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Legal Marketing
Target Shooting vs. Shotgun Approach to TV
Thu, 04/26/2012 - 11:46 — admin
There is no one size fits all approach to advertising on TV. There are many factors that go into creating a strategic advertising plan for each law firm in each market. Things like demographics, budget, competition, product, etc., all help determine how an effective campaign is built for a law firm. With that being said, there are still two common schools of thought when it comes to planning a media campaign: the targeted approach vs. the shotgun approach.
Target Shooting – You Want a Specific Case
The targeted approach is better for advertisers that are looking for a very specific type of case or have a limited budget and thus want to focus on attracting a certain type of case. Target shooting requires the firm to specifically identify what type of case they would like to attract and then creative is produced to attract the type of case the law firm desires. Once the creative is produced, the media buy is centered on that particular creative and specific programs and/or networks are selected that have high viewership with the client the law firm is looking to attract. For example, motorcycle campaigns are very targeted campaigns that focus on trying to bring in cases involving motorcycle accidents. Specific creative is produced and media is placed on networks and programs where motorcycle riders are most likely to be watching.
Shotgun Approach – You Handle a Variety of Cases
Where the shotgun approach is different is that a firm using the shotgun approach is targeting a variety of cases specifically related to PI, or domestic law or criminal law, etc. The shotgun approach is more likely to be used by firms that have a larger budget and have the ability to refer cases out if the law firm can’t handle certain kinds of cases. The shotgun approach is likely to be more expensive since the firm is looking to try and take in as many cases as possible and target as many people as possible. As such, the creative messages for a shotgun approach could be more general and cover broad areas of a firm’s practice. Law firms using the shotgun approach need to be disciplined during intake and truly understand which cases will benefit the firm the most. An extensive referral network would also be beneficial for law firms employing the shotgun approach, as many cases will likely come through the door that the firm can’t handle.
What Approach is Your Law Firm Using?
Is your law firm using a targeted campaign when it should be taking a more broad approach to the marketplace? Or, is your firm struggling to make noise in the market with a shotgun approach and you’re beginning to think a targeted approach might make more sense? Either way, it is important to know where your firm stands and use an approach that will be most efficient for
your business. Does your firm need help with identifying the most effective approach your firm can take with its advertising budget? If so, contact Network Affiliates today for an audit of your current marketing efforts.
Is There Still An Opportunity For My Law Firm To Advertise On TV Even If I Have A Limited Budget?
Wed, 04/18/2012 - 15:04 — admin
No. Sorry. Better luck next time. That would be a short blog, wouldn’t it? Of course there are opportunities for your firm to advertise on TV even though you have a minimal budget. The key to working with a minimal budget is maximizing your investment by not spreading it too thin. While your firm may not be able to compete with the top spenders in the market on a limited budget, you can still enjoy success on TV by using strategic tactics that help you own share in the market.
Focus on One Station
One way of getting the most out of your limited advertising spend is to try and dominate one station in your market. Big spenders have the luxury of being able to spend lots of money on many stations so they can reach as many people as possible in their market. A firm with a minimal budget could advertise on a demographically targeted station and try and be prevalent on that station. Focusing on one station can maximize the amount of times people see your ad while maintaining a lower overall spend. While your firm may be missing people who watch programs on other stations, you can find a way to secure a decent share of voice in the TV market.
Focus on Programs
Similarly, your firm can also try and dominate certain programs that your target audience watches. Selecting a targeted demo and reaching them frequently via specific shows, helps to give the impression of market dominance within those programs. Some firms that spend a lot of money on advertising many practice areas to many different people have lots of calls to sort through that oftentimes don’t make sense for the firms. By selecting specific programs to advertise on, your firm can focus its message and media dollars to try and maximize your investment.
Focus = Clarity
Smaller budgets force you to focus your media spend on areas that generate results. Tracking those results is paramount to the success of limited spend. By advertising with a minimal budget, your firm will learn how to live lean and how to employ clever marketing tactics to drive your law firm’s business. Does your firm have a limited budget and not know how to most efficiently spend your advertising dollars? If so, contact Network Affiliates today to see how we can help you!
