Marketing the Family Law Practice

Understanding 'Marketing Mix'

By “marketing mix,” we are referring to that combination of media vehicles selected to promote the firm based on its objectives, and within the constraints of its budgetary and time resources. Fortunately, there are several marketing vehicles that will allow the family law practitioner to develop a mix that fits within most firms' allocation of these two precious commodities.

Five Marketing Vehicles

The goal throughout this article is to focus on those tactics that can be implemented immediately and with a minimal financial investment.

1. Seminars

The first of these “get started now” tools is the seminar, which almost invariably offers the matrimonial practitioner the opportunity to generate clients literally from day one. There are reasons that seminars work so effectively:

• They facilitate the beginning of the attorney/client relationship in a non-threatening environment at no risk to the prospect. Seminars allow the individual to check out the attorney without having to make a commitment.
• They convey valuable information to the participants. People like those who can help them feel at ease as well as informed.
• In presenting a seminar, the family law practitioner is the expert. Through the information that is communicated and the demeanor of the presenter, credibility is conveyed. The attorney is the one who is going to get that suffering individual through his or her divorce ' and do so in the least painful way possible.
• Seminars offer enormous opportunities for publicity. From advertising the seminar itself; to disseminating press releases and on-line announcements; to providing keepsakes and informational packets, there are ways in which to keep your name (and that of the firm) out front before, during and after the event.

The successful seminar does require asking (and answering) some pertinent questions:

• What kinds of clients are you seeking to attract? The answer may determine whether to charge attendees or not.
• Where should the seminar be held? A nice hotel conference room or banquet hall incurs additional cost, but also sets a nice image.
• When should the seminar be held? Take stock, not just of national holidays, but of religious events, back-to-school periods, shopping seasons, etc. You don't want to overlap with these very busy times.
• How should the seminar be promoted? This goes back to your time and money allotments. You might employ any combination of your website, press releases, advertising, social media, and so forth.
• How can the seminar be leveraged? The best marketing invariably involves using vehicles in a multiplicity of ways. You can videotape your presentation, then archive it on your site or post it to YouTube. You can add
  participants to your database and communicate with them. You can donate proceeds from the seminar to a charitable organization and then publicize your effort and contribution. You can provide handout material for participants to pass along.

2. Public Relations

PR is not usually thought of as a “short-term” vehicle. Yet it should be a part of every family law firm's marketing arsenal. Public relations is free (or usually very close to it). Using it builds credibility. It can generate a great deal of exposure and can help to significantly increase your firm's search engine rankings.

There are three elements that are typically part of an effective public relations effort. They include: 1) the press release, in which important firm news is announced; 2) the broadcast interview, in which you address a critical issue in family law; and 3) the feature article that covers pretty much the same, albeit through a different medium. It is much more economical from a time standpoint simply to put together a pitch letter suggesting your idea for a story and sending it on to the appropriate editors/reporters.

What is good fodder for a press release? New hires, accreditations earned, professional and civic appointments, and speaking engagements all make good sense. Articles and interviews can include anything from case anomalies (e.g., Who owns the frozen embryos?) to thoughts on new legislation, to insight on a case making the news, but with which you are not directly involved.

3. Search Engine Optimization

Having a website is worthless if people do not visit it ' hence the importance of being ranked high on the online search engines. The process of trying to achieve this is called search engine optimization (SEO).

If implemented internally, getting and maintaining a high search engine ranking is not an expensive proposition ' at least not from a financial standpoint. However, it can be quite time-intensive. It must be done regularly and some technical skills are required. Fortunately, there are general principles that can be applied to creating and maintaining a website with a good opportunity for high search engine placement. Some of these are as follows:

• Keep your copy relevant to your target market. Focus on them, not on you.
• Use keywords that someone would use in seeking the kinds of services you offer. For family law attorneys, that means words and phrases such as divorce, custody, alimony, domestic violence, civil unions, visitation, parenting time, etc. It also means including your locale as part of your keyword list.
• Keep load time low.
• Keep the site fresh and updated. The search engines love new content.
• Establish relevant links with other sites. These include law and business sites such as bar associations and legal directories (e.g., AVVO, Martindale-Hubbell). They may also include links to relevant social causes such as women's rights or sites concerning domestic violence, as well as links from newspapers or municipalities and sites that target specific demographic, groups (e.g., divorce organizations).
• Make sure keywords link to appropriate landing pages. For example, keywords relating to child custody concerns should connect the visitor to a page dedicated to such topics. It is preferable not to have keywords link to the home page where visitors would have to do more work (i.e., click more often).

