10 Success Tips for Managing Your eMarketing Lists
CRM is one of the best technology tools for effective eMarketing and communication with Clients and other contacts. But, as with other aspects of CRM, achieving the desired results often also requires putting effective processes and procedures in place.
In professional services firms, lists for alerts, updates, newsletters, invitations and other communications are typically the primary means for segmenting a firm’s contacts and ensuring that the firm regularly communications with its target audiences to share relevant information and attorney experience and expertise. As a result, in working together with hundreds of top firms to help them achieve CRM and eMarketing success,
When Attorneys Ask, “What’s In It (CRM) For Me?”
Most law firms have a CRM system, but few can say that they are actually getting return on their CRM investment. How much value it provides in a law firm depends on attorney buy-in. If your firm wants to increase adoption, you have to show them not just why CRM is important for the success of the firm, but what’s in it for them. Here are some suggestions for demonstrating real value for your attorneys.
For CRM to succeed in a law firm, the attorneys first need to understand that if they commit some time to it, CRM can make their professional lives easier and less stressful,
The Top 10 Challenges to CRM Success and How to Avoid Them
There are a number of issues and challenges that can occur when implementing a CRM that prevent CRM Success. In fact, research from leading industry experts has suggested that up to 70% of CRM implementations may fail to meet expectations. The good news is that CRM Success Is possible – if you can identify potential challenges early and are prepared with solutions.
Based on almost 12 years of consulting experience gained while working together with hundreds of Clients on successful CRM implementations, here are some of the biggest potential challenges we typically see – along with some best practices and solutions for success:
1.
10 Success Tips for Managing Your eMarketing Lists
CRM is one of the best technology tools for effective eMarketing and communication with Clients and other contacts. But, as with other aspects of CRM, achieving the desired results often also requires putting effective processes and procedures in place.
In professional services firms, lists for alerts, updates, newsletters, invitations and other communications are typically the primary means for segmenting a firm’s contacts and ensuring that the firm regularly communications with its target audiences to share relevant information and attorney experience and expertise. As a result, in working together with hundreds of top firms to help them achieve CRM and eMarketing success,
When Attorneys Ask, “What’s In It (CRM) For Me?”- Part 2: What They Need To Succeed
The team at CLIENTSFirst has helped hundreds of firms succeed with CRM. A key to that success for many firms involves getting attorneys to use the system or at least share their information. However, as mentioned in our last post, When Attorneys Ask, “What’s In It (CRM) For Me, getting attorney adoption can be challenging unless you can demonstrate that the system will provide them with benefits they really care about.
Based on more than 12 years of experience in working together with top professional services firms, here are some of the key CRM needs that attorneys find most valuable.
When Attorneys Ask, “What’s In It (CRM) For Me?” – Part 1
Most law firms have a CRM system, but few can say that they are actually getting return on their CRM investment. How much value it provides in a law firm depends on attorney buy-in. If your firm wants to increase adoption, you have to show them not just why CRM is important for the success of the firm, but what’s in it for them. Here are some suggestions for demonstrating real value for your attorneys.
For CRM to succeed in a law firm, the attorneys first need to understand that if they commit some time to it, CRM can make their professional lives easier and less stressful,
The Top 10 Challenges to CRM Success and How to Avoid Them – Part 2
In our previous post, The Top 10 Challenges to CRM Success and How to Avoid Them – Part 1, we discussed the five challenges that are most often encountered when implementing a CRM. Here are five more that we typically see – along with some best practices and solutions for success:
6. Resources
Successful CRM implementations are not quick, easy or cheap. This is the reason they are also not common. Failure to dedicate adequate resources – including time, money and people – is one of the most frequent missteps. Additionally, expectations regarding the actual costs and time required for a CRM implementation are often unrealistic.
