Is your law firm advertising in multiple phone books? In rural areas, this makes perfect sense — you want to reach the widest audience with your message. However, it usually means negotiating multiple contracts for different areas. Which can be a headache — or several.
Publishers know you’re running in several books. They renew local contracts on different cycles. They know the negotiating process is difficult and if you do it in June for one book, you won’t have the energy to do it again in September for the next. You’re constantly having to evaluate and negotiate different ads in different books for different readers — it’s exhausting.
But I do have some thoughts to consider if your firm is advertising in multiple directories:
#1 – You’ll never get your contracts to renew on the same cycle.
Kirkpatrick has used every tactic we know to convince our phone book sales reps to help us out by coordinating our contracts. They won’t do it. It is an end-sum game. Your best bet is plan your strategy around the hopscotch schedule of running in multiple books.
#2 – Individual phone book accounts still fall within your overall advertising budget!
We often hear,
“We have an advertising budget of $300,000 and we spend another $250,000 in yearly phone book contracts.”
This is dangerous thinking. Why do so many lawyers consider phone book advertising above scrutiny? What are you doing in the phone directories, if it’s not advertising (and expecting a return on the money)? Each of these ads, and the money you’re putting into them, should be treated as such.
If you spent the money to cast and produce a television commercial, and that commercial ran for six weeks… and it didn’t generate a single lead, what would you do?
Surely you’d pull it from the schedule and replace it with a commercial that produces response. Demanding accountability should apply to all your advertising, not just electronic media!
“Phone book advertising is still advertising! Phone book advertising is still advertising!”
Repeat that to yourself as you run tests to see which ads in which books work!
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How to Manage Phone Book Advertising – for Efficiency and Productivity!
#3 – Only advertise in the books that generate leads for your firm!
This is the real crux of my post. If you’re running in six books, and only three of them are bringing in phone calls, why are you investing in the other three directories? That’s the same as running that busted TV ad — you’re just losing money.
Focus on rebalancing your approach and save the money to be redeployed into buying television, or SEO or go right into your pocket!
You may be wondering, “How can I know which phone book ads are performing and which aren’t?” You already have the answer for that…
Give each book an individual, trackable telephone number. Then follow where the data leads you. What’s working? What’s not?
Half the battle is about fighting smart. If you were unhappy with your car’s gas mileage you’d check the air or fuel filter, or pour in some treatment — or if it was bad enough, you might take it to a mechanic.
If you’re unhappy with your advertising strategy, take action to save money. That means tracking ads, collecting data and redistributing your budget. And if it’s bad enough call a mechanic like Kirkpatrick Creative. We’ve got a toolbox full of engineered, data-driven methods to keep your advertising running smooth.