Law firm marketing has always been a very competitive and costly endeavor, often relying on print advertisements, television commercials, Google AdWords, expensive law directories and a host of other, semi-effective marketing mediums. Yes, results are produced, but are they optimal? The simple answer: NO.
First of all, pertaining to internet marketing, almost all lawyers either use Google AdWords or have been approached by companies offering AdWords campaigns. Though I love Google, the cost of advertising with their AdWords platform compared to the ROI produced is decent at best, especially for law firms. Many of our clients, before coming to us, were being charged ridiculous amounts for AdWords campaigns that did not perform as well as expected. Also, the cost of the campaigns was through the roof. For example, one client was paying $15 per click to appear on the first page of Google for Beverly Hills Defense Attorney, which is just insane. Given the amount of unqualified clicks inherent with an AdWords campaign, ranking well for competitive keywords/phrases will burn a hole in your pocket quickly.
Secondly, print advertisements should be banned altogether. They’re ineffective (when compared to other forms of marketing) and are environmentally unfriendly. Law firms use an extraordinary amount of paper and eliminating old school print advertisements will take your firm one step closer to paperless zen. Eliminating print ads will not only save you money, it will save everyone around you.
Thirdly, television commercials are excellent for food and auto manufacturers, and all sorts of consumer products, but not for law firms. Think about it — if you’re in a bind and need a lawyer, the odds of seeing the lawyer you need at precisely the time you need it is slim to none. Additionally, with the internet now being a part of everyone’s daily life, potential clients almost always jump online to research and compare/contrast attorneys. TV commercial? Thank you but no thank you.
To help fix the above-mentioned marketing dilemma, I highly suggest all law firms look into search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine optimization relies on strategically researching and placing websites at the top of search engine results via keyword optimization, building incoming links to a site, and a hundred other tactics. Effective search engine optimization will place a website on the first page of Google (and other search engines) in an organic or natural fashion, which means the website in question will appear in search results; not in the the sponsored/AdWords section.
Search engine optimization is, in a sense, an oxymoron to other forms of marketing. Most marketing mediums have a very limited shelf life, or period of saturation, and building online content that’s optimized for SEO is timeless. Television commercials air for a short period of time and print ads are disposed of after a few weeks. After that, they disappear. On the flip side, search engine optimization efforts increase value/validity over time by building strength or “points” in the eyes of search engines. Simply said, what you do today will mean far more in the future.
According to a survey by The BTI Group Consulting Group, law firms are spending an estimated 2.1%-2.6% of gross revenues on their marketing budget. By strategically and effectively implementing a search engine optimization strategy, law firms can decrease their marketing expenditures over time while simultaneously increasing sales, thus providing for prolonged sustainability through eliminating excess expenses.
In concluding this essay of a blog post, I want to mention that, regardless of what some may believe, conventional marketing is slowly being replaced by internet marketing and jumping on the bandwagon now will ensure future stability.
Sincerely,
Aaron Schoenberger
The Brainchild Group is a Los Angeles marketing and design firm specializing in law firm marketing, attorney SEO, blog marketing for attorneys, viral videos and a host of other internet marketing mediums for attorneys. Please feel free to call (310) 876-0874 x1 for a free consultation — we are here to help.
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