I was on a Facebook group for legal marketers the other day,
and someone posed the question “What one conference would you go to if you
are responsible for marketing technology at your law firm?” Without hesitation I answered ILTA, for so many reasons:
1.
Marketing is all about technology. When
was the last time your marketing department implemented a new program that
didn’t rely on technology to facilitate its success? Whether email marketing,
websites, social media, pitches, blogs, client management…, marketing programs require technology to help
make the magic happen. You’ve probably seen the stat that, by
2017, the CMO will outspend the CIO on IT. It is the job of marketing
technologists to evaluate, recommend, and manage the technologies that
marketers use. So attending a legal-specific and technology-focused conference
just makes good sense.
“I'm in
marketing but I work with IT quite a bit. ILTA is a great opportunity for me to
get time with our IT people and learn what our firms plans are for the coming
year. I've been able to sit in on lots of demos with them and bring marketing's perspective to the
conversation. It's also helps when I'm evaluating new products for our team - what will
work better overall with our firm's larger infrastructure. I've learned a ton
of info from ILTA that has strengthened my overall tech knowledge.” ~ Ann Meyer, Technology Manager, Marketing and Business Development, McDermott Will & Emery
2.
Marketing technology is all about how things
work together. If you're in marketing tech, you need to understand project
management, database structure, data governance, APIs, and how your tech fits
in with the tech of all the other administrative departments. ILTA gives
marketers the opportunity to listen to and meet with the people who can help make your job easier, and help you
learn about how your piece of the puzzle fits in with the other administrative
departments.
"ILTA…is amazing. The key to great marketing tech solutions is usually integrating information from systems that marketing doesn't 'own'. As others have said, knowing more broadly what's out there, what's possible, and how to make it happen is incredibly valuable." ~ Kelly Harbour, Associate Director of Client Relations at Goulston & Storrs
3.
ILTA is all about making connections between
people, processes, and technologies. I am listing out the marketing
technology sessions below, but I always make sure to attend sessions outside of
my comfort zone. Learning about best practices in information governance, for
instance, can provide great insight into how new privacy regulations might
impact your CRM system, and the sessions on leadership are incredibly powerful
and help you think big picture, no matter your role.
Marketing Technology Sessions:
Date and Time
|
Title
|
Description
|
Monday,
08/29/2016 1-2pm
|
BFFs: Marketing and IT Are in This Together!
|
Marketing
and IT work together on projects all the time, but they don't always speak
the same language. We're putting some marketing and IT duos on the hot seat
and asking them a series of revealing questions to determine how well they
know each other (or don't). Walk away knowing how to better communicate with
your other half!
#ILTACON #ILTA018
|
Monday,
08/29/2016 4-5pm
|
Stand Out from the Crowd: Building the Brand
Called You
|
What
is your personal brand? It is your unique calling card outlining who you are,
what you do and how you do it. In today’s competitive job market, there is no
room for being just another face in the crowd. Whether you are at the
beginning of your career and looking to advance or a seasoned professional
changing your career trajectory, you can benefit from focusing on your
personal brand. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to identify and develop
your unique brand to help you stand out from the crowd and get noticed. Walk
away with a template and action plan for building and managing your personal
brand.
#ILTACON #ILTA042
|
Tuesday,
08/30/2016 1:30-2:30p
|
Using Competitive Intelligence To Improve Strategies and
Decision-Making
|
The
use of competitive intelligence (CI) as a critical tool to improve
performance, drive revenue and gain competitive advantage is now commonplace
in law firms. Yet there are marketing and library professionals who have
taken big (and little) data to great new heights. Learn about their
innovative processes, including the use of marketing and competitive
intelligence dashboards that provide users with easy-to-use CI data.
#ILTACON #ILTA067
|
Wednesday,
08/31/2016 9-10am
|
Finding a Needle in a Haystack with 21st-Century
Expertise Systems
|
Expertise
location systems are ubiquitous at law firms of all sizes and are key
solutions that help with everything from responding to client proposals to
finding the right attorney to help with a particular matter. An effective
expertise location tool can be a differentiator for law firms, yet they are
tricky because of the need to pull together multiple sources of information
while providing clear answers. People from the trenches will share their
experiences of implementing various solutions and tips and tricks to keep in
mind when you're evaluating a new solution.
