creating industry-specific materials such as case studies and success stories, to highlight our expertise and experience within that industry. We have recently adopted a new legal CRM tool that enables us to automate various tasks and directly reach out to potential clients in those targeted industries.
Our lawyers will take a more active role in participating in relevant face-to-face industry events and conferences, both domestically and internationally, to promote the firm’s capabilities, connect with potential clients, and establish the firm as a reputable and reliable business. As members of the global network of elite independent legal firms, World Services Group, we will collaborate with member firms and embark on roadshows to other jurisdictions to provide legal updates and investment trends to potential investors. We will be hosting the WSG APAC Regional Meeting set to be in Bangkok and looking forward to welcoming the members to our new office. We also believe in a collaborative approach, partnering with other strategic partners to expand our services and reach new clients.
Additionally, it is part of the firm’s vision to continuously give back to the community. We hope to collaborate more with like-minded companies on CSR or pro bono-related projects together.
GRACE ZHANG, APAC senior communications and marketing manager, Allen & Overy
The APAC region is poised for a significant year for A&O, with a focus on continuing to build strong relationships with clients. Our goal will be to provide innovative, integrated, and tailored marketing and communication initiatives that are carefully designed to meet the needs of our clients in this rapidly changing business environment. We look forward to rolling our plans this year as we continue on the road toward success.