In today’s world, there are several routes to choose when deciding how to allocate your law firm’s annual marketing budget. From digital to social media, content marketing to billboards, how do you select the path that is best for your firm? The truth is that whether your annual advertising budget is $10,000 or $1 million dollars, you must go through the same strategic process for determining how to spend your dollars.
As we’ve worked with legal marketing through the years, we’ve watched today’s advertising landscape become more diverse than it was 15 years ago. With new tools available such as advanced targeting technology and a boom in digital advertising, your life has become easier but also offers several different media paths to choose from. So, as you are considering how to allocate your budget, here are some of our top suggestions for law firms, based on three of the most common goals:
ESTABLISH YOUR FIRM
Whether your firm is just getting started or looking to create greater brand awareness in your community, it is key to ensure your law firm is an established name within your market. To accomplish this, focus on a strategy that showcases your services to the widest audience, such as through TV ads or billboards.
Firms with a healthy advertising budget will benefit greatly from advertising on local television, and even though TV consumption has changed over the years, its effectiveness has not. It is still a relevant outlet to convey your message. Plus, with the targeting abilities now available, firms can receive an even better return on their investment through efficient media buying.
In addition to TV, billboards and out-of-home advertising like bus stops and bus benches are great for brand recognition, offering the benefit of repetition and impacting large audiences multiple times in a day. These placements continuously keep your firm top of mind with your potential client base.
Are you a firm with a more modest budget, but still eager to establish yourself in the market? Consider going digital. Purchasing digital banner ads on social media platforms and local news websites can establish your firm with a local audience at a more flexible cost, which can be optimized to engage a potentially wider audience.
BUILD RAPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT
Once your firm’s name is established with its target market, it is time to explore advertising options that aim to build rapport and relationships with potential clients.
Digital and social media advertising help brands tell the full story of their work, share their brand promise, open opportunities for engagement with audiences, and provides an avenue to establish your firm as a thought leader in the community. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have extremely robust targeting options available, advertising directly to those who most likely need a law firm’s services.
The goals available via digital media are endless – you can increase leads, improve search engine rankings, drive traffic towards your website, keep an eye on your competitors, develop a trustful relationship with clients, create brand recognition, maximize conversions, and establish your brand as the best within the market.
Additionally, digital marketing draws interest towards your website, helping you build a solid reputation. Make sure to always link back to your website in all your posts so clients know where to inquire about your services or to learn more.
GROW CASES BY LEAD GENERATION
The most popular goal for law firms is to grow business through a lift in monthly case volume. Once a firm is established in a market, the brand can then focus their marketing strategies towards reaching people actively searching for legal services.
Google search ads and Facebook lead ads are highly effective advertising placements for potential clients to gain information when actively looking for legal counsel. Google search ads work by targeting individuals searching for keywords that line up with your firm’s services, such as searching for “injury lawyers near me” or “best car accident law firm in New Orleans.” Facebook lead ads target users who have shown interest in your firm. These two advertising channels are based on a cost per action, such as a click or form completion, so your firm will only be billed when someone takes an action, ensuring your marketing spend is translating into conversions.
These marketing steps have proven to create direct growth for our law firm clients and will help your business excel throughout the remainder of the year. If you’d like to grow your caseload by utilizing skilled media buyers to get the best results from your advertising budget, contact Roux to learn more about our specialization in legal marketing.