4. Pay-Per-Click

Pay-per-click (PPC) refers to the sponsored sections on the search engine directory pages (usually upper foremost in the right-hand column). Unlike with SEO, high placement can be virtually assured because it is based in large part on the amount of one's bid. These costs can be controlled through geo-optimizing functions that allow the advertiser to target its best prospects more cost-effectively. PPC can be turned on or off at will and affords tremendous opportunities to test the different variables (keywords/phrases, ad content, website content) of one's campaign. There are some drawbacks to PPC, so use this tool wisely. It may not always be taken as seriously as a listing on the SEO or organic portion of the directories (akin to how an ad might be perceived compared with a well-written article in a newspaper), there may be a considerable number of wasted clicks, and it can become costly to obtain high ranking. Hence, analyze constantly whether it might not be more cost-effective to spend significantly less for a slightly lower ranking.

As with SEO, putting together a PPC effort requires developing a list of keywords or phrases. Once categorized into different ad groups, these keywords are then directed towards different landing pages (e.g., a page on custody) on your firm's site.

The rules for the actual online ads are stringent. For example, Google requires that the headline contain no more than 25 characters, and that each of the two lines below contain no more than 35 characters. Research suggests that you should use words in the ad that address the viewer's issue/topic, that describe who you are/what you do, and that you use those two lines to create some kind of call to action (e.g., “Call for a consult.”).

And of course, with PPC, you should consistently analyze and revise your campaign.

5. Social Marketing

Social marketing is cutting-edge. It is personal interaction without leaving your home or office. It allows you to convey your expertise on very specific subject matter. You control all the elements of your personalized publishing efforts. And best of all, it is free! That being said, a successful social-marketing endeavor mandates a consistent effort that usually achieves results only over a significant period of time. Hence, the matrimonial attorney interested in pursuing such activities should be prepared to address the questions of who will be doing this, whether it will be cost-effective, and how/when results will be measured.

There are three basic ways in which to maximize your social media presence. The first of these is blogging in which you develop content for relevancy (i.e., not to sell) and do so on an ongoing basis. As with websites, critical to successful blogging is establishing links with other sites/blogs. Commenting on others' blogs is a good way to bring more attention to yours.

A second component of social marketing involves utilizing the resources of sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Creating a profile of yourself or your firm is not enough. You must continuously update your page and post links to your website, your blog and to any articles you have written. Invite contacts to link/friend you and you, in turn, will be in a position to link to thousands more ' many of whom may ultimately prove to be potential clients and/or referral sources.

Last, and certainly not least, are the social groups that exist online throughout the Web. Join relevant trade, social and civic groups to which you have something to offer. These online tools also provide means for surveying your target market and getting feedback on questions or ideas you may have. Post regularly. Convey your expertise without being condescending or argumentative. And always, be careful about what you post.

Conclusion

The successful matrimonial practice usually incorporates a number of marketing vehicles as determined by its goals, its financial constraints and the time it can reasonably hope to allocate towards marketing. Even for firms with limited financial resources, there are nonetheless a number of ways in which they can promote their practices without breaking the bank. Exposing your message to your prospects multiple times is critical. Hence, do everything you can to utilize every tactic at your disposal, to add “legs” to everything you do and to be sure that marketing vehicles all work together in an integrated fashion.

Les Altenberg is President of A.L.T. Legal Professionals Marketing Group. He is the author of numerous articles on legal marketing and has over 20 years' experience in helping law firms build their business.

If you are an attorney, you know how difficult marketing a law firm can be. If you are a matrimonial attorney, then you know that marketing the family law practice can be especially difficult. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is that in targeting those contemplating divorce, one is trying to reach the unreachable. There are no lists that contain names of those in difficult marriages.

The Down Side

• You can offer no guarantees as to what the ultimate settlement will look like.
• You cannot take the case on a contingency basis and “get compensated, only if you win.”
• It is not permissible to offer incentives for prospects to call a specific attorney.
• There are no seasonal skews.
• It is difficult to position a family law practice as unique compared with its competitors.
• Marketing often requires significant outlays of time and/or money.

