Stuck in Legal Marketing Limbo? Here are Answers.

Imagine the scene … members of the law firm’s Executive Committee sitting around a conference table, unable to reach agreement on which legal marketing programs to implement. There are so many choices now, from Google AdWords to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other forms of social media.

Legal marketing used to be simple. The Yellow Pages served as a leading advertising channel for personal injury attorneys, while a basic website and nice brochure met the marketing needs of most plaintiff or defense law firms. Add in a strong referral network, and the average law firm of 20 years ago was able to keep the phones ringing without too much work.

How times have changed! Effective legal marketing now involves many specialists, from search engine optimizers to video technicians and website analytics experts. Of course, you still need copywriters, graphic designers, and event coordinators.

Today’s competitive marketplace frequently delivers business to the law firms that can master marketing, rather than the best law firms. Does all this sound familiar?

Avoid Inaction in the Face of Uncertainty

Confusion is a common response I see among lawyers struggling to select the best marketing approach. A natural tendency under these circumstances is for the law firm to either do nothing, or to continue with the same tired marketing techniques that deliver unsatisfactory results.

Marketing your law firm is a critical issue, and the economic downturn has left many firms scrambling to fill their pipeline. There is no time to wait. The good news is that there is a silver lining in the rapid changes of technology and promotional techniques.

Let the Market Guide your Promotional Campaigns

Rather than fighting with your law partners over who has the best marketing ideas, turn to the marketplace for answers. Marketing is both art and science, where only actual response rates can truly determine the best promotional campaigns for your law firm.

Develop a plan to systematically test new or modified marketing strategies, keeping those that work and discarding the rest. Internet marketing offers an unprecedented ability to monitor campaign performance on an almost real-time basis, so you will be able to compare response rates and client acquisition costs across multiple promotions.

Smart Choices in Budget Allocations

Your marketing budget should be spread across an integrated set of marketing channels (i.e., Internet, sponsorships, events, and advertising) and scheduled against a written timeline with specific goals. Remember that current clients are your best source of new revenue, so be sure to earmark funds for client retention. Take advantage also of the many free or low cost legal directories offered by firms like Avvo, Justia and HG.org to easily increase your online visibility.

Remember, never stop marketing! The author invites your questions and comments. You can reach her at 1-866-417-7025

Law Firm Search Engine Marketing - New Blog Available

Legal Expert Connections, a national legal marketing agency, is pleased to announce a new blog, http://lawsearchenginemarketing.blogspot.com/, as a companion to our new law firm search engine marketing site.

Watch for practical tips and observations on Internet marketing and SEO techniques, including:

• How to write meta tags
• Web page optimization
• Copywriting techniques
• Google AdWords
• Social media campaigns (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)
• Lawyer directories
• and much more

Visit this new law firm search engine marketing blog now, and sign up for our SEO alerts to help your law firm be more effective at search engine marketing.

How to Market a Litigation Support Practice

Marketing to attorneys was on the mind of a document imaging executive when he called recently to talk about appropriate business development campaigns. This small firm has a limited budget and a definite need to sell more services to lawyers.

Here are some suggestions we offered on how to market a litigation practice:

1. Market to existing law firm clients. Current clients are almost always your best source of immediate new revenue. You already enjoy a trusting relationship with them, and they need you to stay in touch.
2. E-newsletters are an inexpensive, effective way to stay in touch with your current list. Constant Contact or other similar services work very nicely.
3. Attend local bar association meetings, with an emphasis on groups that focus on plaintiff or defense litigators.
4. Write articles about your litigation support topics for bar association newsletters.
5. Keep your referral network primed, for favorable word-of-mouth referrals.
6. Try Google AdWords for online advertising.

There are many other ways to market a litigation support practice also. Call to discuss your marketing needs.