Small-Firm Marketing

In a market flooded with newly minted attorneys, spreading the word about your services can feel like an empty pursuit. Attorneys just don't have the time or marketing expertise to experiment with new tactics, so they settle for traditional channels like TV commercials.

But resorting to this bland approach means you're gambling on viewers needing your services at that very moment ' or remembering you when they do. When every firm in town has the same idea, your message can't possibly stick.

While the demand for legal services increases nominally year-over-year, the supply of attorneys continues to grow disproportionately. In 2013, more than 57,000 people took and passed the bar exam, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Although many of these people go into politics or consulting, that still leaves hundreds of new players competing for the same amount of business.

An increase in the number of practicing lawyers means prices are pushed down for everyone. The last thing people want to buy discounted is law expertise, but many believe that all lawyers are created equal, and cheaper is better. I'd rather let those people walk out the door because they tend to be bad clients, but many small firms don't have that option. They have to lower their rates or lose business.

The Small-Firm Dilemma

Small firms and solo attorneys spend most of their time running their businesses on relatively small budgets. Meanwhile, larger firms and new lawyers have ample time and resources to focus on earning market share. A practicing attorney might spend 80 hours per week on legal work and client development; conversely, a new lawyer trying to break into the market has 80 hours to twiddle her thumbs and develop creative marketing methods.

Rev Up Your Marketing!

Instead of competing with the Goliath firms on their turf, you need to be strategic with your marketing efforts. Here are five ways to rev up your marketing:

1. Find Your Niche Market

Imagine that every firm in your town had to pick just 20 areas of practice. What would those top 20 areas be? Defense, estate planning, criminal law, family law? Now make a list of your top 20 desired practice areas. If anything on your list overlaps with your competitors' top choices, cross it off. What you have left is your target market.

Targeting the areas where your competitors aren't means your marketing dollars will stretch further. With less competition, you'll likely attract more clients as a smaller firm. Once you've fully saturated your niche, you can expand to another. Wait until you've exhausted your efforts in at least four to five areas before tackling mainstream practice areas.

2. Don't Waver on Price

Price-shopping for your services won't happen if you don't let it happen. It's that simple. As someone who has sold services and goods across multiple industries, I've learned that most people don't make purchasing decisions based on price alone. Give them a reason to hire you aside from your rates, whether it's your unique experience or a guarantee you offer on their investment.

Decide whether you're a discount attorney or one who deserves to be paid a premium for your services. Make your rates “company policy.” This phrase makes people accept your rates as non-negotiable, whether you charge $300 per hour or 40% contingency. You can use the “company policy” phrase to communicate that your firm doesn't scale the contingency or to guarantee that your clients will never pay more than a certain percentage of their recovery. If you want to give someone a discount, do it after everything is said and done. If you value your services, others will, too.

3. Uncover Your 'Why'

Determine why a client should choose you over every other lawyer in town. It's the core concept that your firm stands for or the guiding principle you abide by. Make sure your entire firm understands this from a cultural perspective. You'll create brand consistency that potential clients will notice when interacting with your firm.

Young lawyers should emphasize the skills they learned growing up during the digital era. Lawyers, perhaps more than most professionals in other industries, are slow to adopt new technologies. By distinguishing yourself as proficient at online communications and business practices, you can attract clients who use the same technologies in their everyday lives.

The stronger your sense of “why” is, the more success you'll have in marketing your firm and closing difficult sales. Emotions wield powerful influence on our decision-making, so appeal to potential customers on an emotional level with your unique selling points. It's the quickest way to overcome someone's reluctance to hire you.

4. Embrace Bold Tactics

Lawyers are famously old-fashioned when it comes to style. While Google employees are bowling at work, we're still wearing suits. A cookie company can use Twitter as a clever marketing tool, but we're still sticking billboards up on highways. This largely stems from the industry's stringent ethical standards and the stigma lawyers place on digital marketing tactics. TV, billboards, and Yellow Pages remain the preferred advertising methods for lawyers. And we're not the only ones.

