Legal Marketing
Posted: September 17, 2005
Not long ago, it shocked the people of the United States to hear that lawyer Clarence Darrow was paid one million dollars in order to take the defense in the Leopold-Loeb trial. Of course, Darrow was only offered one hundred thousand dollars, to be split three ways, but the fact remains that the days when the American public could be shocked by high prices for legal aid are over and done with.
With today’s global economy, there is no reason why every legal firm should not market themselves in a way with which they can get the best paying or most deserving clients. No matter what your angle, there is a large piece of the pie out there waiting to be sliced off.
In fact, the time is ripe to take advantage of what legal marketing has to offer for your firm.
Many legal marketing departments just rely on the old “word of mouth plus an ad in the phonebook” trick. Then some legal entrepreneurs decided it was time to begin advertising on television, and on mass transportation.
Those techniques are still completely viable, but a new market has opened up for online advertising that may beat out all the rest.
Online marketing represent the best way to give your legal firm a face to the public. Developing an online marketing campaign will really put you on the map.
But choosing the right place to put your ad can be a difficult problem. Make sure that you know which web sites attract the type of customers you want, before you plunk down your advertising dollars.
Some things to consider:
- Is your ad directly targeting the community that you want to see it? Sometimes it is crucially important that only people who could logistically use your firm see your ad, especially when you are just starting out.
- How much money are you willing to spend on your legal marketing system? Remember: the more money you put in, the more money you get out.
- Will my link be seen by the clients that I want to see it? Keep in mind that not all web sites are the same, and that geo-targeting only works when the marketing focus is narrowed to the specific field of clients that your firm deals with.
In order to stay ahead of the curve, and the competition, you must begin using the technologies of tomorrow to reach the clients of today.