#ILTACON #ILTA178
|
Wednesday,
08/31/2016 1:30 – 2:30pm
|
Mapping the Customer Journey
|
Mapping
the journey our customers take will help us identify touchpoints so we can
serve them better. Hear from law firms and vendors that are bringing together
a full spectrum of marketing technologies, including client relationship
management, social media, websites and business intelligence tools, to help
firms identify the who, what and where of client engagement.
#ILTACON #ILTA122A
|
Thursday,
09/01/2016 2:45 – 6pm
|
Learning To Prosper Using the Client Data You
Already Have
|
Law
firms have much more client data available to them than they realize.
Financial data, matter experience, client budgets, client touchpoints and
your knowledge of your client's business exist in different places within
your firm and from increasingly sophisticated external sources. If brought
together, this information can help you do a better job for your clients,
make your firm more profitable, improve your development of new business and
strengthen your client management. We'll look at ways firms can break down
the walls between business units to uncover, share, analyze and use
information to accomplish multiple goals. We will explore real-world
scenarios in which you can use data you already have to improve results and
then rethink the results to tell the next chapter in the story.
#ILTACON #ILTA170
|
Thursday,
09/01/2016 2:45 – 4:30pm
|
The Gang's All Here! A Marketing Technology
Roundtable
|
Join
this interactive session with your marketing peers! Proposed topics and
questions will be gathered during the Communities of Interest on Sunday. Come
ready to ask questions, express your thoughts and share ideas.
#ILTACON #ILTA171
|
And a few sessions that aren’t marketing specific, but that
I recommend from years past (get there early to nab a seat!)
Date and Time
|
Title
|
Description
|
Monday,
08/29/2016 2:30 – 3:30pm
|
60 Tools in 60 Minutes for IT Professionals
|
Every
IT professional develops a collection of favorite tools and software to
manage their network, provide end-user services and execute a particular task
or function. Some are free; some are not. Come listen as a panel of IT pros
lay bare 60 of their favorite apps geared to enhancing your IT efficiency.
#ILTACON #ILTA025
|
Tuesday,
08/30/2016 1:30-2:30p
|
Leadership Through Change (Sharon Swartworth Leadership
Development Seminar)
|
It’s
time to talk about leading through change. Brigadier General LeAnne Burch
(retired) will look at the profile and qualities of a great leader in terms
of position, ranks and actions, and the concept of modeling vs. mentoring.
She will discuss strategies in the battlefield — assessing the battlefield,
the troops and how training affects success. How can you use these
qualities and strategies in the legal environment? Let's discuss
embracing change, recognizing future leaders and capitalizing on their
initiative, and why mentorship is such a big deal.
#ILTACON #ILTA074
|
Thursday,
09/01/2016 9-10am
|
ILTA Showcase: Fast and Furious Presentations by
Distinguished Peer Award Nominees
|
Watch as some of ILTA's Distinguished Peer Awards short-list nominees
share their stories with ILTACON attendees. Presented in TED-style talks,
each presenter will have five minutes to share something valuable. Expect to
hear about project highlights, innovations and accomplishments. Come see what
your peers are working on!
|
Other tips:
·
Download the app early, and
start planning your sessions. The app really is awesome (due to be available
July 2016).
·
Don’t plan on doing other work while at
conference – there is so much to see and do, even during coffee breaks, that it
would be a shame to close yourself off in your hotel room. Even just sitting in
the open spaces taking it all in, you’ll likely run into a friend or two, and
who knows what happens next.
·
Get social – if you’re on Twitter, tweet the key
takeaways from each session. Not only will you be helping peers that couldn’t
make the conference (or the session) but you are also improving your chances of
being quoted by media following the conference (yay personal branding!). Follow
ILTACON on Twitter @ILTAConf and
use the hashtag #ILTACON plus the hashtag of the session you are attending.
·
Don’t skip breakfast – you will meet loads of
interesting people. Ask what was their best session so far, what they are
attending next, how many times they’ve been to the conference. There is always
something to learn.
·
Newbies: take advantage of ILTACON2016 Buddy System
- you’ll be paired up with an
experienced ILTACON attendee who will you take you under their wing and give
you the insider’s perspective on having a great ILTACON experience.
·
Don’t miss the vendor exhibit hall – when I was
new to legal many moons ago, I was stunned at how different (read: better) the
ILTA vendor booths were. Tons of good info, truly high end swag, and great food
and drink. Vendors don’t just send out booth people either; they send their
product people, who can answer your tough questions.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at ILTACON2016!
#iltacon2016
#Marketing #ILTACON #martech #MarketingandBusinessDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment