Thank you, Oktopost, Colin Day, Daniel Kushner 🐙, Hannah Curran, Jennifer Gutman, and the rest of your fabulous team for this lovely recognition!
“Roy Sexton is the CMO at Vedder, a law firm, and he’s doing things with B2B social that consumer brands would look at with genuine respect. His LinkedIn presence is bold, consistent, and human. He’s a recognized voice in the profession, and a practitioner who has spent years proving that professional services does not have to be invisible or boring on social. He’s a pioneer in the truest sense, and the B2B social community knows it.”
View the full list of B2B Social’s Rising 30 here.
More about the recognition: “B2B social media is no longer a supporting act. Across every sector of the global economy, the practitioners who do it well are shaping how organizations build trust, thought leadership, and pipeline. The B2B Social’s Rising 30 Class of 2026 was created to find them, recognize them, and put their work in front of the audience it deserves.
“From hundreds of eligible nominees submitted by the B2B social community, 30 standout social media leaders were selected who are raising the bar for what B2B social media can look like. They work across diverse industries, from investment banking and industrial manufacturing to companies ranging from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. What connects them isn’t the size of their following or the scale of their budget. It’s the quality of their thinking, their creativity, the consistency of their work, and the genuine communities they’ve built around it.
“B2B social has a recognition problem. It’s one of the most undervalued functions in modern marketing, and the people doing it best are rarely credited by the wider business community that benefits most from their work. The Rising 30 is a deliberate attempt to change that. It’s not a popularity contest. It’s not a customer list. It’s a nomination-driven effort to surface the practitioners, thinkers, and builders doing the most purposeful, credible work in the field, wherever they work, in whatever sector, at whatever scale.”
Thank you, Emily Neal 👩🏻💻 and DSMN8 – The Employee Advocacy Platform, for including my thoughts here.
“For Roy Sexton, this authenticity comes down to empathy and intention: ‘Authenticity is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot these days, often by people who don’t exemplify it. But what this report shows us is that people who engage on these platforms from a genuine place of empathy and intellectual curiosity make a huge difference in brand building. Organizations would be wise to embrace these techniques and tools to leverage genuine voices across their communities.’”
Greatly appreciate the opportunity to share what I’ve learned about digital and social media marketing and about building dynamic communities. You are both such wonderful souls – your kindness means the world to me. Thank you for all you are doing to shine a light on these essential connection techniques ✨
Our latest podcast episode features the incredible Roy Sexton. During his tenure at Clark Hill, he spearheaded the company’s highly successful employee advocacy program.
In this episode, Roy shares:
↪ How to navigate employee advocacy in legal marketing. ↪ The importance of engagement metrics and audience growth. ↪ Strategies for scaling programs and fostering a sense of community among employees.
Sneak Peek: Roy’s candid reflections on managing cultural shifts and his advice for marketers dealing with leadership constraints are unmissable gems! 💎
Listen in to learn from someone who has not only transformed a brand’s visibility but also inspired authentic engagement at every level (in one of the toughest industries to do so!)
Now, as the CMO at the Vedder Price law firm, Roy’s influence will no doubt continue to shape how law firms approach advocacy in regulated industries.
Wishing you all the success in your new role, Roy! They’re lucky to have you.
I had a lot of fun recording this one with Lewis Gray ⚡️.
Before Christmas, Lewis and I sat down with Roy Sexton to chat about all things employee advocacy in the Legal sector.
I’ve worked with many organizations in regulated industries that have launched employee advocacy programs, but Roy’s leadership in legal marketing is reshaping how firms should approach this strategy.
During his time at Clark Hill, Roy built a successful advocacy program that empowered employees to grow their own personal brands while amplifying the firm’s message.
In the episode, we discussed:
Strategies for managing advocacy in regulated industries.
Key metrics to measure success beyond basic engagement.
The role of leadership in fostering a culture of participation and trust.
Roy also shares his experience navigating the challenges of scaling advocacy efforts while maintaining authenticity and empowering employees to take ownership of their contributions.
After all, it will vary depending on the organization’s goals.
Roy Sexton, now CMO of Vedder Price, has a fresh perspective on employee advocacy success, which he was kind enough to share on our latest podcast episode.
