Becoming the best known attorney is no easy feat. The digital advertising landscape is saturated with hundreds of thousands of businesses from around the globe trying to build their brand and get their name in front of potential buyers and clients — and law firms are among them.
In fact, Hubspot reported that this year 70% of businesses are actively investing in content marketing. However, according to a survey done by the American Bar Association, only 49% of law firms overall have a marketing budget.
This is where you come in — there is ample opportunity for you to become the best known attorney by honing in on your market and focusing on creating a presence for your firm.
But how does a law firm go from unknown to best known? Well, we won’t lie to you. It takes hard work, investment, and a commitment to a typically slow-burning growth in order to surpass the big dogs that currently hold the title.
However, to help you on your growth journey, we have compiled the 4 key things to keep in mind in order to take the lead and establish yourself as the best choice in your market:
- Produce engaging content
- Get in front of your ideal audience
- Leverage wholesale traffic
- Assume no one heard your message
1. Produce Engaging Content
Gone are the days when you can rely on “BUY TODAY,” in-your-face, obnoxious messaging to get a sale or obtain a new client. Sure, that may work for a skeevy used car salesman, but now you’re up against the likes of Nike, Amazon, and other massive brands that have their marketing down pat.
But what common thread do those and other industry-leading companies have in common with the way they market to their audience? The ability to tell a story.
In the current legal landscape, it is vital to connect with your audience, and this can really only be done through intentional, thoughtful storytelling that shifts your law firm from a commodity to a brand.
It is not enough to post whatever, whenever, just so you can show that your law firm is active online. You must create engaging content that elicits a response, provokes an action, and resonates with those you are trying to reach.
A fantastic example of this can be seen in the brand video for Crisp client, Denmon Pearlman, a personal injury firm out of Tampa, Florida.
This video, which has been posted on the firm’s website and all of their social media platforms, has everything from humor to emotional appeal, tied together by showcasing each attorney’s personality.
Not only that, but it also sets them apart and even pokes fun at the typical videos produced for law firms — talk about memorable.
2. Get in Front of Your Ideal Audience
Once you’ve identified the story you want to tell, you must then get it in front of the audience you are trying to reach.
Now more than ever, digital consumption is increasing at a mind-boggling rate, and it’s not stopping any time soon, with more and more attention being directed towards social media.
To put things in perspective, on Facebook alone there are 2.6 billion active users, 160 million on LinkedIn, and 107.2 million on Instagram.
This means your law firm must also take the leap to join your ideal audience on the platforms they use the most in order to make an impact and build brand awareness.
But, this then begs the question: Who is your ideal audience? Plainly speaking, when you imagine the perfect client that checks every box of the type of cases you want, who comes to mind?
There are quite a few factors that play into deciding your audience, from demographics to psychographics and everything in between.
To help you figure this out, we’ve included a handful the most common features to keep in mind:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Interests
- Occupation
- Income Level
Once you’ve figured out who you’d like to reach, then you can begin planning your targeted advertising plan of attack based on your parameters.
A great example of this is shown in an ad for Nussbaum Law Group. This Facebook ad’s copy clearly directs its targeting based on location and practice area, which makes it clear to the viewer who the ad is intended for.
To dive deeper into developing your ideal client personas, download our free Facebook Ad Targeting Guide that will assist you in discovering your own ideal audience.
3. Leverage Wholesale Traffic
Even with great content posted in the right places at the right time, it’s just not enough to rely only on organic social posting to make a dent in the digital sphere and become the best known attorney in your market. You have to pay to play.
What do we mean by this?
Well, let’s look at the stats. In 2019, it was reported that digital media spending surpassed traditional media for the first time ever.
Not only is digital ad spend on track to once again surpass traditional advertising this year, but it is also positioned to destroy it — quickly.
The good news for your law firm is that not only is it now the most popular form of consumption, but it is also the most cost-effective advertising method, especially compared to mediums like television, radio, and print advertising.
When looking at CPMs (cost per mille, aka the cost it takes to reach 1,000 people) for traditional advertising methods versus digital, it’s pretty clear which one gives you the most bang for your buck.
That’s what we mean when we say “wholesale traffic” — and that’s how you can compete, even if you’re up against Goliath law firms in your market with abundant resources.
4. Assume No One Heard Your Message
Once you’ve determined who you’re trying to get in front of and where the best place is to do that, you’ve got to market like crazy to become the best known attorney.
The Marketing Rule of Seven established in the 1930s states that a prospect needs to “hear” an advertiser’s message at least seven times before they’ll take action to buy that product or service. With social media advertising, you have the ability to market to someone 7 times a day.
Times, they are a-changin’, and it’s time to get with it and get your law firm’s name out there — all the time!
It’s not enough to post once a week. It’s not even enough to post just once a day. You have to make yourself known in any way possible by relentlessly marketing to your audience everywhere they spend their time.
Assume they never saw your Facebook post, your promotional email, or your Instagram ad.
Plus, when it comes down to it, you must remember that every time you fail to become the best known attorney, your competition is filling in that airtime to make their own mark.
Take it from us. At Crisp, “relentless” is our middle name. If we’re not in your email inbox, we’re a banner ad on your web browser, a voicemail on your phone, or a post on your Facebook feed. We’re everywhere — and you should be, too.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, there are a number of moving parts involved in going from unknown to best known. While it’s not easy to get there, it is possible.
With these four keys in mind, you’re now well-equipped to develop your law firm’s unique message, get it out there to your ideal clients, and become the best known attorney in your market.
Want to talk with a Legal Marketing Expert about how to leverage these strategies in your own law firm? Grab a time to speak with our team today.
