Here’s a Sneak Peek Into my 2019 LMA Annual Conference Session in This Q&A

I recently had the opportunity to participate in an interview series with the Legal Marketing Association where they asked some of the speakers of the upcoming LMA19 conference to respond to questions on why they submitted to speak at the LMA Annual Conference, what they hope attendees will learn from their presentation, what they think are the keys for success for legal marketers today and which other sessions they are most excited to attend. Here are my responses. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in Atlanta on April 8-10, and I hope you will join me and Jennifer Carr for our deep-dive workshop session on April 10 at 1:30pm on “Beyond Branding: Aligning Social Media Strategy With Business Development Goals.” Learn more about the session. 

Get to Know Your #LMA19 Speakers: Stefanie M. Marrone, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Why did you submit to present at the 2019 LMA Annual Conference?

There is nothing more fulfilling to me than engaging with a live audience and providing them with ideas on topics about which I am incredibly passionate, such as social media. Anyone who has seen me speak knows that I have a lot of energy and ideas, I show a lot of visual examples and I offer a lot of actionable takeaways, which I hope inspire the audience. I also always try to put myself in my attendees’ shoes and think about what I would want from a session if I were the one sitting in the audience. It really helps me shape my entire presentation.

I am thankful to the LMA for everything it has offered to me through the years – from lifelong friends to job opportunities to professional growth – and I enjoy giving back to the community through my volunteer work and sharing information with my LMA colleagues about social media and content marketing.

What are you hoping attendees will learn from your presentation?

Today, social media success is no longer just about getting a like, share or comment on a social media post. It’s now about turning online engagement into long-term tangible ROI that will lead to new business, new clients and the retention of existing clients.

So many firms are still just scratching the surface when it comes to using social media as a revenue generation and client retention tool. My co-presenter Jennifer Simpson Carr (with whom I co-chair the LMA Social Media and Digital Marketing SIG) and I want to ensure that attendees will leave our workshop armed with practical, innovative, actionable and budget-friendly strategies and tactics on how to effectively use social media for lead generation and client engagement. We will show attendees how to develop content and social media strategies that support business development goals as well as tips for more effectively using analytics and metrics.

What do you think is the key for success as a legal marketer today?

This isn’t necessarily a new one, but it’s important – always aim to under promise and over deliver. Doing what you say you’re going to do (and doing it well) is the foundation of your professional brand. You will move ahead faster if you do this.

Every legal marketer – regardless of their title – needs to think of themselves as a business developer, period. So that may involve doing things that fall outside the scope of your job responsibilities or your job may itself change in a short period of time due to advances in technology. Go with the flow. Everything you do should support your firm’s business development and lead generation efforts, and if you can’t answer how it does that, immediately stop what you’re doing and change course. My goal for the year (and all the years to come) is to work with our lawyers and legal marketing colleagues more broadly to help them find creative ways (irrespective of their budget) to utilize social media to bring in business leads and retain current clients.

What other session are you most interested in attending while at the conference, and why?

One of the biggest conundrums for me is that there are several sessions that I want to attend that are being offered during the same timeslot as the one I am presenting on the afternoon of day two of the conference (April 10).

The good news is that the LMA offers all conference attendees the opportunity to download the presentation decks during and after the conference. Make sure you have the ones from the sessions that you thought were the best, as well as those from the sessions that you were unable to attend. In addition, most of the sessions were professionally recorded and will be available to purchase in a bundle after the conference. For those who are unable to attend the conference this year or LMA19 attendees who just want a refresh on the sessions they love, or those of us who can’t be in two places at the same time, this is a gold mine of information! It is money well spent that can be used as continuing education material throughout the year for your internal departments.

Also, why not offer to host a brown bag lunch when you return from the conference offering up your favorite key takeaways and watching the sessions that resonated most with your colleagues and lawyers? You will raise your profile by sharing your insights with them.

What are you most looking forward to about the 2019 LMA Annual Conference?

The LMA Annual Conference is THE premier conference of our industry, so it should come as no surprise that I look forward to this conference all year long. I’m excited to reunite with industry friends from all over the country and to bring back new ideas to my firm. I am also looking forward to once again being part of the official LMA19 Facebook Live reporting team – look for me and my co-host Andy Laver, and our producer Rob Kates behind the camera as well as an expanded correspondent team this year!