Roy, then Director of Marketing at Clark Hill Law, spearheaded employee advocacy in a traditionally regulated industry, fostering a culture where lawyers confidently shared their expertise online.
Roy’s take on success really resonated with me:
“When you see the organization just doing it – when it’s in their bones, their DNA – and lawyers are comfortable expressing themselves authentically, that’s real advocacy success.”
As Roy prepares to embark on his new role as Chief Marketing Officer at Vedder Price, we’re really grateful he took the time to share his invaluable expertise.
Hear how he transformed social media engagement into a cultural movement, making advocacy second nature at Clark Hill. Available to watch/listen in all the usual places! https://lnkd.in/eAbkyM3e
Let’s wish Roy all the best as he steps into his next chapter at Vedder Price 👏
One of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve had about advocacy since joining this space was with Roy!
Roy’s perspective challenges how many of us define success in advocacy:
🗣️ “You know you’ve succeeded when advocacy becomes second nature. Employees feel comfortable sharing their voices, and it’s just in their DNA now. To me, that’s success.”
Our team was lucky enough to have Roy on the podcast recently. If you’re interested in learning how Roy’s made advocacy second nature, give it a listen.
What does employee advocacy success really look like? 👀
It’s different for every company, but for Roy Sexton, it’s not ALL about the numbers.
It’s about creating a culture 🤝
Joining Lewis Gray ⚡️ and Elliot Elsley for a podcast episode, Vedder Price’s new CMO shared a story about how his team’s advocacy efforts at Clark Hill Law sparked something bigger.
“You know you’ve succeeded when advocacy becomes second nature. Employees feel comfortable sharing their voices, and it’s just in their DNA now. To me, that’s success.” 👏
This episode is packed with actionable advice for those working in marketing for the legal sector (or any regulated industry).
If you’re aiming to build an advocacy program that empowers employees to show up authentically, this is a great opportunity to learn from someone who’s done exactly that!
In this episode, Lewis Gray and Elliot Elsley sit down with Roy Sexton, former Director of Marketing at Clark Hill, to uncover how the firm successfully set up, launched, scaled, and managed an employee advocacy program in a highly regulated industry.
Roy shares his journey, from overcoming early challenges to implementing strategies that turned employees into brand ambassadors. Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale your employee advocacy program, this episode is packed with actionable insights.
Roy highlights the importance of internal training, awareness-building, and creative ways to keep employees engaged and consistently share content. The conversation also dives into the personal benefits employees have gained, how Roy measures ROI, and how this impacts Clark Hill.
Key Takeaways:
Scaling Employee Advocacy with Authenticity
One key insight from this episode is the importance of authenticity in scaling employee advocacy. Roy emphasizes that organizations thrive when employees share their genuine experiences, thoughts, and insights rather than scripted or overly corporate messages. This authenticity creates trust, not just with the external audience but also internally within the team.
Roy shares how empowering employees to voice their own stories can humanize the brand, making it relatable and credible. He discusses how this approach can inspire other employees to participate and amplify the message, ultimately driving organic growth for employee advocacy.
Navigating Social Media in Regulated Industries
For organizations in regulated industries, social media can feel like a minefield. Roy sheds light on navigating these challenges by balancing compliance with creativity. Lewis and Elliot also highlight that education is key for equipping employees with clear guidelines and frameworks that help them feel confident about what they can share without overstepping boundaries.
This episode highlights the importance of collaboration between marketing, legal, and compliance teams to develop content that resonates while staying within the rules. This collaboration ensures employees can contribute to advocacy programs without fear, even in highly regulated environments.
Measuring the Impact of Advocacy Efforts
A key takeaway all hosts discuss is the importance of measurement in scaling employee advocacy. Roy discusses how organizations can set clear KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of their initiatives, such as engagement rates, content shares, and even lead generation.
By regularly analyzing these metrics, teams can identify what works and refine their strategies. Roy also highlights the value of engaging employees to share their experiences and suggestions, ensuring that the program evolves to benefit everyone involved.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Law firms need to incorporate repetition, focus, and strategy into their marketing plans in order to achieve success.
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.
Thank you, Digital Marketing Institute’s Emma Prunty and Will Francis for this lovely opportunity to share my professional experiences and our beautiful Clark Hill journey.