The Up Side

That is the bad news. Here is the good news: People are and always will be divorcing. They will always be seeking custody and parenting time. And they will always be seeking to enhance their financial positions. Furthermore, family law clients can come from all ends of the general population. And, while the demographics may be broad, the geographic areas the family lawyer targets usually are not. This means marketing costs can be minimized. But the most important piece of good news ' at least from a marketing perspective ' is that the divorce process is intimidating. People are hungry for information. Unless they have gone through a divorce several times before, they have no idea of what to expect. The savvy matrimonial attorney will leverage this fact to his or her own business development advantage.

Understanding 'Marketing Mix'

By “marketing mix,” we are referring to that combination of media vehicles selected to promote the firm based on its objectives, and within the constraints of its budgetary and time resources. Fortunately, there are several marketing vehicles that will allow the family law practitioner to develop a mix that fits within most firms' allocation of these two precious commodities.

Five Marketing Vehicles

The goal throughout this article is to focus on those tactics that can be implemented immediately and with a minimal financial investment.

1. Seminars

The first of these “get started now” tools is the seminar, which almost invariably offers the matrimonial practitioner the opportunity to generate clients literally from day one. There are reasons that seminars work so effectively:

• They facilitate the beginning of the attorney/client relationship in a non-threatening environment at no risk to the prospect. Seminars allow the individual to check out the attorney without having to make a commitment.
• They convey valuable information to the participants. People like those who can help them feel at ease as well as informed.
• In presenting a seminar, the family law practitioner is the expert. Through the information that is communicated and the demeanor of the presenter, credibility is conveyed. The attorney is the one who is going to get that suffering individual through his or her divorce ' and do so in the least painful way possible.
• Seminars offer enormous opportunities for publicity. From advertising the seminar itself; to disseminating press releases and on-line announcements; to providing keepsakes and informational packets, there are ways in which to keep your name (and that of the firm) out front before, during and after the event.

The successful seminar does require asking (and answering) some pertinent questions:

• What kinds of clients are you seeking to attract? The answer may determine whether to charge attendees or not.
• Where should the seminar be held? A nice hotel conference room or banquet hall incurs additional cost, but also sets a nice image.
• When should the seminar be held? Take stock, not just of national holidays, but of religious events, back-to-school periods, shopping seasons, etc. You don't want to overlap with these very busy times.
• How should the seminar be promoted? This goes back to your time and money allotments. You might employ any combination of your website, press releases, advertising, social media, and so forth.
• How can the seminar be leveraged? The best marketing invariably involves using vehicles in a multiplicity of ways. You can videotape your presentation, then archive it on your site or post it to YouTube. You can add
  participants to your database and communicate with them. You can donate proceeds from the seminar to a charitable organization and then publicize your effort and contribution. You can provide handout material for participants to pass along.

2. Public Relations

PR is not usually thought of as a “short-term” vehicle. Yet it should be a part of every family law firm's marketing arsenal. Public relations is free (or usually very close to it). Using it builds credibility. It can generate a great deal of exposure and can help to significantly increase your firm's search engine rankings.

There are three elements that are typically part of an effective public relations effort. They include: 1) the press release, in which important firm news is announced; 2) the broadcast interview, in which you address a critical issue in family law; and 3) the feature article that covers pretty much the same, albeit through a different medium. It is much more economical from a time standpoint simply to put together a pitch letter suggesting your idea for a story and sending it on to the appropriate editors/reporters.

What is good fodder for a press release? New hires, accreditations earned, professional and civic appointments, and speaking engagements all make good sense. Articles and interviews can include anything from case anomalies (e.g., Who owns the frozen embryos?) to thoughts on new legislation, to insight on a case making the news, but with which you are not directly involved.

3. Search Engine Optimization

Having a website is worthless if people do not visit it ' hence the importance of being ranked high on the online search engines. The process of trying to achieve this is called search engine optimization (SEO).

