Conveying the mission, appeal, and sheer personality of your law firm is key to successful advertising. Here are some smart, data-oriented strategies to emulate – as well as some errors to avoid.
Your law firm has more opportunities to reinforce its brand message, and better data to understand your target audience than ever before, thanks to the convergence of traditional advertising, online marketing, and data analytics. But unless you’re following sensible marketing and presentation strategies while avoiding cringe-worthy errors, you could find that the extra visibility does more harm than good. Here are three best practices to follow for law firm commercials, followed by four common attorney advertising mistakes to avoid.
Best Practices for Law Firm Commercials
- Use Data to Target the Correct Audience
- Include a Data-Oriented Call-To-Action
- Stay on Message
If your law firm does not have an analytics process in place that allows you to see and manage which media buys generate new leads, it’s time to start. In order to improve your cost per lead, you need to first know your baseline cost per lead. You can then implement a comprehensive data-based strategy that allows you to focus in on messaging that reaches your target audience and generates prospective client leads while eliminating ineffective and wasteful spending.
Collect data on where new lead prospects learned about your law firm, what time of day the contact was made, and what commercial was running at the time the prospects called. You can start this analytics process by keeping a simple intake form on the computer where notes are made about new leads as calls are received. Add a checkbox to your website’s contact forms that also allows new leads to select radio, television, your website, online advertisement, or referral as the reason why they are submitting their information. This is an ongoing process that pays off when your cost per lead goes down as you further hone your content, messaging, and call to action (CTA).
No matter what stage of need your prospects may be in, always include a CTA that compels an immediate response – even if that response is as mild as a request to follow you on social media or check out your website for testimonials. Utilizing the data you have already gathered, create multiple CTA’s for your commercial with separate 800 numbers for each so you can measure the results. This A/B testing strategy is one of the simplest ways to better understand how to engage with prospective clients.
Whatever humorous, dramatic, or imaginative touches you employ, stay close enough to the point you’re trying to make that your viewers can easily grasp what you do and how it relates to them. Steer your images and scenarios back to the central point you are making, especially when you make a call-to-action at the end of your commercial. The data you collect from your law firm commercials will allow you to determine trends and focus your efforts on messaging that resonates with your target audience.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Using a Scattershot Approach
- Having the Wrong Spokesperson
- Lapsing into Legalese
Bigger is not always better, especially when there is not data to back it up. Purchasing a spot in prime time may get your in front of a large audience, but are they responsive? Your law firm, or the advertising agency you partner with, should be utilizing a data-driven approach that identifies which shows, which channels, at what times, and what messaging is delivering the most qualified leads. Otherwise, you are wasting time and money with unfocused efforts.
Unkempt, monotone, and overly smarmy spokespeople will leave a lasting impression that could affect your perceived credibility. One huge advantage of hiring a specialized attorney advertising agency is their ability to cast professional talent that can effectively communicate the tone, messaging, and authority that matches your law firm’s branding. Overall, you want to convey that your law firm is approachable. Assume your potential clients are going to be shy about calling a law firm. You want to be the law firm they can call without feeling intimidated.
It’s all too easy for a law firm’s commercial to get bogged down in legal terms and details, especially in an online video where you have more time to talk. Aim low, keep it simple, and focus on the benefits, not legal minutiae.
To learn more about utilizing data-driven best practices to get the most out of your law firm commercial, contact Kirkpatrick Creative at 866-864-9425 and let us help you generate new business. For traditional media buys, we know what shows, what times, and what channels or stations are the most effective for maximizing your marketing ROI while lowering your cost per lead.
Kirkpatrick Creative uses proprietary analytics software that tests, tracks, and amplifies every penny of your marketing budget. We create the most efficient advertising campaigns – Engineered to Work!