5 Common Misconceptions about Marketing for Law Firms

Originally published by Stacey E Burke Blog.

Contrary to popular belief, not all marketing is created equal. You wouldn’t market for a restaurant the same way you would for a retailer, and the same goes for marketing your law firm.

While there are misconceptions when it comes to marketing, there are many more when it comes to the ethics and methods surrounding law firm marketing. Most law firms need and desire to offer their best services to their potential clientele, which begs the question of how law firms can then separate themselves from the herd.

Here are five of the most common misconceptions about marketing for law firms:

One Size Fits All

As mentioned above, not all marketing is entirely the same. Law firm marketing strategies can vary tremendously based on factors such as geographic location, practice areas, budget, and bandwidth. Despite innovation in advertising being a positive, lawyers commonly fall into the trap of thinking their marketing tactics should resemble what other firms are doing. This is entirely false.

Marketing is all about staying top-of-mind and having a memorable presence among your audience. This generally involves doing something different from the competition.

Advertising on Every Platform is Essential

When marketing your law firm, you may want to be visible on every social platform out there. However, attempting to have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. can be a constant drain on time and funds. Not only that, but is your firm reaching the qualified potential clients it needs to by being on all of these platforms at once? Simply put, the answer is no.

In marketing, being everywhere isn’t actually better; sometimes it can even do more harm for your firm than good. What needs to happen is you need to have a better focus on your firm’s goals and how to achieve them, as well as have a good grasp on who comprises your target demographic. For instance, when you know you’re looking for potential leads who may have had a knee replacement in the past few years, you’ll likely find more qualified leads on Facebook than you would on Twitter or Pinterest.

By taking the time to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy for your business, you can then explore all available options that would help to further your firm’s marketing presence, rather than cornering yourself into making spur of the moment decisions.

Marketing and Branding are the Same Thing 

While it’s common for many professionals to assume marketing tactics and branding are essentially the same thing, this isn’t true. Though the two work in tandem, both represent two entirely different aspects of advertising for your firm.

Branding generally encompasses what your company looks like and how it presents itself to the public. This includes your firm’s logo, tagline, and company colors, and establishes the overall foundation on which all of your marketing initiatives are created. Marketing deals with how branding elements are implemented into a strategy to advertise the firm’s services. This could be everything from revamping the firm’s website, to promoting events and CLE’s, sharing articles, and the creation of social content, thus establishing continuity within your brands standards.

It’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel each time you sit down to develop a marketing campaign. By ensuring your branding and marketing tactics are aligned, the impact of your firm’s marketing is greater because you have one clear, concise vision.

Sticking to Traditional Marketing Methods is the Best Way to Reach People

Several years ago, it would be commonplace for law firms to place print ads in local papers or put a listing for your business in the Yellow Pages. However, in 2018 this is changing, fast.

Law firms often want to stick to tried-and-true traditional marketing methods, such as print advertising, that helped put them on the map ten years ago, but unfortunately the marketplace is very different today. While print isn’t necessarily dead, these methods are no longer the best ways to reach your audience. Digital marketing is.

When dealing with digital marketing, you have the ability to target specific individuals based on demographics such as gender, age, race, location, interests, and more. This way there is no guessing when it comes to who is actually receiving your messaging. Digital marketing is also faster. While it can take weeks to see your firm’s billboard go up on the highway, you can turn on and off digital ad campaigns instantly.

Marketing is Administrative-Anyone Can Do it 

If you believe your law firm’s marketing is a low-level administrative task with methods following certain predetermined guidelines just about anyone can pick up, you’d be wrong.

The overall strategic marketing direction for your firm must associate all marketing initiatives to the overall vision and business plan. It would prove very difficult for any firm to meet their marketing goals if these were not aligned.

So, Now What?

While marketing for your firm may appear straightforward, there are constant changes occurring requiring overall adjustments, and that’s ok.

At Stacey E. Burke, P.C. we work to provide our law firm clients with detailed marketing strategies outlining our tactics and goals to help to market your firm in the best way possible. Contact us today for more information on how your law firm can get started!

Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.

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