The point of strategic planning is to ensure that the firm's administrative and operational marketing efforts are anchored to a set of goals or objectives grounded in the real business aspirations of firm shareholders. The strategic marketing plan can be the most difficult and wrenching step in the process of integrating marketing into the law firm. But it is probably the most important step to successful longer term legal-services marketing. Priorities are more clearly defined at the administrative level, and resources and scheduling are adjusted accordingly. This is usually the level where the firm's managing partner, business manager or marketing committee and possibly an array of attorneys and support staff become involved in the plan.
Good administration is essential to good marketing.
The third stage of decision-making is where most marketing decisions are determined. These kinds of decisions are made daily by marketers, and if they are not made promptly and efficiently, the firm's marketing plan, despite well-defined objectives at the strategic level and adequate budget allocations at the administrative level, will surely falter. Attorneys are busy, pressured professionals, immersed in meeting their clients' legal service needs. They don't have time to manage the operations of the firm's marketing plan.