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Why Should You Attend Outside Marketing Meetings?
Tue, 01/25/2011 - 08:00 — Clay Frickey
Well, why should you? Do you or the other attorneys from your firm attend outside marketing meetings? Yes, we all know you’re in the business of practicing law and that is what you went to school for and do 40+ hours a week. But without marketing, how does your firm get cases? And while most lawyers didn’t sign up for being a marketer and a lawyer, you must have the ability to both practice law and market your firm in order for your firm to be a success.
Marketing is also a concept that is not fully understood by most lawyers. Marketing is the whole process of providing a good or service to a customer. So, marketing doesn’t just mean putting advertisements on TV, even though advertising is a component of marketing. Marketing also includes things such as pricing your services, what time of day your firm is open, how your firm answers the phone and pretty much any other aspect of your firm that affects how your service is consumed or perceived by the end user. With that definition in place, it is clear that there is some marketing related issue in every law firm.
This is why attending outside marketing meetings are immensely helpful for any attorney. Very few lawyers understand marketing naturally and due to the wide scope of marketing, every legal practice will have some sort of marketing related issue that needs to be fixed. Being at a meeting dedicated to marketing for lawyers will put you in a room with other lawyers experiencing the exact same issues as your firm. Some have worked through solutions to problems your firm faces. Others are going through problems that your firm has solved. Either way, these meetings are a great give and take amongst law firms. Every meeting provides your firm the opportunity to walk away with tons of actionable ideas to take back to your office and implement to improve your firm’s marketing. These meetings are also great networking opportunities which can turn into strong referral business for your. And while the meetings are work, the opportunity to travel somewhere else for a few a days can be refreshing and an important change of pace.
There are several marketing events scattered across the US for lawyers every year. Register for one of these meetings and send one of your attorneys to the meeting. Your firm is almost guaranteed to come back to the office with at least one idea that can help your firm be more profitable. Attending these meetings could be one of the most profitable activities your firm takes a part of this year. If you are looking for recommendations for meetings, contact Network Affiliates today.
The Pros of Laminated Business Cards
Mon, 06/21/2010 - 07:28 — Clay FrickeyUsing laminated business cards, vs. bare cardstock, is a small tweak in your marketing strategy that can make a big difference in results. Your laminated business cards are not just for prospects and new contacts. You need to send them out to your current and past clients to get the full benefits.
Current and past clients already have your contact information so why would they need your laminated business card?
Do not assume that your clients have actually retained your contact information or that the information that your past clients have is actually current. If your old cards were not laminated there is a good chance they have been lost, damaged, or tossed out.
• Sending out your laminated card ensures that clients have your current contact information, including your website and email address, and that they have it handy.
• A laminated card will last longer and stand out in a stack of business cards. Your clients can find them more easily when they need to contact you.
• Since they stay in good shape, they are less likely to be thrown away with a tattered stack of cards and your clients will be more likely to pass them on, for referral purposes, for much longer than a regular card.
• Laminated cards give the impression of permanence. Sending them out is another way to keep in touch with your past clients, and remind them that you are here to help.
You can get a little creative with the laminated cards and encourage your clients to carry them. For instance, one marketing strategy for personal injury attorneys is to create a two-sided card with your contact information on one side and “What To Do If You Are In An Accident” on the other side. If you are on top of your attorney-client relations, and you have collected the data about your clients’ families, you might even take this a step farther and send these out to clients when their child is turning 16 and about to get his or her driver’s license.
To learn more about simple, but effective, marketing strategies and how to make them work for your law firm, please contact Network Affiliates today.
Helping Denver Health....
Tue, 04/27/2010 - 16:45 — Clay FrickeyOn Thursday, April 29th, Jeannie Ritter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannie_Ritter, Colorado's First Lady and Dr. Robert House http://www.denverhealth.org/portal/Services/BehavioralHealthServices/AboutUs.aspx will be visiting our offices to participate in a video shoot we're producing to help Denver Health promote the Pavilion Project, a brand new children and adolescent psychiatric unit (CAPU) located on Denver Health's campus. See attached brochure for more information.
In addition to the brochure, we're also creating a landing page and an interactive piece, both of which will incorporate the compelling video assets were producing.
This blog has moved
Wed, 04/21/2010 - 14:21 — Clay Frickey This blog is now located at http://netaffpersonalinjury.blogspot.com/.
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Is Your Law Firm Ubiquitous?
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 07:32 — Clay FrickeyThink about that question for a moment. Is your law firm everywhere? I don’t mean literally everywhere, but is your law firm making the most out of its marketing efforts? Anymore, it is important to think about your law firm from a holistic perspective. Before, it was easy to just put an ad on television and wait for the phone to start ringing off the hook.
Now, that sort of thinking doesn’t work. Lawyers have become very savvy marketers. Very savvy marketers with deep pockets, nonetheless. And while your law firm might have a website, a polished TV campaign and a great staff, which law firms have survived that don’t have these things? The answer is probably not that many, which means your law firm has to elevate its game in order to compete.
