Even Small Law Firms Should Have a Web Marketing Strategy
It used to be that a detailed multimedia advertising campaign was something that only the big law firms could pull off. Essentially, if a law firm’s building took up an entire city block, then they were usually able to pour more money into their advertising than the average solo practice would make in even five years time. This made a level playing field nearly impossible.
Small law firms and solo practices have always had to accept that they simply couldn’t compete with the big guys in terms of marketing. Hiring a professional marketing agency to develop a brand, advertise, and maintain public relations used to be completely out of the scope of what small and solo law practices could afford.
Luckily, times have changed.
The Internet has completely revolutionized how companies market themselves. It is true that a small law firm or a solo practice would still not be able to compete with a larger law firm in terms of dollars spent on television, radio, or print advertisements. It is also true, however, that smaller law firms can get just as much exposure at a greatly reduced price.
Traditional Advertising Agencies vs. Web Marketing Agencies
Internet or web marketing has leveled the advertising playing field in two critical ways. First, there are now a myriad of ways to advertise your law firm, maintain contact with clients, and build your brand without spending a ton of cash. Second, there are now more than just a few marketing agencies that specialize in web marketing, which costs a fraction of what traditional marketing costs.
Many traditional marketing agencies are adding in web marketing departments, but these departments are often not as effective at web marketing as companies that were built on technology in the first place. In addition, when you go to a traditional marketing agency for web marketing you are still paying for their expensive overhead. Save your money and go to a web marketing firm that will charge you less for better work.
Web Marketing firms often have a significantly lower overhead because they’ve spent their time and money building a strong online presence. Many web marketing agencies deal with clients completely online. Web marketing agencies often have a small, functional office space that serves the needs of their staff. Some don’t have an office space at all. They staff advertising and Internet technology experts who want the flexibility of working from home. Some even build their companies with a handful of dedicated staff, and then they hire freelancers to handle special projects.
Web marketing agencies specialize in Internet marketing which includes developing a multi-faceted web site that allows your firm to bring in potential clients and then to build an online relationship with them before they even come into your office.
Another thing that web marketing agencies do is they focus on search engine marketing or SEM. Search engine marketing is a set of tools that web experts use to ensure that your firm is one of the first listed when someone uses the Internet to search for a law firm using keywords.
In addition, you can hire a web marketing firm to do just your public relations, like blogging or newsletters. Or you can hire a marketing firm that will simply focus on increasing the ranking of your website. Of course, you can always hire a web marketing firm to handle all of your online marketing needs.
What to Look for When Hiring a Web Marketing Firm
One of the great things about web marketing firms is that they are very easy to find online. A quick online search will pull up several. Like any other advertising or marketing agency, you need to look closely at their client list. The best case scenario is to choose a firm that has other law firms as clients. Law firms have unique advertising needs. They have a different set of priorities than a traditional company.
Look closely at their web marketing agency’s portfolio. First, examine the websites that the web marketing agency has developed in the past. If they don’t look interesting and well organized, move on. One of the most important things you can do is to test the quality of the search engine marketing that each firm has worked on. For example, if one of their current SEM clients is a plumber in New Haven, Connecticut, then you should be able to type in “New Haven CT plumber” in any major search engine and see their client listed on the first page. If this is not the case, then this company is not the one for you.
Think about whether or not you want to utilize television and radio advertisements in the future. If so, then choose a company that brings together traditional and web marketing models. These companies will be slightly more expensive, but if you’re looking for a combination of traditional and web marketing, then select a company that can meet your goals. When web marketing companies utilize traditional marketing outlets, you still can expect to pay less than a large advertising agency because you’re still not paying for that high overhead.
One last critical thing to look for is a web marketing company that values measurement. More and more web marketing agencies are focusing on measuring their client’s return on investment (ROI) for their marketing dollars. Your marketing ROI can and should be measured on a regular basis.
There was a time when hiring a professional, resourceful marketing agency was completely out of reach for small law firms or solo practices. Those days are gone. Get online and at least get a few quotes from web marketing agencies. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just affordable they can be.
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