Why Have an In-House Marketing Manager and Advertising Agency?
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 12:51 — admin
Having an in-house marketing manager for your law firm in addition to retaining an ad agency seems redundant, doesn’t it? After all, isn’t a marketing manager’s job to handle all aspects of your law firm’s marketing? So, wouldn’t it be duplicative to pay an ad agency for the work your marketing manager is supposed to do? However, in practice, a marketing manager really can’t do everything a full service ad agency can do. But your marketing manager can really help your law firm’s marketing perform well by working closely with your agency.
Who Keeps Track of Your Law Firm’s Advertising?
Did you have a tough time answering that question? If so, your firm could use a marketing manager. Your marketing manager should always know what tactics are implemented and how those tactics perform. By keeping better track of your firm’s advertising, you will be better equipped to talk with your agency and develop more specific strategies to improve your marketing efforts.
Better Understanding = Better Creativity
Where a marketing manager really pays off is in relaying a better understanding of your firm to your advertising agency. The more an agency knows about your firm and your practice, the more educated they are to develop marketing strategies that fit your firm and your market. While advertising agencies are able to do competitive research and understand the media landscape, it can be challenging to take the pulse of a client and understand a firm’s personality. Ad agencies can also have a difficult time understanding what a firm’s goals and objectives are and whether those goals and objectives are being met without a point person.
Relationships are Key
At the end of the day, relationships are paramount for the success of any business venture. Without a symbiotic relationship with your advertising agency, your law firm’s marketing could suffer. Marketing managers help aid the information sharing that goes on between your firm and your ad agency and can help come up with ideas and tactics for your firm’s marketing campaign. Marketing managers are especially important in law firms where the partners don’t have time to keep track of their own marketing efforts. If no one in your firm is keeping track of your marketing, then how do you measure success? For ideas on how your firm can better track its marketing efforts, contact Network Affiliates today.
Who Are You and What Does Your Firm Stand For?
Tue, 03/06/2012 - 10:12 — admin
Many law firms get frustrated with the concept of branding. Many lawyers feel branding is an esoteric art that is not measurable through numbers. Frustrated by the lack of concrete tracking mechanisms, many firms ignore the importance of branding their law firm altogether. Ignoring branding is a mistake that could cost you in the long run. How much your firm can suffer from not having a brand identity is tough to calculate.
Stand for Something Bigger Than Yourself
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nelson Mandela. Mohandas Gandhi. What do these three people have in common? While all three were fervent advocates of equality and justice, all three also stood for something and knew who they were and what they represented. Most successful individuals and businesses also stand for something larger than themselves. Having a strict set of values they espouse is why people with strong core values are successful. People gravitate towards others with similar values and want to do business with those who share a similar outlook on life. By having strict core beliefs, you may ignore some people who would like to do business with you otherwise. However, by trying to be everything to everyone, you ignore everyone by not aligning yourself with any sort of value system. Don’t sell your law firm short. Believe in something. Have a strong set of values that your firm sets out to promote with its legal work. Otherwise, what makes you different from every other law firm?
Dare to be Different
At the end of the day, branding is about distinguishing your firm from other law firms. Many firms suffer from brand confusion – everyone “looks” the same. What makes your firm the best firm to deal with someone’s legal issue? Also, daring to be different is an important phrase because of the implications that the word “daring” holds. To dare to do something is to take a risk and stick your neck out on the line no matter what the consequences might be. While your firm doesn’t need to take massive risks in order to be successful, many successful firms have found success by being more than just a law firm. Firms stand for something more than just their law firm when they produce PSAs telling kids to avoid drinking and driving or by supporting legislation that could negatively impact their community. By daring to be different, bold law firms demonstrate their values and align themselves with the interests of others.
Do Something that Matters
At Network Affiliates, we feel it is important for lawyers to do something that matters to them. Chances are, if something matters to you, then it will matter to someone else in your community as well. Standing for something and taking risks isn’t easy, otherwise everyone would do it. However, being different and choosing the type of risks that are acceptable for your firm could be your firm’s 1% differentiator in the market. Contact Network Affiliates today for help with discovering what makes your firm different.