“How do you market an organization made up of diverse individuals – in this case a global firm of over 700 legal professionals? We were delighted to have an insightful conversation with Roy Sexton, head of marketing at Clark Hill, on how marketing can be a force for good, the overlap between B2B and B2C marketing, working on a company’s personal brand, considerations about putting your marketing behind social movements, and lots of tips for marketers at any stage of their career.
“Roy tells host Will Francis about his advocacy for LGBTQ+, and how his background in theater has influenced all areas of his marketing skills, including how to manage a team and approaches to using storytelling in marketing.”
P.S. I told our fab 2024 Legal Marketing Association – LMA International prez Kevin Iredell, an incredible and generous leader and dear friend, that I’d be “all in” and wear my shades Jack Nicholson-style from the front row at #LMA24 this week! Proud of him and this beautiful community. Thank you to his fellow leaders Kathryn Whitaker , Morgan MacLeod , Amber Bollman , Ashley Stenger , Kaitlin Heininger , Holly Amatangelo , Lisa M. Kamen , Ellie Hurley, conference committee, and countless volunteers and sponsors who have worked so hard to deliver a fantastic event this year!
Scenes from a remarkable week of education, connection, development, and joy! This Legal Marketing Association – LMA International community has given me so much in terms of professional and personal growth. Forever grateful. #AllIn #LMAmkt #LMA24 Photo album.Original post here.
Adam Walker and Edgewise Media, thank you for this opportunity! Not sure how but I missed this video interview a few months back when it posted – I’m so sorry about that. Looking forward to watching and seeing whatever may have been on my crazy mind then. LOL. Thank you for all you do for our community!
Show description: “Join Roy Sexton, a trailblazing legal marketing strategist, as he unravels the secrets of successful content strategies. Discover how to transcend limitations, collaborate across departments, and create captivating content inspired by the latest media trends. From repurposing content to leveraging social media and account-based marketing, unlock a transformative path to reaching your target audience and achieving unparalleled brand visibility.”
Thank you, 9Sail and Joe Giovannoli, for all you do for our profession and community. Such a gem! Thank you also to Lynn Tell for inviting me. And Todd Rengel, you are an absolute delight. Greatly enjoyed this conversation and being able to share my free-ranging perspectives on our collective future.
In this installation of 9Sail’s Legal Marketer Webinar series, Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill and President of the Legal Marketing Association, and Todd Rengel, legal marketing technologist and President of Animus Rex, Inc. joined 9Sail founder and CEO Joe Giovannoli to reflect on this year in legal marketing and review trends for the future.
Key takeaways:
Market Consolidation: continuing law firm consolidation is likely, in part arising from increased competition from technologically savvy firms that have a mature infrastructure and strong, highly specialized teams already in place. Marketers should prepare to play a larger role in strategy, and to encourage their firms to be proactive rather than reactive.
Increase Team Efficiency: One of the best things marketers can do, both in budget and in use of technology, is to streamline and find the pathways that are most efficient to satisfy the needs of their internal lawyer clients and external firm clients.
Be Digital: It’s vital for legal marketers to engage in effective digital marketing, or be left behind.
Thank you, Wabash College! ✨… Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill Law and 2023 International President of the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International, has been named to the INvolve People Outstanding 100 LGBTQ+ Executives Role Model List for 2023.
While at Wabash, Sexton was a double major in English and Theater, was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Student Senate, The Bachelor, and the Wabash College Theater.
The Outstanding LGBTQ+ Role Model Lists supported by YouTube showcase LGBTQ+ business leaders and allies who are breaking down barriers and creating more inclusive workplaces across the world. They aim to represent the wide range of impactful and innovative work being done for inclusion across different countries, organizations, and sectors, and celebrate the diverse range of inspiring individuals who have made it their personal mission to make a difference.
INvolve is a consultancy and global network driving diversity and inclusion in business. Through the delivery of advisory solutions, awareness workshops, talent development programs, INvolve drives cultural change and creates inclusive workplaces where all individuals can succeed. They publish annual role model lists recognizing and celebrating business leaders and future leaders who are breaking down barriers at work and inspiring the next generation of diverse talent.
