Law Firms Gain a Competitive Advantage by Video Marketing for Rural-Area Clients

This is the article I contributed to the Louisville Bar Association’s May 2015 edition of Bar Briefs.  It provides insights into a counter-intuitive approach to law firm marketing, especially for rural areas.

Sometimes, it’s not what you say, but rather how you say it that’s important. If you’re marketing to a rural area, you should take that a step further. Based on your target audience, you may want to consider how that message is delivered, literally.

Many Louisville-area law firms engage in efforts to market to the surrounding counties. Some are cultivating a statewide approach to generating incremental business. There’s enough data to prove that it’s time some of these firms begin taking a counter-intuitive approach to marketing.

If you do any level of Internet marketing (e.g. website, blog, etc.) it’s time to think about how you provide content, especially if your intent is to reach a broader audience. It’s time to reconsider online video. It’s no longer an expensive attribute or upgrade to your website. Based on the statistics, it may be your best medium.

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5 Quick Marketing Moves for 2015

Looking for some quick legal marketing moves for 2015?  Now that January is here (and already halfway finished) it’s time to take action.  A lot happened last year.  New competitors entered your market, while some competitors didn’t survive.  As you look around, take note of what’s changed in the economy, your local business environment and in your profession.  There are always new niches and opportunities being created.  The question is:  Are you prepared to take advantage of them?

I’m going to recommend you and your staff take time to evaluate these 5 issues to see if updates need to be made to your current law firm marketing efforts:

1. Adjust Your Tag Lines:  If your law firm has any listings with FindLaw, Martindale and/or other legal directories, evaluate your firm’s tag line for each topic.  The tag line is that 1-2 sentence teaser that’s used to entice people to click on your listing before that of another firm.  Does your tag line need to be updated to help you stand out better?  DON’T BE VANILLA.  You’re already paying for these legal directory listings.  Get the most out of this resource.  You might be surprised to find new competitors outranking you.  If so, can you purchase a premium listing?  Don’t forget to look for opportunities in other venues outside of your local area.
2. Review Your Blog Posts:  Did your posts from last year tend to concentrate around a specific issue/topic?  Does your blog adequately represent all of your practice areas, or have you inadvertently overemphasized a certain one?  Now’s the time to reassess your approach to blog posts.  Make sure that this year’s topics are going to provide a balanced approach for the firm at large.  Consider assigning blog topics to certain people so the task of writing can be divvied up among partners and associates.  Effective legal marketing is about consistency as much as substance.
3. Read the “Recent News” Section of Your Website:  How embarrassing is it when you visit a website and see that its News & Events page hasn’t been updated since 2012?  Don’t let that happen to you.  Update your page with a series of entries about new associates hired, articles you published, recognition you received, presentations you made (or will make in 2015), and conferences you’re going to attend.  Don’t go overboard.  It shouldn’t be treated as a “look at me” page.  Remember to explain how your activities are important and valuable to your prospective clients.
4. Get Outside the Walls:  It’s easy to barricade yourself in your office and grind out the work.  But take time lay the foundation to acquire your next client.  Commit to a solid plan that forces you to engage in actively marketing your practice.  Nothing beats face-to-face discussions.  Don’t rely only on your website to do the heavy lifting in the area of legal marketing.  You’ve got to allocate time in your schedule to get involved with prospective clients.  It’s easier to catch big fish if you go where the big fish are.  Join a new organization, volunteer, find a way to schedule presentations.  Force yourself to get outside of the walls of your office.  Solid relationships take time to build.  It’s better to start early if you want to be successful this year.
5. Evaluate Your Vendors:  If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to audit the results of your key vendors.  How productive were they?  Can you attribute specific cases to the investments you made with them?  Do you have systems in place to easily track their results? Don’t simply rely on vendor reports.  Look at your own internal data to see if it matches what they’re telling you.  If not, dig deeper.  Do you know when key contracts for services are going to expire?  Expand your services with the ones who are driving the results you need.  As for the less effective vendors, consider rewarding them with a referral to your opposing counsel.

I’m always amazed how quickly January slips away.  Before you know it the same will happen to March, June, September and December.  It’s easy to sit back and wonder where the time went.  This is the perfect opportunity to make some quick legal marketing moves for 2015.

Invest in yourself and your firm so the year builds momentum early.  It’s always less stressful when you know you have a plan in place.  You don’t have to do anything radical, but you at least need to do something.

If you’d like help reviewing your results and formulating your 2015 plan, contact me for a confidential conversation.  My phone number is (502) 208-9639.  I’ve put these types of plans together for over 20 years.  Until then, you’re welcome to visit my legal marketing blog for free advice, tips and articles on practice management, business development and law firm marketing.