Define the Top Cases in Your Practice
Tue, 02/21/2012 - 17:04 — admin
Many businesses suffer from an inability to properly define their business, and law firms are no different. What types of cases allow you to be the most profitable? Many law firms simply try to take whatever case comes their way in their chosen practice areas. While some firms are successful in handling a high volume of cases, even high volume firms must define what cases are the best and allow them to be as profitable as possible.
What Cases Pay the Bills?
When looking at your firm’s cases, which ones keep the lights on and which ones make a good year a great year? Most businesses experience a phenomenon called the Pareto principle. The Pareto principle originally stated that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. In business, a common maxim is that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. Thus, logic would dictate that your firm should try and acquire more of those large cases that make your firm’s year. But are big cases really the only thing your firm should focus on? After all, everyone wants big cases. The answer is probably a combination of cases is most profitable.
What is My Firm’s Core Competency?
A better question for your firm to ask is what case is really your firm’s core competency? For some firms, it may be products liability or complex litigation for personal injury cases. For other firms, a core competency could be handling simple personal injury claims quickly. Whatever your firm is good at should be the type of case your firm should focus on acquiring more of. The big cases will come if you develop a good enough reputation for handling a specific type of case. It is very rare that your firm will get a crack at a large products case without first proving yourself on a smaller case. The same thinking applies to personal injury or medical malpractice as well. Some may rubbish this line of thinking by saying that luck matters more than experience in acquiring large cases. We don’t think simply chalking business up to luck is accurate. Rather, firms must make their own luck in order to be successful.
Luck = Preparation + Opportunity
A teacher of mine in high school used to repeat his mantra of luck occurring when preparation meets opportunity. In terms of business development, businesses have to make their own luck by being prepared for opportunities whenever they might arise. Law firms should also try and make their own luck in terms of generating large cases by being prepared for when opportunities come knocking at your door. In order to be best prepared for these large case opportunities, your firm needs to know what its bread and butter case is and try to be the best it can be in that particular practice area. Through experience and developing a strong track record in trying certain cases, your firm will be able to capitalize on opportunities and see more of the types of cases that keep your law firm afloat. Many of these high value cases will come from referral sources as we have stated before, so it is in your firm’s best interest to handle every case with the same attitude and dedication no matter its value. You never know when a small case can turn in to a business development source. To learn more about generating high value cases, contact Network Affiliates today.
Giving Clients The Tools For Word-of-Mouth
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 15:28 — admin
I’ve seen attorneys scratch their head trying to figure out why they haven’t received the public praises they deserve for their superb quality work. The truth is, most people are more likely to share their opinion after a negative experience rather than a positive experience. This is primarily due to the fact that they expect exceptional treatment, which is why you need to provide them the tools and reasoning for advocating for your firm.
Give them a reason to help
Let your clients know you truly care about them and the outcome of their case and that you would like to serve others in the manner you have served them. Express to them that they can help other people in similar situations by being a firm advocate. Let them know that their reviews are part of a greater good, not just an opportunity for the firm to profit. That feeling of community and being part of something bigger can be extremely effective.
Give them instructions
Whether it is by email, flash drive video chat or in a leave behind packet, give them complete instructions on how and where you would like them to post a positive review and/or provide a recommendation. Give them links to your Google Places and Yelp page. Explain how to set up a profile on these sites. The easier you make it for them, the more likely they are to participate.
Timing is everything
When are your clients most likely to provide a valuable recommendation? Most likely it’s when you hand over their check. This is when you should give them a reason to help you and instruct them specifically on how to do so. It is all about opportune timing.
Most big firms ignore this opportunity because they don’t see the value or simply are afraid to ask. These actions result in referral business, which typically represents your most valuable cases. If you need help building referral business, contact Network Affiliates today.