Absolutely thrilled with Clark Hill’s rankings here! Kudos to my colleagues Alexandra France and Tommy Franz for their excellent leadership and strategic stewardship of our digital presence. And thank you to Guy Alvarez and Good2bSocial for their expert analysis and commitment to our legal community.
About the study: The Social Law Firm Index is an annual study that examines how the top 200 law firms (as ranked by The American Lawyer) adopt and apply digital marketing in terms of outreach, engagement, and business development.
They measure reach, engagement, and marketing performance on platforms, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more.
The Social Law Firm Index analyzes each firm’s presence on the internet and across social media and evaluates their social media usage to extend thought leadership messages. These factors are then reduced to numerical measures, weighted, and incorporated into an algorithm to develop each firm’s rank.
Where we stacked up this year …
Overall: ranked 46 of 200 (up from 93 last year)
LinkedIn: ranked 69 (up from 88 last year)
Twitter: ranked 81 (up from 98 last year)
SEO: ranked 90 (up from 152 last year)
Instagram: first time ranking! 40
Thought leadership: ranked 74 (up from 145 last year)
Facebook: ranked 14 (down from 2 last year … but still incredibly respectable)
YouTube: first time ranking! 64
Podcast: ranked 46 (down from 38 … but also still respectable)
Looking forward to joining Todd Rengel and Joe Giovannoli for what is sure to be a robust and fun conversation. Thank you, Lynn Tellefsen Stehle and 9Sail, for including me!
Description: More than ever before, law firms are relying on their marketing and business development leaders and teams to navigate the complexities of client development, new client acquisition, communications and reputation management.
Although business development and marketing teams may have more opportunity to impact a firm’s bottom line, their path to success is fraught with challenges that include internal resistance to adapt and the agility needed to anticipate and respond to a client’s needs. How then can marketing teams evolve to keep pace with the increasing demands made on them by their firms and clients? How can they continuously prioritize to focus on what matters most to help their firms, and thereby, their careers?
Join Roy E. Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill and President of the International Legal Marketing Association, and Todd Rengel, legal marketing technologist and President of Animus Rex, Inc. for a provocative and timely fireside chat moderated by Joe Giovannoli, Founder and CEO of 9Sail. Together they will explore and share their insights and predictions about the direction of legal marketing, and what it will take to succeed in the digital era. Join this important and timely conversation to listen, learn and share your thoughts.
This webinar is the latest in 9Sail’s Monthly Legal Marketing Webinar Series. 9Sail webinars unite industry experts and in-house law firm leaders to deliver insights to empower the implementation of strategies to accelerate growth.
B. Riley Farber Executive Search partners with numerous professional services firms to assist with the growth strategy and plans.
We asked some of our partners and we are pleased to share their views on the future of marketing and the top skills that will be in demand in the next 5 years.
Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill reminds marketers on the importance of messaging and the right strategy, “The intersection of messaging, data analysis, and digital marketing will remain absolutely key. First, you need to be able to articulate your value proposition and differentiation. Always. And forever. But you then need to understand the best channels for your services and maintain the right media mix, be that social, thought leadership, targeted campaigns, etc. And ultimately you need to be able to measure what you are doing and articulate clearly that you are having the proper reach and awareness. Too many marketers just start lobbing messaging without a proper strategy. You may as well light your money on fire in the parking lot.”
Thank you – this is so very lovely, Prolawgue, and such a nice surprise with which to start the week. I am truly honored.
“In the ever-evolving realm of law, these dynamic strategists have transcended support roles to become driving forces of success. 🚀Meet the global directory of Legal Marketing and BD maestros who shape the future of legal practice with innovative campaigns. Discover how their expertise can elevate your firm, keeping you at the forefront of the legal market’s evolution. ⚖️”
“Roy Sexton, an accomplished marketing, communications, and strategic planning professional, brings over 25 years of experience to various sectors including consulting, healthcare, the legal industry, and college advancement. Roy’s fervor for addressing challenges, enhancing organizational culture, fostering business expansion, and contributing to long-term strategic initiatives has been a driving force throughout his career. His expertise spans diverse industries, showcasing his dedication to problem-solving and growth, making him a valuable asset in each professional endeavor.”
