Case Specific Marketing

Marketing for specific cases is very different than marketing a law firm, a particular practice group or an individual attorney. That is because, unlike marketing for a firm, a group or an individual, how to market for a specific case will always be different, depending on the type of case involved. For example, the law practice seeking to attract mesothelioma cases will no doubt take a different approach than one seeking to garner cases involving nursing home abuse. Each has a different audience. Hence the marketing mix for each will be different as well.

There are two types of marketing that involves specific cases:

Campaigns designed to attract particular kinds of negligence, harmful conduct, product defects, etc. -- most of which the public is usually aware. These typically fall under the domain of Personal Injury.

Campaigns designed to generate a class of individuals with a common complaint or claim against a company, organization, government entity, etc. This is how many class action lawsuits begin.

There are some basic things to consider before implementing a campaign involving particular cases. Some of these are self-evident and are true regardless of the market to be targeted:

Know your target market. This means not just understanding them demographically, but psychologically as well. Why should they hire an attorney? Why might they be reticent in doing so? What type of person fits into this target group? What types of media do they consume?

Market aggressively. If you are going to market for a specific type of case, do so in a relatively big way. Marketing, and particularly advertising, is not for the feint-hearted. The costs involved don’t allow it to be. But only taking out an ad once or twice isn’t going to provide the multiplicity of exposures necessary to make the phones ring. Just because someone sees an ad or a commercial doesn’t mean that they are going to act on it immediately. Similarly, cutting costs by using small space ads is similarly not going to give you the kind of exposure you will need to generate volume. If you need to be more frugal, consider limiting your targeted geography.

Don’t underestimate the power of your brand. Law firms that are well-known and stand for something meaningful will have an easier time attracting specific types of clients than those that fall into the “me too” variety.

Develop a selling message that is clear and concise. Headlines should draw the reader in immediately. This isn’t about being cute and fancy, but rather about communicating the possibility of a legitimate concern and the legal steps that may be taken in light of this. Messages need to provide honest and helpful information.

Track results. Because the marketing will be highly targeted, it is important that one understands where leads are coming from. That way ensuing efforts can be tweaked and revised for greater cost effectiveness. There are many ways to do this, but depending of the size and nature of the campaign, leads can be tracked through web site metrics, through telephone number tracking (i.e., different media outlets receive a different telephone number), or more simply, by having someone taking incoming calls and ask the relevant marketing-related questions.

A Word about Class Action Notifications

Notification campaigns inform potential members of a “class” that they may be entitled to an award for damages of which they may or may not be aware. This type of communication is most often court mandated and is not sponsored or a part of any law firm’ own marketing efforts.

That being said, many of the points outlined above still hold true. In developing a notification program, it is still critical to truly know the intended target audience; marketing should be aggressive and in fact, may be required to meet specific coverage and frequency criteria; the message must be extremely clear, and results will almost certainly be necessary to track.As a class action notification is not a part of any law firm’s marketing domain, branding and the image/qualities of the law firms involved, will have no bearing on the nature of these types of communications programs.

If you would like to discuss development of a marketing program aimed at garnering new leads, please contact agency President Les Altenberg at 856-810-0400.