The Legal Advertising Landscape

Advertising is a Must

According to a recent Ipsos survey, 29% of American households have looked for an attorney within the last two years.

Most People Don't Know How to Find a Good Lawyer

Despite the high need, 25 million Americans reported they avoided seeking legal help from an attorney over the past two years because they didn't know how to choose the right lawyer. In fact, only 17% of respondents felt very confident in their ability to choose the right lawyer if they needed one.

Advertising Makes the Match

The fact is that there is a huge need for quality legal services, and many people simply don’t know who to ask or where to turn when seeking out the services of an attorney. They rely on advertising to guide them in this important decision, and if your firm’s name isn’t there for them when they look, your competitor’s most certainly will be.

Will You be in the Right Place at the Right Time?

Your Future Business is Online

According to a 2007 US Census report, about 80% of American households have internet access, and the internet is increasingly becoming the first place potential clients go to find the right law firm to handle their cases. In fact, a recent Nielsen study reported that 3 out of 4 people now find their local service providers (including lawyers) online and that number is only growing.

Evolve or Die

Firms without a strong web presence may be tempting fate - A 2008 study done by Allurent showed that businesses not advertising their services online can lose up to 67% of their potential clients. Basically, if those 3 out of 4 people don’t find your firm when searching online, they will take their case to another lawyer.

Internet – the Great Equalizer?

What about the Other Guy?

While 3 of 4 people now find their attorney online, let's not forget about the 1 who doesn't. While internet advertising should be the cornerstone of any advertising plan, a robust strategy should include a plan to capture all potential clients.

You Need a Comprehensive Plan

These strategies will range from the very low tech (building ongoing marketing plans for and referral networks of past clients and leads generated by advertising) to incorporating older forms of advertising (television and print) and embracing the next wave (mobile, social, and viral e-marketing). Keeping abreast of the fast-moving marketing world, or hiring the right expert to keep you at the top of the game, is crucial to building an ongoing pipeline to feed your practice now and in the future.

Review Applicable Regulations

Ethics regulations can vary significantly by jurisdiction, are subject to change, and can apply different standards to website, print, and other advertising communications. In addition, websites in particular can present special ethics considerations. For example, because they are viewable anywhere in the world they can give rise to potential claims of unauthorized practice of law if the sites don't bear appropriate disclaimers.

Play This One Safe

Since running afoul of bar regulations that govern advertising communications can result in sanction and other disciplinary action, it is imperative that lawyers and firms that wish to start an advertising campaign either familiarize themselves with the applicable regulations in their jurisdictions or retain an advertising expert who makes bar compliance in all jurisdictions a top priority.

Five Questions to Ask Your Advertising Partner

Your business is important, and you deserve an advertising partner who feels the same way. Be sure to ask the following questions of any potential advertising company to make sure you get the full spectrum service your practice needs to succeed.

	Do your services include internet advertising? How long have you been doing it and how big of a part does it play in your overall strategy? An effective advertiser should have significant experience in internet marketing, and given that 75% of people find their lawyers online, internet advertising should play a major role in overall strategy.
	How are your websites and ads ranked on major search engines? Given that higher position means more traffic (and more potential business for you), an effective advertiser should be able to demonstrate good site and ad positions on all major search engines.
	How much traffic do your websites and ads generate? How many unique monthly visitors do your sites receive? The best advertisers get the lion's share of the search audience because they advertise on more keywords, on more websites, and in more cities than the competition. While some advertisers dominate niche keywords or phrases but get very little traffic, a high number of monthly visitors lets you know that the advertiser is capturing a significant portion of the potential business available.
	Do you have a comprehensive advertising plan that goes beyond the internet? Effective advertisers know how to take advantage of all the places where business can be generated. A good advertising partner should make the best use of your ad dollars - maximizing the return on your investment every day. They should know where the leads are today, and where to move your money tomorrow to get first mover advantage when the market changes.
	Does your staff regularly review applicable bar regulations in my jurisdiction(s)? A trustworthy advertising partner should take your obligations to comply with bar regulations extremely seriously. They should have dedicated staff who regularly review changes and advertisers with a reputation for ethical and responsible advertising.

Meet a Program with All the Right Answers

The Time is Right

Although the slow economy has many "battening down the hatches," history has proven that aggressively advertising in a recession is the key to success both in the short and long term.

Experts Agree, Now is the Time

In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, “Advertising in an economic downturn should be regarded not as a drain on profits, but as a contributor to profits” and The Strategic Planning Institute reported that “Economic downturns reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one.”

Let Us Help You Grow

Take charge by joining our winning team. Every day we put our experience to work to deliver hundreds of case leads to our subscribers. Find out how to get your exclusive piece of that business today.

Talk To Us Today