Measurable data is the only way for you to track the success of your law firm Internet-marketing campaigns. The analysis of marketing data can help keep your marketing strategy—and budget—lean and efficient.
US business magnate, John Wanamaker, once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half!”
A century later, many businesses still face the same problem. Law firms in particular often spend thousands of dollars on marketing campaigns that they never bother to assess. Only by carefully gathering and examining data can a firm improve on its successes, eliminate wasted money, and construct an effective strategy in law firm Internet marketing.
Why Is It Important to Gather Marketing Data?
Marketing is just like any other investment—the more money you spend, the higher your returns should be. Paying for marketing campaigns without good data is like picking stocks by throwing darts at the Wall Street Journal: you may get lucky, but it is not a successful long-term strategy. Gathering data allows you to:
- Weed Out Bad InvestmentsEven the most promising marketing tools may not work for your practice area or target audience. You have to tailor your marketing approach to focus on campaigns that bring in the most qualified leads. Data allows you to distinguish campaigns that look good on paper from those that get results.
Measurable data also allows you to eliminate the campaigns and strategies that are not effective. This constant streamlining will save you thousands long term, which you can then invest in more productive sections of your law firm’s Internet marketing strategy.
- Reinforce Results Just as no business should waste money on an ineffective marketing campaign, no firm should let good results go without recognition. A YouTube video campaign, for example, may bring in thousands of new customers each month at minimal cost; but without good data, there is no way to build on these results.
If you use an analytics program that tracks audience demographics and behavior—as well as referrals, conversions, and cost-per-lead—you can use that information to improve upon and replicate your successes. The more specific your data, the easier it is to identify effective campaigns and invest more money in them.
Use a law firm advertising agency with legal marketing-specific analysis tools for the best and most detailed results.
- Perform A/B TestingIn online marketing, the format you choose is key. You know what information you need on your website, but it must be presented in a user-friendly format. A/B testing allows you to measure visitors’ responses to different versions of the same page. When one version has a significantly higher conversion or engagement rate, its format is more effective.
You can and should A/B test every aspect of law firm Internet marketing. You should also be testing continuously, because what works this month may not the next. Trends in consumer behavior is an increasingly fickle field of study that you have to stay on top of to utilize.
- Segment Your Audience Segmented advertising is particularly important for law firms because they often have multiple lawyers on retainer—each with a different specialty. You could design ads that list all of your lawyers’ skills, but too much information will leave consumers confused.
Instead, identify specific target audiences for each lawyer and devote one campaign to each target audience. To create your campaigns, you will need measurable marketing data explaining which methods are likely to appeal to each audience. Data from A/B testing will help you segment your audiences from demographic information collected about visitors to your website.
Beyond measuring the effectiveness of your marketing investment, measurable marketing data helps you determine how large an investment you should be making in the first place. Cost-per-lead generation and other metrics allow you to estimate how much money you can spend in proportion to the rest of your firm’s costs. Every law firm needs a different marketing strategy and budget based on their location, branding, and desired results.
If you are interested in data-driven law firm Internet marketing, contact Kirkpatrick Creative at 501-663-6364. We specialize in measurable marketing data for law firms!