Data For Dollars
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 07:43 — admin
There’s a reason Facebook is worth more than $100 billion dollars. Facebook’s price tag is so high because of its access to 800 million plus users and engaged eyeballs. An engaged community is priceless as it creates an opportunity for viral business for your law firm. In order to successfully participate in a database marketing campaign, you need a plan and strategy.
The Foundation
Depending on how diligent your intake has been in collecting complete information, your current and past clients are the best place to start when developing a database. Extracting this list from your current case management system can be a daunting task depending on your software. But the valuable information derived is definitely worth the organizational effort.
Grow the list
So how do you enhance and grow your database? For starters, be diligent about asking for information. Every call and visitor to your website is either a potential case or a potential referral source. You’ve paid for this lead, so make sure you capture information so you can re-engage later. Wish you had e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers for all of your contacts? Ask for it! If you only have mailing addresses, send a mailer requesting this additional information. To improve response, consider offering an incentive (in exchange for the information, each respondent is entered to win something of value).*
*Always check your local bar regulations first to ensure compliance.
Execute Effectively
Whether you provide your clients or consumers with information via social media and/or by email, make sure the information you provide is delivered consistently and is relevant to the audience. If you make the information just about the law firm, your database will dwindle with time. Incorporate compelling information they can use in their everyday lives.
Investing in growing a database can be a struggle initially because you will not see the ROI right away. But having a list is an invaluable channel and medium for both new business and referral business. Contact Network Affiliates today to learn how we can help you grow your database.
Create Brand Loyalty Via Facebook
Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:14 — adminFacebook was originally designed to bring a full social experience to the web. As it has evolved over time, this philosophy still rings true today. Facebook has now evolved into one massive database. This is why your firm should approach your social media strategy with the same sort of philosophy. Think about it as a way to communicate and highlight all the events in which your firm participates. What exactly do I mean by this?
Events & Philanthropy
Most firms participate in a number of events throughout the year. This is a great opportunity to develop a facebook following that is highly engaged. Take pictures and video of the event and post them on your Facebook page. Let people know where they are and how they can find them. You can make it easier for people to find your Facebook fan page by promoting it via QR codes or Snap-Tags. This gets the buzz/conversation going.
Contest and Giveaways
If you take part in a contest or giveaway, document the excitement from start to end. I’m talking from the purchase of the giveaway prize to the drawing of the winner. Hand out promotional flyers to the people in the store from which you are buying the prizes. Create a buzz. This is relevant content to those who have decided to participate. Give people a reason to participate and engage.
Internal Events
The more excited your staff is about your Facebook community the more they are going to share with their friends. Take fun pictures at office party events. Give recognition to your employees on your Facebook page. Make the page a conversational inviting community.
The above are just a few ways you can make your brand relevant to the social media community. Although social media is rapidly growing in popularity from a user perspective, it is in the adolescent stages from a business perspective. This presents an opportunity for a level playing field no matter what kind of marketing budget you have. Test different strategies, push your creative boundaries and continue to learn from your mistakes. After all that is what social marketing is, largely game of trial and error. Contact Network Affiliates today to help refine your social media strategy.
Facebook is King Now, But What's Next?
Mon, 11/14/2011 - 16:04 — justinh@netaff.com
Facebook is on top of the world right now. We've seen a major motion picture produced about the social network, a huge IPO and it's highly likely that you are a member of the social network. But does Facebook have staying power? Right now, most would be inclined to say *yes* but, if history is any indicator, Facebook will go the way of the Dodo eventually (see: MySpace, Friendster). We're not saying Facebook is going away. In fact, I think it will be around and will be relevant for quite a while. But what is around the corner? Let me introduce you to some other social networks that could benefit your law firm.