So, how do you compete? By being ubiquitous and by having a comprehensive, holistic approach to your law practice. That means having an Internet campaign that dovetails with your TV ads. That means sending your clients home with relevant, informative collateral material that leaves them with all of the answers they could ever need. That means becoming educated about everything that is going on in the legal world as a whole.
Ubiquity is the new normalcy. So, to tie this all up, answer the question in the title of this blog post. If your answer is anything other than a profound, “Yes,” perhaps it is time to re-think your practice. Even if it is a yes, is staying pat going to yield consistent and sustainable results in the future?
If your firm needs with creating a comprehensive marketing campaign, contact Network Affiliates today.
How Do You Buy Media In This Difficult Market???
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 05:29 — Clay FrickeyDo you know what your Cost-Per-Point is? Do you really know why you are buying what you are buying?
Media buying for your law firm needs to generate both short term and long-term value for it to be effective. You have to calculate the true value of each buy, and utilize strategies to build and maintain your brand.
Cost-Per-Point
Before you can know what your cost-per-point (CPP) is, you have to know what CPP actually means. You probably have the general idea that CPP is the cost of reaching a certain number of people. Cost-Per-Point (CPP) analysis is used by most media planners in developing and allocating market budgets and setting rating point goals. It is defined as the cost of reaching one percent of the target audience within a specified geographic area.
This is not to be confused with cost per thousand (CPM). Cost Per Thousand (CPM) is the cost of reaching 1,000 homes or individuals with a specific advertising message. CPM is a standard advertising measure to compare the relative cost efficiency of different programs, stations, or media.
CPM is relatively easy to determine. CPP is more complicated, but it is the number that you need to know the real value of the negotiated rates. For instance, if you were offered a very low CPM to place a Workers’ Compensation ad on a program that is primarily watched by people 65 and older, it would not be a good value because only a small percentage of the viewers who see the ad are in your target audience. The CPP for the same ad during the same program would be much higher, and provide greater insight in the efficiency and value of running in that program.
Do you know the true analytics behind your current media spend?
You need the right software and media knowledge to analyze the real media costs. If you don’t have this information or effective evaluation tools, you might as well be placing your media dollars on the craps table.
At Network Affiliates we use media planning and placement tools and specialized buying software that allows us to evaluate the targeted demographics and ratings, as well as the cpm's and cpp's for each program and time period considered for each campaign.
How you buy is just as important as what you buy. You have to know how to work around crowded TV markets. And, you have to go beyond television to market effectively. Building a recognizable brand through TV advertising and exploring and including a careful mix of secondary media is both an art and a science.
With over 28 years of experience in attorney marketing, Network Affiliates knows how to bring all this together and help you make the most effective and efficient media buys within your budget. Please, contact us today.
Our Technological Advantage in Lawyer Advertising
Sun, 02/21/2010 - 05:23 — Clay FrickeyAt Network Affiliates we have invested in the cutting edge technology you need for all aspects of lawyer advertising, from producing your television ads, to making the best media buys, to tracking the results.
Post Production Impacts the Quality of Your Law Firm’s TV Ads
Our in-house resources allow us to produce the high quality videos you must have to compete on TV without breaking your budget. We also own our own post production studio, Crosspoint, which puts the finishing touches on your television ads.
Post production is far more than the just simple editing. The quality of your post production can determine whether your law firm’s TV advertising campaign looks like another local ad campaign or a national ad campaign. You may have noticed that the deleted scenes included in the special features on some DVD’s look like low-quality home movie footage and wondered how that raw material could ever be turned into the Hollywood quality feature film you just watched. It’s all in the post production.
Just how good is Crosspoint’s post production? It produced spots that aired in this year’s Super Bowl.
Media Buying for Lawyers
Once you have created those ads, and your other forms of advertising, you must place them and place them wisely.
In order to buy media for lawyers in today’s market, you must have sophisticated media buying software. We use STRATA media buying and planning software to determine the demographics, ratings, share and reach for programs, stations, and dayparts in all 211 markets.
We also subscribe to a service that tells us exactly what your competition is doing. We know when and where they are placing their ads, how much they spend, and which ads they are running. This allows us work around the crowded TV markets to out-maneuver the competition.
With over 28 years of experience in creating and placing ads for attorneys, we have had the opportunity to investigate and evaluate the available technology as it develops. We know what to look for, what works, what is worth investing in, and what will give our clients the edge that they need. Please contact us today to learn how we can put our technology to work for you.
Is Your Case Management System Really Set Up To Do GREAT Intake?
Wed, 02/17/2010 - 18:42 — Clay FrickeyDo you know the difference? Are you aware of your options? Do you know how to create a great intake system or how it would benefit you?
While there are some great case management systems available today, none of them are client and marketing friendly. Systems like Legal Files, Needles, AbacusLaw, Amicus, Client Profiles, and a few others are great for managing your case files, but they are not intake / prospect / client friendly.
