Monthly Archives: May 2024

9Sail’s “Tip of the Law” podcast – “Harnessing Strategic Focus in Legal Marketing” with host Joe Giovannoli and guest yours truly … #lma24 #lmamkt

31 May 2024

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Thank you, 9Sail and Joe Giovannoli! Appreciate all you do for our profession and our community …

Join us on the latest episode of the Tip of the Law podcast, where host Joe Giovannoli sits down with Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill and past president of the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International board. Discover how Roy’s unique journey from English major, theater practitioner, and healthcare exec to legal marketing has shaped his innovative approach.

In this episode, Roy shares invaluable insights on:

🔹 Strategic focus in legal marketing
🔹 Building expertise and credibility
🔹 The importance of internal support and storytelling

Don’t miss out on Roy’s expert tips to elevate your legal marketing strategies and drive meaningful results.

Listen here.

Full episode description …

On a recent episode of the Tip of the Law podcast, host Joe Giovannoli was joined by legal marketer Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill Law and past president of the Legal Marketing Association. Roy has decades of experience in the legal marketing field and offered some invaluable insights into how firms can maximize their efforts. 

One key takeaway was the importance of strategic focus. Roy emphasized that firms need to analyze their data and prioritize the practice areas that have the highest revenue potential, rather than trying to please every attorney equally. Marketing dollars and resources are best spent amplifying the messaging around top revenue generators. 

Roy also stressed the importance of attorneys establishing themselves as subject matter experts. By publishing content that builds expertise in their specialty fields, attorneys can signal to potential clients the areas a firm specializes in. This includes posting about events, speaking engagements, and podcast appearances on platforms like LinkedIn. Not only that, but by promoting podcast clips and interviews on social media, the attorneys perpetuate the marketing cycle and raise awareness for all parties.

When it comes to content, Roy said repetition, focus, and quality are often where firms fall short. Firms must consistently repeat high-quality messages around a select few priority topics to truly make an impact. Another best practice- and Roy’s takeaway tip for legal marketers- is creating a weekly digest highlighting recent marketing activities and efforts. This engages the internal team while giving marketers newsworthy content.

Overall, Roy provided many thought-provoking insights that firms can apply to strengthen their strategies. By analyzing data, prioritizing key areas, empowering attorneys as experts, and optimizing efforts, firms can maximize the impact of their marketing investments. 

Key takeaways:

  1. Law firms should strategically focus their marketing efforts and resources on the practice areas that have the highest revenue potential rather than trying to please all attorneys equally. 
  2. Attorneys can build expertise and credibility by publishing content on their own profiles that establishes them as subject matter experts in their fields of practice.
  3. Law firms need to incorporate repetition, focus, and strategy into their marketing plans in order to achieve success. 
  4. Creating a weekly digest of marketing activities is an effective way for marketers to keep the internal firm updated on efforts while also giving them content to engage with.

“Thoughtful, strategic adoption of AI rather than chasing trends.” The Professionals: Inside Professional Services Marketing magazine covers launch of BD Ladder’s book “The Impact of AI on Business Development & Marketing in Professional Services” (with contribution from yours truly) #lmamkt #lma24 #AI

17 May 2024

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Thank you, The Professionals: Inside Professional Services Marketing magazine, for this feature and shout out.

EXCERPT: “AI is certainly not a new phenomenon, and many firms and individuals within professional services firms are experimenting and even using it to save time. However, for many firms, its full potential to deliver and enhance their business development and marketing efforts has so far not been successfully tapped. To assist with this, a leading professional services BD and marketing agency, The BD Ladder, has released a thought leadership eBook, The Impact of AI on Business Development & Marketing in Professional Services, which features eight articles from leading independent BD and marketing consultants and practitioners within the professional services. …

“In comparison to this Roy Sexton’s article offers a contrary view on the widespread rush to adopt AI. He emphasizes the importance of thoughtful, strategic adoption of AI rather than chasing trends. Sexton warns against superficial compliance and advocates for a deeper understanding of AI’s potential and limitations.”

Read more…

The eBook is available to download on The BD Ladder’s website. 

“We can’t improve what we don’t measure. And our wellness comes first.” Take the 2024 Legal Marketing Mental Wellness Survey today. Thank you, fSquared, for your support of this initiative. #lmamkt #lma24

13 May 2024

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“Our health and well-being are paramount. We are all high performers with big dreams and aspirations, but as RuPaul has said, ‘If you don’t love yourself, how in the h*ll you gonna love somebody else?’

“Maybe it’s my age, but coming off the past couple years, mindfulness has become a key concern for me and for those I care about. I find that when I pause – truly pause – and let the universe in and the anxiety go, I’m far better equipped to help, to innovate, to perform, and, most important, to be happy. 

“A survey like this helps provide us a snapshot in time and perspective. Your participation is key. We can’t improve what we don’t measure. And our wellness comes first.”

– Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing, Clark Hill, and Immediate Past International President, Legal Marketing Association

Join the movement for mental well-being in legal marketing! Take the 2024 Legal Marketing Mental Wellness Survey today.

“There is a community of 4,000 people I can lean into 24 hours a day for support and inspiration.” Thank you, Ben Paul and The BD Ladder, for this lovely opportunity to tell a bit of my story and for all you do for our profession and community! #lmamkt #lma24

7 May 2024

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Thank you, Ben Paul and The BD Ladder, for this lovely opportunity to tell a bit of my story and for all you do for our profession and community!

