What is the best way to allocate your marketing resources as a law firm? This question tends to be very fact specific, and largely depends upon your target audience. Although in this era dominated by Online marketing, many consider print, radio and even TV to be ineffective, there are still times when these mediums can be more effective than the Internet.
TV Marketing
In the popular TV show “Better Call Saul,” lawyer Saul Goodman goes behind the backs of the partners at his law firm to record and air a television commercial targeting clients for Sandpiper Crossing Retirement Facility mass tort suit. The commercial he records depicts an old woman in a rocking chair who begins crying while recounting how her nursing home took every penny she had. The campaign is a success. Although Saul’s commercial was over the top, there is a grain of truth to it. Certain demographics, such as nursing home residents, tend to watch TV instead of using the Internet, and therefore, TV campaigns can be great if these are the people you are trying to reach.
TV advertising remains one of the most effective ways to advertise consumer legal services, believe it or not. Higher income demographics tend not to watch traditional television anymore, now that streaming services like Netflix and DVR programming have rendered sitting through commercials a thing of the past. However, the elderly, middle-aged, disabled, and lower income brackets still tend to watch TV for many hours during the day, and they also tend not to skip through advertisements. This also tends to be the demographic that contingency law practices need to target.
If you are going to be using TV advertising, it is important to have a call center ready with trained personnel. Law firms that handle their own calls tend to get the biggest ROI.
Also, if a major TV campaign seems like it might be out of the range of your budget, financing companies such as Esquire Bank, Counsel Financial and Plaintiff Support lend money to law firms, using the potential recoveries as collateral.
Online Marketing
There are various types of online marketing, including developing a great website, placing content marketing such as blogging on your webpage, enrolling in directories and legal marketplaces, engaging in email marketing, social media, and paying for online advertising. Because of the ubiquity of law firm advertising on the Internet, customers have a lot to choose from. The biggest law firms tend to have the biggest SEO budget arsenals, and consequently, it can be difficult for small law firms to even show up in the search rankings. Potential clients are unlikely to scroll through five pages of search results when there are ten qualified law firms on the first page of results.
By going online, a client can evaluate the strength of their own case, read reviews about various firms in their area, and contact the firm directly. A person’s research typically ends as soon as they identify a qualified firm and make contact. Online marketing has the advantage of being less offensive than TV ads, targeting victims during their most vulnerable point.