By Consultwebs Brand Manager, Paige York
Many Law Firms Make These Marketing Mistakes–But Yours Doesn’t Have To
Consultwebs has been helping law firms grow since 1999–so we’ve seen the ebb and flow of legal marketing throughout the years firsthand. While the digital marketing space evolves quickly, some things never change. Below we discuss three of the marketing mistakes we see law firms make again and again.
Weak Branding
Branding is such a powerful marketing tool that is often neglected by attorneys. Why? Simply because it doesn’t contribute quickly enough to lead generation efforts.
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the most memorable attorney ad you’ve come across. I’d wager that you envisioned a jingle with a branded number or an attorney with a standout tagline. A few that come to mind for me are:
Zervos & Calta’s Website Tagline – When Times Are Tough, Your Lawyer Should Be Too.
Talk about strong branding! This pair of Florida attorneys have also created several videos that emphasize their personality and their approach to potential clients cases.
Video Closing – “Let ‘em have it. Call Levine & Slavit.”
At the close of all of their vertical video content, this attorney adds a rhyming tagline that helps clients and potential clients remember them! It is a great method for brand recognition and recall.
Consultwebs Website Tagline – Signed Cases. That’s The Only Metric That Matters.
The Consultwebs website tagline intentionally speaks directly to our ideal client. We chose this phrase so attorneys know that we value their return-on-investment (ROI) as much as they do! We are only successful if our clients are–and this tagline reflects that message and speaks to our mission and values.
Strong branding like the above examples can and WILL land your law firm cases over time. Pairing memorable taglines with your firm’s logo and brand colors will encourage brand recall.
It can be all too easy to be attracted to the quickest method of securing leads, which has its benefits and is a great place to start with paid advertising. But the main mistake we see is failing to scale those marketing efforts into a full comprehensive strategy that includes branding.
What do we mean when we say scale?
Sometimes it’s all too easy to become stagnant and stick with what’s working on a small scale, but you’ll never grow your marketing efforts if you don’t set specific goals.
For example: If your law firm is running a video ad on Facebook and it is bringing in several clients, your law firm could consider investing in Youtube or OTT streaming service advertisements to expand your reach and brand awareness even further.
Strong branding should set you apart from your competition. Every law firm is unique–your branding should be too. Generic, cookie-cutter marketing isn’t good enough. Consumers want to know who they are giving their hard-earned money to. Don’t be afraid to showcase your firm’s values. It will help connect you to ideal clients.
When you have strong branding you’ll see benefits like:
- Improved Recognition
- Long-Term Client Loyalty
- Word of Mouth Referrals
- Attracting Ideal Clients
- Driving Attorney Referrals
Don’t disregard the power of having a strong brand and using marketing dollars to showcase it!
Outdated Marketing Techniques
Digital marketing changes at break-neck speed. Sometimes changes are as small as image sizing for ads being slightly altered, while other times it may be as jarring as unpredictable algorithm shifts.
The internet takes no prisoners and failing to adapt as digital marketing evolves could be costing your law firm major dollars. For example, if you are stuck in the past and haven’t redesigned your website in a decade–you’re losing clients to your competitors who have more visibility.
Not only are you losing potential clients, but you’re also tanking your reputation! Potential clients will not take an attorney seriously if all of their marketing channels look like they stepped out of the 90s. What does it say about your attention to detail if your marketing isn’t changing with the times? Your law firm’s reputation is on the line.
Surround yourself with a team of experts who are skilled at not only adapting to change, but are proactive in planning for it.
Blind Spending
Stop making decisions based on “gut feelings” by learning how to measure your law firm’s success accurately.
There is no way to truly measure how profitable your business is without having a clear understanding of what your return on investment (ROI) is. Your ROI will accurately represent how well your resources–like time spent, money, and effort–are working for you.
For example:
When analyzing your marketing channels you should be able to answer the following questions:
- How much budget is allotted to each category?
- How is the lead quality on each platform?
- Which of these am I signing the most cases from?
Follow up those questions with data from your law firm’s intake:
- What is my law firm’s average cost per lead?
- What is my law firm’s average cost per case?
You may be surprised which campaigns are driving most of your marketing success. Take the time to sit down and analyze. Partnering with vendors who understand the importance of calculating ROI will help set your law firm up for success. Talk to your marketing vendors about tools that can help you accurately track your ROI so your law firm can make data-driven decisions.
For example, Consultwebs offers LawEval, which provides a clear, data-driven view of marketing performance, helping firms understand key campaign metrics and ROI. By consolidating data from over 75 available marketing tools, it eliminates guesswork, allowing firms to track ad spend, conversions, and engagement across multiple platforms.
LawEval tracks the lifecycle of leads until they become cases, allowing firms to assess which campaigns generate the highest returns. LawEval ensures firms stay informed, confident, and in control of their marketing investments.
Your Law Firm’s Success Depends On What You Do Next
Don’t keep making the same mistakes! Weak branding, outdated marketing techniques, and blind spending could be holding your law firm back from reaching your full potential.
Stay ahead of the curve with the insights above and you’ll be able to position your law firm as a leader in the legal industry. Schedule a 1 on 1 consultation to speak with us more in depth about LawEval. We are happy to answer all of your digital legal marketing questions.