Google+
Google+ is a new social network being launched by, well, Google. The beauty of this network is the ease in separating contacts into different groups that can only see certain content you post. For example, your law firm could create a "law firm" group and a "clients" group that sees different content. This allows your firm to post only what is relevant to those particular groups and allows your firm to better manage its social media presence. Google+ is also tied to your Google account, so it could end up being better indexed by Google when compared to Facebook or Twitter.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a "microblogging" platform that also has social networking features. What is a microblog? It's basically a simplified blogging platform that is focused on short, quick posts and the ability to connect to other blogs. On Tumblr, you have a news feed like Facebook or Twitter that contains the posts of blogs that you follow. This allows you to quickly follow other blogs and comment or re-post their content. Your firm could use this platform to blog about new happenings at the firm, charity events your firm is taking part in or results from cases you are working on. Most Tumblr accounts are picture based, so if your firm has lots of photo content, this platform might make sense. Tumblr also can connect to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, so whatever you post on Tumblr can also be posted on Facebook and Twitter instantaneously. Go here to learn more about Tumblr.
YouTube
This isn't a new social network and is a service you are probably familiar with, but it amazes me that so few attorneys are using this platform. Your firm should be posting its testimonials, commercials, PSA's, any video content it may have on to YouTube. At worst, these videos will help your firm's SEO. At best, your firm might just get a case from long tail search. Video is the future of the web and as videos become more and more easily indexable by search engines, YouTube will become an increasingly important cog in your online marketing machine. If your firm doesn't have a YouTube account already, create one and get to posting. You won't regret it.
The beauty about these social networks is that content on one of these networks can easily be posted on another social network. It is a matter of copying and pasting or simply setting up the accounts to link with one another. Law firms who master social media will end up being the winners in the long run. Start educating yourself about these social networks now before it is too late. Contact Network Affiliates today to learn how to best use social media.
The attorney advertising regulations vary from state to state and some advertising strategies are inappropriate in some states. Network Affiliates, Inc. will work closely with you to review and comply with your state's attorney advertising rules and guidelines.
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Keeping In Touch With Past Clients
Mon, 09/12/2011 - 15:33 — justinh@netaff.com
Why Should I Keep In Touch With Past Clients? This is a question that should be common sense among lawyers, but it still isn't. For whatever reason, attorneys still operate very transactionally. This means they assume that when you are done handling a client's case, that is the end of that relationship, for all intents and purposes. It's almost like a fast food sort of mentality where you serve that person once and you move on to the next case like nothing ever happened. Not keeping in touch with your past clients is a huge mistake and is costing your firm money.
Referrals are the life blood of your law firm- It seems like we've said this a hundred times in this blog at this point, but it bears repeating; referrals are the best cases your firm can get. These cases cost you little or nothing to receive and most are well qualified and worth a lot of money. Where do you get these referral cases from? Your past clients. You can't get these cases if you aren't staying in touch with your past clients. So, how should you keep in touch with clients that have been satisfied with the work your firm does?
CRM still works- CRM is a great way of staying in touch with your past clients. Sending brochures and newsletters to past clients still works well and will help your firm win cases. If your firm doesn't want to kill any trees, your firm can send out your newsletters via e-mail. Sometimes, the simple gesture of sending a card is enough to distinguish your firm from others. Birthday cards, thank you cards and holiday cards are all still effective. We suggest, however, sending out cards for holidays where cards aren't as common. Thanksgiving is a good example. If you know your past client was a veteran, a card on Memorial Day or Veteran's Day might be appropriate. Really, the sky is the limit and any of these activities will help your firm develop more referral based business.
Social media was tailor made for keeping in touch with clients- Social media is a sector where few law firms are active. Having an active social media presence will allow your past clients to engage with your law firm and keep your firm top of mind. This results in more referrals for your law firm. Having positive reviews on Yelp and engaging with reviewers is another way to keep in touch with past clients and develop more referral based business. Your firm can also post testimonials online or videos discussing situations you have helped clients out with to show how your law firm can help. This is a new frontier for attorneys and is still maturing. Learning how to develop referral based business online can only help your law firm grow its business.
Choosing just a handful of ideas from this blog post and implementing them will make a difference for your firm. The question is, how many of these ideas are you willing to implement? Don't bite off more than you can chew. Start small and then add more to the solid foundation you have built. Referral cases are the best cases that come into your office. You owe it to yourself and your firm to do a better job in obtaining these cases. To discuss how to best keep in touch with your previous clients, contact Network Affiliates today.
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