Advertising

In years past, legal advertising was not an accepted outreach tool. Today however, there are ways of advertising a law firm in a professional manner that enhances the reputation of the firm and its attorneys.

The decision of whether or not to implement an advertising effort is a function of a number of variables including the area of law to be promoted, the state(s) in which the firm is located, budgetary constraints, as well as any ethical considerations the firm may have. It is important to note however, that advertising need not appeal to an audience’s lowest common denominator. Like public relations, effective advertising can provide vital information to a law firm's target prospects.

Suffice to say however, for many law practices, the use of advertising has become a critical part of their overall marketing mix. Reasons for this include advertising’s ability to:

Control the “What’s,” “When’s” and “Where’s” of the firm’s message
Generate mass and/or highly targeted awareness
Create/reinforce an overall brand image
Highlight specific areas of expertise
Present the practice as a firm of some significance
Tie the firm to the community through its endorsement and
support of specific programs, non-profit organizations, etc.

Types of Advertising

Typically, there are three ways in which law firms use advertising to grow their practice:

• Image Advertising – While effective, this is by far the most expensive kind of advertising program to implement. That is because a) monthly trade publications and newspaper business sections as well as television and radio time tend to be very costly on a per unit basis and b) image advertising requires that prospects be exposed to the message/campaign a multiplicity of times prior to that message being fully integrated. Hence, high per unit costs times high levels of frequency tends to result in expensive programs.

• Promotional Advertising – A second, more economical advertising approach is to promote specific events such as seminars, workshops, informational brochure giveaways, etc. Because these kinds of events are time sensitive, they do not require the same high levels of frequency. Further, because of the time sensitivity, it is often wiser to place such promotional ads in shorter shelf life publications (e.g., newspapers) than in expensive monthly publication alternatives.

• Sponsorships & Opportunistic Advertising - At various times throughout the year, opportunities arise that allow a firm to be identified with specific topics, organizations, charities, etc. For example, a publication may dedicate a specific issue/section to an area in which the firm enjoys particular strength; a client may request sponsorship of an evening’s program book; or a trade association may offer opportunities for a firm to enjoy high visibility via inexpensive space in its newsletter.

Regardless of the advertising approach taken, it is important that the overall firm message/brand be consistently reinforced.

Ad Development

To ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the actual execution of print or broadcast advertisements, it is critical that all advertising efforts be based upon very specific and clear marketing and creative strategies that address the following questions:

• What is the task of a particular ad or campaign (i.e., What is it supposed to do?)

• To whom is the ad directed?

• What benefit(s) does the ad offer the intended target?

• How are these benefits substantiated?

• What potential hurdles exist to the effective conveyance of the message?

• What tone/mood/look should the ad convey?

• Are there any other factors or mandatory requirements that need to be considered in developing the ad (e.g., adherence to corporate guidelines, an existing firm tag line, etc.)?

Finally, it is important that copy developed for an ad or advertising campaign work in sync with the visual approach.

Media Planning & Buying

Today, the options where a firm can disseminate its advertising message is greater than ever before. In fact, it can be argued that knowing where and when to place advertising efforts is as important as the message in the ad itself. Because of that, it is critical to understand how each medium works and its relative cost-effectiveness in either reaching a great many prospects a few times (reach) versus reaching a smaller group of prospects more times (frequency).

Refer to our Media Planning chart for an outline of some of the benefits and drawbacks of different advertising alternatives. Please note that the points made are general in nature and meant to highlight typical (though not all) positive and negative attributes of different media.

In addition to understanding how each medium “works,” it is also critical to know how each is purchased. Getting the most out of the firm’s media buy requires tough negotiating for either better rates, frequency discounts, more ad units, editorial possibilities (e.g., having an article appear in a publication) and/ or merchandising opportunities.