Do you remember Cellino & Barnes? Even if you’re not from New York, the advertisements for this legendary personal injury firm had such reach as to inspire an SNL sketch, a COVID-19 handwashing challenge, and much more – and that’s not the only distinctive element of the firm. Rather, their jingle was symptomatic of a major shift in the legal profession: an emphasis on marketing. And though the duo borrowed their practice from a leading Louisiana lawyer, Cellino & Barnes truly mastered the art of legal marketing, a rule that essentially says, “find out how much your biggest competitor is spending on ads and double it.”
Of course, it would be impractical for most law firms to commit to the sort of ad spend that Cellino & Barnes were known for, but the good news is it’s not necessary.
Today’s law firms can be successful while spending a lot less, as long as they’re strategic. By expanding your marketing budget to supplement these three key services, you can place your firm in the spotlight and make it clear that your brand is synonymous with expertise.
Web Design 101
Anyone can build a website these days, but not everyone can build a quality website. This is a major problem for law firms, who often end up spending their web design budgets on subpar developers. Give your online presence a boost by seeking our web designers who are doing cutting edge work, rather than replicating the same site for every firm. After all, if your website isn’t different from your competitors’ sites, how will potential clients differentiate between your services?
Commit To SEO
Once you have a great website, you need to make sure people can find it, even if they don’t know your name, but how? The best way to increase your firm’s visibility is by working with SEO specialists. SEO-specific companies provide link-building services that not only drive traffic to your firm’s website but also help boost your reputation by creating a network of natural, reputable backlinks.
These play an important role in how Google ranks websites and, along with other critical SEO elements like location data and content quality, can push your site to the top of the search results when well-executed.
Don’t Forget Social Media
Social media may seem like an awfully casual venue for promoting a law firm, but like those old Cellino & Barnes ads, having a presence on Facebook or Twitter can help build brand recognition, and you don’t even have to be especially active.
Rather, law firms can often get by with a low-stakes Facebook account that provides information on how potential clients can get in touch. Depending on the type of law you practice, social media can also be a good place to tout high-profile case wins, and simply having a page offers grateful clients the opportunity to flag your services for their friends and family.
Today’s law firms don’t need to spend a fortune on marketing, in large part because TV and print advertisements aren’t as important as they were even five or ten years ago.
Rather, if your firm is thinking about expanding its marketing budget, those funds needed to go to specialist services. Look for consultants and service providers who know law firm marketing inside and out and who won’t treat you as a clone of all your other legislative clients. Those are the businesses that will help your firm make its mark.