View here.

“The latest in The BD Ladder’s quickfire views of the Business Development and Marketing Leaders series features Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill Law, and International Past President of the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International.

“Find out what led Roy into a career in legal BD and marketing, how he stays on top of upcoming trends, and what he thinks is key to a successful career in marketing and BD within legal and professional services.

“Learn from Roy how to find that ‘Memorable moment.’

“This is one episode you won’t want to miss!”

P.S. Thank you, Ryan Koral and Tell Studios, for this lovely case study on our work together for Clark Hill …

Journey to Triumph: Clark Hill’s Award-Winning Re-Branding Campaign

This is how we crafted compelling videos that vividly showcased and amplified the rebrand of one of the nation’s leading law firms, driving vast engagement and clinching industry accolades.

Overview

Enter the world of Clark Hill: a dynamic international team of legal advisors with a singular mission – to drive transformative growth for businesses. With a sprawling presence across 27 global offices and a formidable team of over 700 attorneys, Clark Hill stood at a pivotal juncture. Their challenge? To craft a brand message that resonated with their rich culture and showcased their revamped, sleek brand identity. The answer? Video, and a partnership with Tell Studios.

The Challenge

Rapid growth and expansion brought Clark Hill to a unique challenge: How to unify the diverse narratives of its expansive team into a cohesive brand story? The complexities of the COVID-19 era further underscored the need for a solution that transcended geographical boundaries, echoing the unified voice and values of Clark Hill’s global family.

The Solution

Teaming up with Tell Studios proved transformative. Together, they birthed a series of videos, each narrating a distinct facet of Clark Hill’s rebranding journey. From brand announcements to heartfelt testimonials and industry-specific spotlights, every video was a mosaic piece of Clark Hill’s renewed identity. The process was marked by collaboration, warmth, and a commitment to ensuring every attorney felt seen, heard, and valued.

The Results

The numbers were nothing short of spectacular:

A staggering 500,000 views in year one, soaring to 750,000 by year two. 📈

Social media reach catapulted from 7 million to a jaw-dropping 12 million, with engagement rates skyrocketing by 69%. 🤯

But the crowning glory? Clark Hill clinched the 2023 Managing Partners’ Forum Marketing Excellence Award.🏆

“Clark Hill was a standout in this category. Their ‘Simply Smarter’ rebrand and engagement campaign was a masterclass in strategic brand deployment, reflecting the very DNA of the firm’s people.”

Beyond accolades, the campaign enriched Clark Hill internally:

1️⃣ Attorneys radiated with renewed confidence, poised to engage with clients.
2️⃣ The videos served as conduits, expanding the client base.
3️⃣ A palpable sense of pride and morale upliftment resonated within the Clark Hill community.

Conclusion

Clark Hill’s collaboration with Tell Studios wasn’t just about creating videos; it was about weaving a narrative of transformation, connection, and legacy.

“All the World’s YOUR Stage” on Expert Webcast … You Won’t Break My Soul: The 8.8 Trillion Dollar Question of Employee Engagement with guest Kacy Fleming

6 May 2024

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View here (free login/registration may be required).

Thank you, Anna Spektor and Expert Webcast for the opportunity. We offer words of condolence to Nancy Slome’s family in the opening. And shout outs to previous guests Jay Harrington and Laura Gassner Otting throughout the interview.

In this episode, Roy Sexton and Kacy Fleming unpack the formula for workplace engagement. Spoiler alert: it centers around authenticity and empathy. There are five core concepts involved: investing in leaders, recognition through a feedback loop, empowerment and autonomy, purpose and mattering, and career growth and development.

Kacy Fleming is an award-winning well-being strategist and life-coach, with a Master’s in Organizational Psychology and a passion for building cultures where individuals feel safe and have space to grow and thrive. Having moved from traditional marketing leadership roles to Head of Global Well-being for a Fortune 500 organization—she has gained invaluable first-hand experience driving change throughout complex corporate hierarchies.

In her article “How to Keep Employees Engaged: The 8.8 Trillion Dollar Question” for ThriveGlobal, Kacy writes, “There are a litany of factors that have been shown to improve employee engagement and performance, including autonomy. Over-indexing on where people work appears to have a negative effect on both organizational commitment and productivity. While there is much more research to come on employee engagement in distributed work, organizations must remember that what we reward gets repeated. Recognition and promotion belong to the people who help achieve company outcomes in a way that enhances culture, not those who log the most hours in-office or at the bar after work.”

Kacy has won multiple awards for her work in corporate well-being. She has built strategy for large global employers with populations working in a wide variety of work settings. From traditional knowledge work to the frontline, she has launched, co-designed, and deployed well-being strategies and solutions from the ground up. Her approach is guided not only by 20 years of practical experience working in some of the largest biopharmaceutical companies, but also from her academic research and writing.

Kacy is a sought after speaker and writer. Her TEDx talk on “The Limitlessness of Flexible Work,” was based on her master’s thesis. She has spoken for the Business Group on Health, MH Work Life, Randstad USA, and Wellbeing at Work and has appeared on numerous global podcasts. Kacy is the author of articles on hot topics in the workplace ranging from menopause and mid-life transitions to flexible work, humane leadership, and the key to employee engagement. Kacy loves to share top tips earned from her two decades of experience working in a variety of leadership roles. Learn more about Kacy at https://kacyfleming.com/