ALM to offer legal marketing services

ALM, known as a leading provider of news and business information to the legal and real estate industries, announced last week the formation of a Marketing Services team that will work with law firm clients to plan, execute and measure a comprehensive marketing campaign.

The objective of the new team is to deliver greater return on investment for clients by offering a full suite of marketing services from a single source, reducing the need to engage with multiple vendors to acquire new leads and build customer relationships. The team will meet with clients to assess their overall marketing goals, then customize a package of services – including market research, national and regional advertising, live events, Webcasts, email marketing, advertorials, and other ALM offerings – in order to build a turnkey marketing campaign, and finally to provide lead management and measure campaign results.

Kevin Vermeulen, senior vice president at ALM, on why.

Our clients in the legal services industry are moving away from ad hoc marketing investments and moving toward sustainable relationship marketing strategies that will help them better achieve their overall business goals. The ability to deliver end-to-end marketing campaigns that are created with clients across all stages of the marketing process – from planning to execution to post-campaign follow-up – is the future of our industry.

The ALM Marketing Services team will incorporate customized solutions in a four-step consultative approach, per Vermeulen.

• Content Services
• Program Execution
• Lead Management

I agree with Vermeulen that law firms are moving towards relationship marketing and away from ad hoc marketing, that may include advertising in print or online. To the extent that ALM can leverage its experience in publishing and event management to help law firms build and nurture relationships, not just with clients, but with influencers and amplifiers, ALM’s service will be of real value to law firms.

The key when it comes to content services will be to empower law firms to use content in ways in which the law firms are sharing their own lawyers’ insight and commentary, not just distributing the content.