Five Marketing Mistakes Law Firms Make... And How to Recover!
When marketing efforts are not successful, many law firms wonder why…They sent out direct mail, refreshed their website, initiated Google Adword campaigns, or attended a networking event, but are often left disappointed and frustrated asking
“Why aren’t the phones ringing? ”
Marketing efforts must be more than a disconnected series of tasks. Effective marketing is not a single activity, but an ongoing, synchronous effort that takes planning, consistency, and vigor to accomplish. Understanding marketing effectiveness comes from analyzing five of the most common marketing mistakes we've seen law firms make.
1. No Marketing Plan or Strategy – marketing efforts are ad-hoc and inconsistent
You’ve probably heard the quote - “If you don’t know where you are, a map won’t help”
Many law firms waste valuable time, resources and money by not having a marketing plan or a marketing strategy. Most firms don’t incorporate their marketing program into their overall business goals and objectives. A firm’s marketing strategy should provide the goals for your overall marketing plan. A firm’s marketing plan is the specific roadmap that's going to get you there. It is a living document that should be updated, changed and evolves over time to be effective.
Your marketing plan and strategy should include, at a minimum, your firm’s executive summary—including purpose and mission. Next, analyze your situation (i. e. identify your unique selling points, define your target markets, note your competitors, etc.). Define your marketing strategy and objectives (determine what marketing methods to use and how best to implement advertising, PR, direct marketing, social media, CLE’s, etc. into your marketing plan). Establish budgets, performance goals and evaluations (allocate a marketing budget, and determine how you will measure success and the effectiveness of the strategy and plan. Establish quantifiable goals (i. e. customer surveys, visitors to website, calls to special phone number, etc.). Implement a review process and identify how to incorporate lessons learned and improvements into the strategy and plan.
2. Little Branding or consistency in the Branding – the message is neither consistent nor memorable.
Often, law firms confuse logos and taglines for brands, and rather than build their brand, they use tired expressions, rhetoric and hyperbole such as: “We don’t get paid until you do. ” Successful brands paint a picture in the minds of buyers and prospective buyers. Think of Starbucks, Tide, Nike, FedEx and Porsche. All of these brands evoke an image in the minds of their customers and prospects. All of these brands evoke emotion.
Branding is what differentiates you from the competition. It answers the question “Why You? ”; and, why a client should hire you, or why a referral partner should send you a case or client. It is your promise to clients and prospects, and it is the very foundation on which your marketing is built.
3. No integration or consistency in the marketing efforts – each effort is stand alone and there is no coordination of activities
Many firms are sending out multiple mixed messages that often confuse and turn prospects and referral partners to your competitors. The strategy most often used is reactionary and “shooting from the hip”.
These same firms hire PR agencies to get PR, advertising agencies to do the advertising, web developers to do the website work, a sales coach to help with business development…you get the idea. But are these 'experts' following a ‘big picture’ strategy, and working together as one well-oiled marketing machine? Do they understand the legal profession? And is your law firm executing an integrated marketing plan?
When the right marketing, advertising, web, PR, and business development are in place, your law firm will see results. When they are integrated with your law firm's brand and with each other, you will see even stronger return on investment. That's the benefits of integrated marketing. It's what we at BARD Marketing call Synchronicity.
Synchronous Marketing is the process of making all of your marketing activities work together in a logical, meaningful way. This avoids wasted money and poor results that you experience with a scattered approach. Also, having one primary marketing agency oversee your marketing efforts ensures that your marketing, advertising, PR and website are in harmony with the brand and strategy of your law firm.
4. No Measurement/Tracking and Analysis – there is no way to truly track effectiveness
If you’re spending your law firm’s hard earned money on marketing and you are using company time and staff - Don’t you want to know if you are getting a return on investment? Or know how much you are investing? Without metrics to track marketing performance, your plans and strategies will often be ineffective.
When managing marketing budgets in a tight economy, you must focus on the marketing activities that produce results that you can measure. You also need to gain insights so you can measure your progress and take corrective action when needed.
Here are some examples of things that can be collected, tracked and measured: intake, customer surveys, referral lists, individual attorney personal business plans, website status (unique visitors, contact form utilization, page views, blog subscribers), Enewsletter / Eblast reports, media coverage and social media (number of fans on Facebook, Twitter followers or Linked-In members).
5. Usage of the wrong marketing mechanism to reach your target audience and objectives
While there are a myriad of ways to reach your target audience, understand that you'll make better use of your marketing budget if you clearly define your target market. Without a clear understanding of your marketing goals and who you want to reach, your campaigns will lack focus and the results of your marketing efforts will be fragmented and weak.
The key to using the best medium is to gather information on your target audience; this research will influence and determine the ‘reach’ and ‘frequency’ strategy you eventually settle on. For example, you might choose to advertise or submit some editorials in a magazine that your target audience likes to read, or speak to a group your target audience tends to join. It is always better to get frequency with five people who are in your target market, than it is to get frequency with 20 who are not.
To remain competitive, a firm must keep on top of the latest trends in media and the most effective tools to help them reach their target audiences. An experienced marketing agency can help find the best means to convey a message and utilize the latest trends and tools to reach specific targeted audiences. When you apply these trends and tools to your marketing strategy, you will reach your market without wasting thousands in the process.
If your law firm is making any of these mistakes, it may make sense to call BARD Marketing. Whether you are looking for a marketing firm to help with building an initial strategy, implement a website, advertising or referral marketing program, or are looking for a full-blown synchronous marketing program, we can help.
Contact us at 1-888-922-7398 or through email.
