If you think you know how to market a restaurant or business, don’t think that it will be the same with a law firm. So, it begs the question, why marketing a law firm is a challenge?
The answer is not so simple. There are quite a number of things that makes it hard to completely understand the industry.
So, what are they?
Table of Contents
1. Everybody is a Potential Client
Take for example a restaurant. The owner knows what kind of services and aesthetic he provides, so he knows the target market, allowing him to curate specific marketing content. In law firm marketing, you don’t have that luxury.
Everybody needs a lawyer. It can be a kid or a senior citizen. Therefore, you really don’t have a specific target market. Instead, all of them can be potential clients.
Having a wide market should be good, right? It does translate to more clients, but it does mean that it is harder to choose which marketing strategies to implement.
The older generations are more susceptible to traditional marketing. However, youngers ones are more likely going to find your law firm on the internet. So, which among all the various marketing strategies should you implement if your target market is as vague as it can get?
That is the challenge, deciding on where your budget should go. Do you expect that more younger generations are going to need your service? Or is it going to be the older group? You never really know and there is no way of knowing. You just hope that your marketing strategies hits the largest potential market.
2. Law Firm Marketing is Persuasion, not Attraction
People don’t get a lawyer because they want to, but because they need to. So, your marketing is not about attracting attention, but rather persuading that you are the best amonth the competition.
The challenge is that you really never know what people want to hear. What do you add on to your marketing campaigns to prove that you are the best choice?
There is no single answer for that question. Instead, different people have different priorities and concerns. Therefore, it is impossible to curate a single marketing campaign that will hit every potential client.
When that is the situation, your budget can take a huge hit and you are left budgeting and allocating resources on the law firm marketing strategy you think fit the most. However, you really never know if they are actually the best approach.
3. Huge Market in Theory, Small in Numbers is Why Marketing a Law Firm is a Challenge
Restaurant and hotel owners have the capacity to market internationally. For law firms, the same cannot be said. No person would hire a lawyer from a different city because it is tedious and uneconomical on their side.
So, despite the potentially huge market composed of different ages and genders, the total number of people are actually quite small. To add to it, it is mostly individuals located nearby and within the city.
It is more difficult to find marketing mediums that targets nearby people. You can resolve to using traditional marketing approaches like printed mediums, but that is costly and ineffective.
If you opt for the common approach which is online marketing, it can be hard to target the right people. You might be spending too much effort only for individuals in different cities and countries to see your ads and campaigns.
4. Budget is Always Limited
When you have a small number of clients, that translates to lesser income. In turn, the less money the firm brings in, the less budget that goes to marketing.
Law firm budget is always a huge question when marketing a law firm. How much should one spend to make an impact, but without costing the firm too much?
Finding the right amount is the hardest. On average, law firms spend 6% of their gross revenue on marketing. However, depending on the cost of your services and the total number of clients you have, you are going to be forced to go higher.
Law firms spend between 2% to 12% of their gross revenue on marketing. Going more than that can start to compromise the entire business. So, the challenge is to find a way to fit a small budget on different marketing strategies that will have the most results.
5. Proving Potential is Difficult
Other types of businesses have something to sell. So, they have something to show and interest their market. Law firms, on the other hand, don’t have that luxury. You can only promise your client of the performance you can deliver.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to prove potential. You can use client testimonials, but that only serves you if you do have clients that give off their juicy statements. Even if you do, not all potential clients are susceptible to that kind of marketing. One way or the other, they will be skeptical.
As a result, it is a constant challenge to create marketing campaigns that will be effective in proving your performance.
Law Firm Marketing is a Challenge, but Not Impossible
There are many things that could go wrong with marketing a law firm. As a matter of fact, you have to be prepared in a number of situations and be able to provide immediate solutions. However, despite the challenges, it isn’t technically impossible.
Law firm marketing doesn’t mean that you have to close your eyes and hope for the best. Instead, with the right strategies and campaign repurposing, you will eventually find the success you are looking for. The first step to that is knowing and understanding the challenges you are going to face.
If you think this is something too risky for you to approach alone, you can always seek the assistance of the best digital marketing agency. Contact us today for a free strategy consultation.