While consumers' attention has shifted to using the Internet on every device imaginable, advertising dollars remain stubbornly targeted at traditional media spending. Print ad revenue has been dropping off for some time, but advertisers continue to spend money on it. And they continue to spend money on TV ads, despite lower numbers of viewers. You'll get a much bigger bang for your advertising buck if you focus on digital markets, where customers spend more time and companies can spend considerably less on ads.

Taking your efforts online will not only save your firm money, but it also will drive more targeted leads back your way. Google's core competency is relevancy, specifically in search results, so by using keywords to target your niche audiences, you can create a conversion-centric marketing campaign that targets potential clients who are ready to hire you.

When people Google something, they want the answer, not millions of different answers. If your ad answers a search, Google will deliver it, and your ad spend will be much more efficient at returning leads. After all, the people who are searching Google often are ready to buy; that's why they're searching in the first place. People who are watching TV might or might not need a lawyer, so your spend there is less efficient.

While going online is the first step, it's not just about where you advertise; how you advertise is equally important. Be creative and bold. Why wear a suit and talk solemnly to a camera when you could put your Twitter handle on a parachute and jump out of a plane? That's an extreme example, but if you're new to the industry or having trouble finding customers, you've got nothing to lose by pushing the limits.

5. Outsource Your Online Marketing

You know you need to advertise online, but you want to practice law ' not learn online marketing. Leave this area to the marketing professionals by outsourcing these tasks.

The hardest part is selecting the right company. I've found entrepreneurial groups and networks to be especially helpful for finding a new business consultant. Many group members have hired and fired marketers, and I got some fantastic recommendations that led me to a great company. These connections can also offer advice and direction for your online marketing practices.

Choosing the right marketing firm is important, so you shouldn't select one hastily. Take the time to find the best firm, and don't be afraid to give up on a company that's not working and try again.

Conclusion

Although law is a more traditional industry, attorneys aren't tied to the advertising methods we've embraced for so long. Stop sitting idly by, expecting that consumers will contact you when the time is right. Take advantage of the unchartered online territory. When the right people need your services, you'll be there to save the day.

Anthony Johnson is the founder and CEO of American Injury Attorney Group. Prior to becoming an attorney, He worked in SEO and web development, Internet startups, and finance.

In a market flooded with newly minted attorneys, spreading the word about your services can feel like an empty pursuit. Attorneys just don't have the time or marketing expertise to experiment with new tactics, so they settle for traditional channels like TV commercials.

But resorting to this bland approach means you're gambling on viewers needing your services at that very moment ' or remembering you when they do. When every firm in town has the same idea, your message can't possibly stick.

While the demand for legal services increases nominally year-over-year, the supply of attorneys continues to grow disproportionately. In 2013, more than 57,000 people took and passed the bar exam, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Although many of these people go into politics or consulting, that still leaves hundreds of new players competing for the same amount of business.

An increase in the number of practicing lawyers means prices are pushed down for everyone. The last thing people want to buy discounted is law expertise, but many believe that all lawyers are created equal, and cheaper is better. I'd rather let those people walk out the door because they tend to be bad clients, but many small firms don't have that option. They have to lower their rates or lose business.

The Small-Firm Dilemma

Small firms and solo attorneys spend most of their time running their businesses on relatively small budgets. Meanwhile, larger firms and new lawyers have ample time and resources to focus on earning market share. A practicing attorney might spend 80 hours per week on legal work and client development; conversely, a new lawyer trying to break into the market has 80 hours to twiddle her thumbs and develop creative marketing methods.

Rev Up Your Marketing!

Instead of competing with the Goliath firms on their turf, you need to be strategic with your marketing efforts. Here are five ways to rev up your marketing:

1. Find Your Niche Market

Imagine that every firm in your town had to pick just 20 areas of practice. What would those top 20 areas be? Defense, estate planning, criminal law, family law? Now make a list of your top 20 desired practice areas. If anything on your list overlaps with your competitors' top choices, cross it off. What you have left is your target market.

Targeting the areas where your competitors aren't means your marketing dollars will stretch further. With less competition, you'll likely attract more clients as a smaller firm. Once you've fully saturated your niche, you can expand to another. Wait until you've exhausted your efforts in at least four to five areas before tackling mainstream practice areas.

