Written by guest contributor, Phill McGowan, founder of Phill McGowan Marketing and experienced law firm marketer with more than a decade helping firms drive growth through thought leadership. 

The first article in the series shows why thought leadership campaigns are pivotal in revealing whether firms are truly built for growth and client engagement.

In a market saturated with content, clients value one thing above all: substantive insight that points to what’s ahead. That value can’t be delivered through one-off, reactive marketing tactics. It requires the work of a modern, integrated marketing and business development function. The clearest signal a firm has built one is the consistent execution of thought leadership campaigns—a visible proxy for the organized client service that today’s market demands.

Most firms already produce plenty of content, events and social activity. The problem is that these efforts often operate in isolation—strong tactics without the strategic coordination or sustained focus that sophisticated clients now expect. Campaigns are what turn those individual efforts into a cohesive, forward-looking signal of expertise that resonates with clients and helps them prepare for what’s next. 

This matters because clients act on it. Thomson Reuters Market Insights finds that 90% of general counsel say they are more likely to consider a firm because of its thought leadership. Passle’s General Counsel Survey reinforces the point: 64% are more likely to request a conversation with a lawyer by name after reading relevant articles they’ve written.

More than any other activity, thought leadership campaigns are the ultimate litmus test of performance. They demand the very capabilities that define a forward-looking department — from realizing meaningful ROI to building agile teams. At the same time, they break down silos and foster collaboration that builds trust among lawyers, anchoring client relationships more deeply into the firm. A well-run campaign demonstrates a firm’s ability to anticipate client needs, mobilize lawyers across practices, activate digital strategies that extend reach — and, ultimately, turn ideas into business.

Campaigns are no longer side projects; they are central drivers of growth and proof your teams are built to deliver exceptional client service.

Why campaigns raise the bar

Campaigns demand more than content. They provide an organizing framework for high-performing firms. They:

• Formalize KPIs and improve data capture in the firm’s CRM.
• Balance reactive client alerts with forward-looking campaigns that forecast the issues on the horizon.
• Activate cross-selling by uniting lawyers across practices, giving clients a clear view of how the firm can tackle their most important emerging issues.
• Focus PR and digital spend on high-value issues.
• Deliver campaign-specific data that demonstrates results in ways lawyers can see and act on.
• Position marketing and BD as editorial advisers who know how to engage clients at scale.

These capabilities aren’t just strategic ideals. Gartner research shows CMOs rank demonstrating ROI, achieving internal alignment, and making smarter resource allocation decisions among their top challenges. Campaigns are the mechanism that tackles each of these pressures head-on, translating strategy into measurable client engagement and business growth.

Leadership plays a decisive role in making campaigns succeed. Speaking with clients every day, leaders see how business development has evolved: Strong relationships now grow from substantive value, not primarily from social interaction.

Given the current client environment and rising expectations that firms deliver substantive value, leaders should view campaigns as one of the firm’s most effective go-to-market strategies. By embracing campaigns, they champion investment in the modern infrastructure their marketing and BD teams need to succeed and bring lawyers together with those teams around business priorities and client engagement. This focus reflects a simple truth: the firm’s greatest value comes when its experts work together — with campaigns projecting that integration to the market.

Campaigns create a clear process for prioritization. When multiple groups want to launch initiatives, strategic business priorities become the tiebreaker, directing the most significant investment of time and resources toward the industries and practices targeted for growth. While campaigns don’t transform lawyer behavior on their own, their timeliness and visibility generate urgency, giving lawyers defined opportunities to follow through on essential BD activities they too often postpone.

The rallying cry

Responsiveness. Collaboration. Discipline. Measurability. These are the muscles that matter, and firms that execute campaigns well build them. By aligning leadership, lawyers and marketing/BD teams around a common goal, campaigns create the conditions for stronger client engagement, sharper data and alignment with business priorities.

Campaigns are more than just about producing content or visibility. They’re about proving your firm can innovate, engage clients more effectively and generate measurable growth. More than anything else, campaigns reveal whether your firm is ready to take on the future.

The next article in the series explores why the shift to merit-based BD makes campaigns indispensable for firms that want to win.