The Top 10 Challenges to CRM Success and How to Avoid Them – Part 1
There are a number of issues and challenges that can occur when implementing a CRM that prevent CRM Success. In fact, research from leading industry experts has suggested that up to 70% of CRM implementations may fail to meet expectations. The good news is that CRM Success Is possible – if you can identify potential challenges early and are prepared with solutions.
Based on almost 12 years of consulting experience gained while working together with hundreds of Clients on successful CRM implementations, here are some of the biggest potential challenges we typically see – along with some best practices and solutions for success:
eMarketing and CRM Systems: Can We Talk?
More often than not, when firms first embark on implementing CRM, their primary motivation is to be able to have centralized mailing lists so they can send their clients and prospects newsletters, other thought leadership pieces and/or event invitations. Significant effort and expense goes into choosing and implementing the right CRM system, but meanwhile the delivery system – the eMarketing system – frequently gets the short end of the resource stick.
Firms often skimp on eMarketing to make up for the cost of CRM and choose less expensive options that will not integrate with their CRM system.
eMarketing and CRM Systems: Can We Talk?
More often than not, when firms first embark on implementing CRM, their primary motivation is to be able to have centralized mailing lists so they can send their clients and prospects newsletters, other thought leadership pieces and/or event invitations. Significant effort and expense goes into choosing and implementing the right CRM system, but meanwhile the delivery system – the eMarketing system – frequently gets the short end of the resource stick.
Firms often skimp on eMarketing to make up for the cost of CRM and choose less expensive options that will not integrate with their CRM system.
Effective eMarketing – Don’t be Content with Subpar Content
In previous posts, we addressed best practices for eMarketing and email design as well as internal processes for creating good email communications. If it seems that you’re doing everything right and your email metrics are still disappointing, what’s left to improve? Well, let’s look the 10,000-pound elephant in the room squarely in the eye: your content.
For law firms, the content is typically written by the lawyers. This can be… well, a bit challenging, because many lawyers are legal writers, favoring a specific style that may not necessarily be conducive for eMarketing purposes.
Effective eMarketing – Processes & Procedures for Efficient Email Campaigns
Why is it so hard for Marketing to get an email communication out the door in a timely manner? In working together with hundreds of law and other professional services firms over the last 10 years, this is one of the most frequent complaints we hear from Clients.
Law firms collectively spend thousands of hours of billable time creating content, and frequently this information is time-sensitive. In some cases, the firm that gets the information to Clients or prospects first gets hired. But if the information is not sent in a timely manner, it quickly becomes old news – and all that time was wasted.
Effective eMarketing – Processes & Procedures for Efficient Email Campaigns
Why is it so hard for Marketing to get an email communication out the door in a timely manner? In working together with hundreds of law and other professional services firms over the last 10 years, this is one of the most frequent complaints we hear from Clients.
Law firms collectively spend thousands of hours of billable time creating content, and frequently this information is time-sensitive. In some cases, the firm that gets the information to Clients or prospects first gets hired. But if the information is not sent in a timely manner, it quickly becomes old news – and all that time was wasted.
GDPR and CASL: Why Data Privacy Rules Are Good for Data Quality
For professional services firms, compliance with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) can feel like a thankless burden. Without a doubt, data privacy regulations are forcing most organizations to change the way that data is handled in their CRM systems. But it’s not all bad news. In fact, there are benefits to be had from these process changes other than just the relief of knowing you are compliant with the regulations.
The GDPR requirement of recording of express consent from contacts before sending them a newsletter or an event invitation may seem initially seem harsh,
GDPR Compliance: Process, Communications & Testing
In last week’s post we covered the basics of GDPR and new data privacy regulations as well as preparation of your contact data and CRM system to accommodate new data privacy information. (In case you missed it, read “GDPR Compliance: How to Prepare and Where to Begin”).
Now, with your CRM data prepared and your system configured to manage the new data privacy requirements, you’re ready to address processes, automation, and communication with your clients and contacts.
Create the Process
The specifics of automation will vary depending on your organization’s interpretation of the new data privacy regulations as well as the CRM and eMarketing systems in use.