If implemented internally, getting and maintaining a high search engine ranking is not an expensive proposition ' at least not from a financial standpoint. However, it can be quite time-intensive. It must be done regularly and some technical skills are required. Fortunately, there are general principles that can be applied to creating and maintaining a website with a good opportunity for high search engine placement. Some of these are as follows:

• Keep your copy relevant to your target market. Focus on them, not on you.
• Use keywords that someone would use in seeking the kinds of services you offer. For family law attorneys, that means words and phrases such as divorce, custody, alimony, domestic violence, civil unions, visitation, parenting time, etc. It also means including your locale as part of your keyword list.
• Keep load time low.
• Keep the site fresh and updated. The search engines love new content.
• Establish relevant links with other sites. These include law and business sites such as bar associations and legal directories (e.g., AVVO, Martindale-Hubbell). They may also include links to relevant social causes such as women's rights or sites concerning domestic violence, as well as links from newspapers or municipalities and sites that target specific demographic, groups (e.g., divorce organizations).
• Make sure keywords link to appropriate landing pages. For example, keywords relating to child custody concerns should connect the visitor to a page dedicated to such topics. It is preferable not to have keywords link to the home page where visitors would have to do more work (i.e., click more often).

4. Pay-Per-Click

Pay-per-click (PPC) refers to the sponsored sections on the search engine directory pages (usually upper foremost in the right-hand column). Unlike with SEO, high placement can be virtually assured because it is based in large part on the amount of one's bid. These costs can be controlled through geo-optimizing functions that allow the advertiser to target its best prospects more cost-effectively. PPC can be turned on or off at will and affords tremendous opportunities to test the different variables (keywords/phrases, ad content, website content) of one's campaign. There are some drawbacks to PPC, so use this tool wisely. It may not always be taken as seriously as a listing on the SEO or organic portion of the directories (akin to how an ad might be perceived compared with a well-written article in a newspaper), there may be a considerable number of wasted clicks, and it can become costly to obtain high ranking. Hence, analyze constantly whether it might not be more cost-effective to spend significantly less for a slightly lower ranking.

As with SEO, putting together a PPC effort requires developing a list of keywords or phrases. Once categorized into different ad groups, these keywords are then directed towards different landing pages (e.g., a page on custody) on your firm's site.

The rules for the actual online ads are stringent. For example, Google requires that the headline contain no more than 25 characters, and that each of the two lines below contain no more than 35 characters. Research suggests that you should use words in the ad that address the viewer's issue/topic, that describe who you are/what you do, and that you use those two lines to create some kind of call to action (e.g., “Call for a consult.”).

And of course, with PPC, you should consistently analyze and revise your campaign.

5. Social Marketing

Social marketing is cutting-edge. It is personal interaction without leaving your home or office. It allows you to convey your expertise on very specific subject matter. You control all the elements of your personalized publishing efforts. And best of all, it is free! That being said, a successful social-marketing endeavor mandates a consistent effort that usually achieves results only over a significant period of time. Hence, the matrimonial attorney interested in pursuing such activities should be prepared to address the questions of who will be doing this, whether it will be cost-effective, and how/when results will be measured.

There are three basic ways in which to maximize your social media presence. The first of these is blogging in which you develop content for relevancy (i.e., not to sell) and do so on an ongoing basis. As with websites, critical to successful blogging is establishing links with other sites/blogs. Commenting on others' blogs is a good way to bring more attention to yours.

A second component of social marketing involves utilizing the resources of sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Creating a profile of yourself or your firm is not enough. You must continuously update your page and post links to your website, your blog and to any articles you have written. Invite contacts to link/friend you and you, in turn, will be in a position to link to thousands more ' many of whom may ultimately prove to be potential clients and/or referral sources.

Last, and certainly not least, are the social groups that exist online throughout the Web. Join relevant trade, social and civic groups to which you have something to offer. These online tools also provide means for surveying your target market and getting feedback on questions or ideas you may have. Post regularly. Convey your expertise without being condescending or argumentative. And always, be careful about what you post.

Conclusion

The successful matrimonial practice usually incorporates a number of marketing vehicles as determined by its goals, its financial constraints and the time it can reasonably hope to allocate towards marketing. Even for firms with limited financial resources, there are nonetheless a number of ways in which they can promote their practices without breaking the bank. Exposing your message to your prospects multiple times is critical. Hence, do everything you can to utilize every tactic at your disposal, to add “legs” to everything you do and to be sure that marketing vehicles all work together in an integrated fashion.

Les Altenberg is President of A.L.T. Legal Professionals Marketing Group. He is the author of numerous articles on legal marketing and has over 20 years' experience in helping law firms build their business.