2. Don't Waver on Price

Price-shopping for your services won't happen if you don't let it happen. It's that simple. As someone who has sold services and goods across multiple industries, I've learned that most people don't make purchasing decisions based on price alone. Give them a reason to hire you aside from your rates, whether it's your unique experience or a guarantee you offer on their investment.

Decide whether you're a discount attorney or one who deserves to be paid a premium for your services. Make your rates “company policy.” This phrase makes people accept your rates as non-negotiable, whether you charge $300 per hour or 40% contingency. You can use the “company policy” phrase to communicate that your firm doesn't scale the contingency or to guarantee that your clients will never pay more than a certain percentage of their recovery. If you want to give someone a discount, do it after everything is said and done. If you value your services, others will, too.

3. Uncover Your 'Why'

Determine why a client should choose you over every other lawyer in town. It's the core concept that your firm stands for or the guiding principle you abide by. Make sure your entire firm understands this from a cultural perspective. You'll create brand consistency that potential clients will notice when interacting with your firm.

Young lawyers should emphasize the skills they learned growing up during the digital era. Lawyers, perhaps more than most professionals in other industries, are slow to adopt new technologies. By distinguishing yourself as proficient at online communications and business practices, you can attract clients who use the same technologies in their everyday lives.

The stronger your sense of “why” is, the more success you'll have in marketing your firm and closing difficult sales. Emotions wield powerful influence on our decision-making, so appeal to potential customers on an emotional level with your unique selling points. It's the quickest way to overcome someone's reluctance to hire you.

4. Embrace Bold Tactics

Lawyers are famously old-fashioned when it comes to style. While Google employees are bowling at work, we're still wearing suits. A cookie company can use Twitter as a clever marketing tool, but we're still sticking billboards up on highways. This largely stems from the industry's stringent ethical standards and the stigma lawyers place on digital marketing tactics. TV, billboards, and Yellow Pages remain the preferred advertising methods for lawyers. And we're not the only ones.

While consumers' attention has shifted to using the Internet on every device imaginable, advertising dollars remain stubbornly targeted at traditional media spending. Print ad revenue has been dropping off for some time, but advertisers continue to spend money on it. And they continue to spend money on TV ads, despite lower numbers of viewers. You'll get a much bigger bang for your advertising buck if you focus on digital markets, where customers spend more time and companies can spend considerably less on ads.

Taking your efforts online will not only save your firm money, but it also will drive more targeted leads back your way. Google's core competency is relevancy, specifically in search results, so by using keywords to target your niche audiences, you can create a conversion-centric marketing campaign that targets potential clients who are ready to hire you.

When people Google something, they want the answer, not millions of different answers. If your ad answers a search, Google will deliver it, and your ad spend will be much more efficient at returning leads. After all, the people who are searching Google often are ready to buy; that's why they're searching in the first place. People who are watching TV might or might not need a lawyer, so your spend there is less efficient.

While going online is the first step, it's not just about where you advertise; how you advertise is equally important. Be creative and bold. Why wear a suit and talk solemnly to a camera when you could put your Twitter handle on a parachute and jump out of a plane? That's an extreme example, but if you're new to the industry or having trouble finding customers, you've got nothing to lose by pushing the limits.

5. Outsource Your Online Marketing

You know you need to advertise online, but you want to practice law ' not learn online marketing. Leave this area to the marketing professionals by outsourcing these tasks.

The hardest part is selecting the right company. I've found entrepreneurial groups and networks to be especially helpful for finding a new business consultant. Many group members have hired and fired marketers, and I got some fantastic recommendations that led me to a great company. These connections can also offer advice and direction for your online marketing practices.

Choosing the right marketing firm is important, so you shouldn't select one hastily. Take the time to find the best firm, and don't be afraid to give up on a company that's not working and try again.

Conclusion

Although law is a more traditional industry, attorneys aren't tied to the advertising methods we've embraced for so long. Stop sitting idly by, expecting that consumers will contact you when the time is right. Take advantage of the unchartered online territory. When the right people need your services, you'll be there to save the day.

Anthony Johnson is the founder and CEO of American Injury Attorney Group. Prior to becoming an attorney, He worked in SEO and web development, Internet startups, and finance.