Attorney Advertising - Personal Injury TV ads
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Our Technological Advantage in Lawyer Advertising
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.
posted by
Harlan Schillinger
at
5:23 AM
0
comments
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Is Your Case Management System Really Set Up To Do GREAT Intake?
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.
posted by
Harlan Schillinger
at
6:42 PM
1
comments
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tools Needed To Buy Media In This World
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?
posted by
Harlan Schillinger
at
9:28 AM
0
comments
Monday, February 1, 2010
TV Messaging... Where is Your Silver Bullet?
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.
posted by
Harlan Schillinger
at
7:04 AM
0
comments