When a new, prospective client calls your office, you need a program at your fingertips that will make the interview process as smooth and easy as possible, allowing you to collect the right information, record it properly, and track it. Failure to collect and correctly enter the right information during that first contact can create a multitude of problems including:
• Database errors
• Inability to run sensible marketing reports
• Failure to follow up, leading to failure to convert prospects into clients
The good news is that there is software on the market today that can sit in front of your case management system and make it very easy to help you interview a new prospect. Then completely follow the client through the case.
Your intake software needs to accomplish several things while being user friendly. Of course, you need the basics such as name, contact information, and the nature of the case.
You also need to record how the caller heard about you, so you can figure out what is working and what is not when it comes to marketing. You are tracking more than just the number of calls with this information. You have to tie it to the quality, value and type of case. You need to know which of your law firm’s ads and ad campaigns are generating prospects that turn into clients and which ones are just generating inquiries. Without accurate intake, you cannot make these determinations.
Your intake software should also help you turn prospects into clients by generating the right notices and reminders to help you follow up with these prospects in an informed and timely fashion.
Tools Needed To Buy Media In This World
Mon, 02/08/2010 - 09:28 — Clay FrickeyWhat tools do you have in your advertising arsenal? Are you able to know exactly what your competitors’ schedules are so you can “out-position” them?
Research suggests that for every client you engage you miss nearly 20 others. That means missing out on almost 95% of potential clients. Imagine what it would do for your case intake if you could reach even a portion of them. So, how can you do it? How can you acquire more clients?
Invest In Competitive Tools
Does your ad agency or media buying service allow you to completely and comprehensively know exactly where your other competitors are placing their commercials? Do you have this information at your fingertips when you are planning your media buy so that you can better strategize and work around crowded TV environments? Buying without this knowledge is like going to court without completing discovery of the defense’s case.
When was the last time you dissected your media plan?
If you haven’t done it in the last five years, you might not even be aware of the tools that are available to you today. Cutting-edge market-analysis technology, database mining and media tracking devices are helping law firms compete more effectively than ever in the marketplace. Your competitors are using these tools. If you’re not, you could be handing them the lion’s share of potential clients.
You Don’t Have To Do This Alone
As a lawyer and business owner, there are some marketing tactics only you can affect. For instance, you cannot hire someone to take your colleagues out to lunch or to maintain significant referral relationships. But, there are many aspects of legal marketing and advertising that do not require your personal involvement. Selecting and purchasing the best tools for media planning and placement is definitely in that category.
At Network Affiliates, we have invested in these tools so you don’t have to. We use sophisticated media software that allows us to determine the demographics, ratings, share and reach for programs, stations, and dayparts in all 211 markets. We have access to all of your competitors’ TV ads. We know what ads they are running, where they are running them and how much they are spending, so we are educated and informed to spend your money wisely.
Our clients have the advantage of knowledge. Shouldn’t you?
TV Messaging... Where is Your Silver Bullet?
Mon, 02/01/2010 - 07:04 — Clay Frickey
You may assume that as long as you are on TV and your ad is well placed, it will be effective. Getting your name and number out there is not enough. Television is still the most powerful advertising medium for law firms, but if your message gets lost in a sea of other ads you may as well throw your advertising dollars out the window. Too many law firm advertisements look alike and say the same thing. Even if you are sending the message that speaks to your target audience, if your ads don’t stand out, your prospect may wind up calling someone else, even when she had you in mind in the first place. Think about it. A prospective client needs to hire a personal injury lawyer. She vaguely remembers having seen your ad, but can’t remember your law firm’s name or phone number. She is watching TV hoping to see your ad again to write down your number and call you. Another law firm’s ad appears. It is basically what she remembered. So, she writes down the other firm’s name and phone number and makes the call. With so many attorneys advertising on TV, how can you prevent this from happening? There is no easy answer. It takes time. It requires some serious competitive intelligence. It requires a dedicated and committed advertising and marketing team with the ability to develop a message that will set you apart – an ad campaign that won’t be confused with all the other lawyers on the air. You need to be sure that when a prospect wants to call you, she remembers your ad, and your law firm, and calls the right number. And, don’t fall in love with your own TV ad. Maybe you came up with the creative concept. Your partners, associates, and your friends and family all love it. Remember, that the concept and the message that you love may not resonate with your potential clients. It doesn’t matter how much you love it, if it doesn’t speak to your potential clients, it needs to go. You have to put yourself in their shoes, or work with someone who can. The creative team at Network Affiliates has over 28 years experience developing messages and ad campaigns that generate business for lawyers. We understand how to put ourselves in your clients’ shoes. We know what stands out, and which messages speak to the people you need to reach. We know the difference between a message that sounds great and a message that will get your prospects to call you. Please, contact us today to learn how you can send the right message – and get more business.
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