If you’re running a law firm in the 21st century, you know there are many ways to market your business. You also probably know the whole thing can feel pretty overwhelming. That’s where we come in.
At MeanPug, we know exactly what you’re going through. This is who we are and what we do.
We’ve spent 10+ years and $400 million on legal marketing and advertising for our clients, and we have more than 100 years of combined experience. And today, we’re going to do something that most marketing companies wouldn’t dream of: we’re going to tell you – for free – some of the best practices for marketing your law firm to help you avoid some of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen over the past decade in this industry.
Lesson One: Learn by Doing
This may sound counterproductive, but we’re going to say it anyway: go ahead and do something on your own first.
Write some content. Launch a Google Ads campaign. Create a Facebook ad. Do something small to start, and then track how it goes. You’ll probably realize along the way that what you need is a specialist, but taking a crack at these things yourself first will help you better understand how these systems work.
And knowing how systems work has been crucial to MeanPug’s success. We know how to write compelling content, what kinds of ads work, and the difference between creating an ad for Facebook vs. Instagram. We have a decade’s worth of data to back us up.
Lesson Two: Hire People Who Know More than You Do
One of the hardest things for a professional in any industry to admit is that they don’t know how to do something. It can be especially hard for lawyers to accept this because so much of their work is reliant on understanding nuanced law, and then clearly communicating those nuances to their clients.
But being a great lawyer and being a great legal marketer aren’t the same thing. You need to hire a team who knows more than you in specific areas of marketing, and we are that team.
And yes, we mean team: no one can do everything forever and remain sustainable. Ideally, your practice will grow, and when it does, you’ll be better prepared if you have a team behind you that can handle whatever this crazy marketing life can throw at it.
Choosing Your Internal Team
Ideally, your goal is to build a legal marketing team with specialists in every role. But you also need to be selective about who you choose if you want to be successful.
According to data from Calibrate Strategies, around 7,500 marketing and business development professionals work within Am Law 200 law firms. The number of marketing professionals who work across all U.S.-based law firms, including those outside the Am Law 200 list, is closer to 10,000 – that’s roughly one legal marketing employee for every 129 lawyers in the U.S.
By comparison, there are at least 5,000 marketing companies in New York alone. And if you want someone willing to come into your office (meaning who doesn’t want to only work remote, which is getting harder to find these days), then the number drops dramatically. Here are a few examples:
Experienced legal marketers in California
Experienced legal marketers in Dallas, TX
Experienced legal marketers in Miami
The point is, there aren’t that many folks out there who can market to law firms specifically, or whose background is heavy in legal marketing. Lots of marketing companies exist, but not all of them are equipped to handle your needs.
Plus, hiring a team can get expensive quickly. One way to keep your spending costs down without sacrificing quality is to hire a marketing manager before anyone else. This person serves as a liaison between your firm and your marketing agency, and this setup is one of the most common – and effective – employment structures we’ve seen.
Choosing an External Team
You need an external team you can trust who knows what they’re doing. One benefit of working with a legal marketing agency is that they already have all those experts on hand. You don’t have to spend time or money combing through your options of individual team members; you can find a company that suits your needs and move forward.
Lesson Three: Treat Marketing Like CLE
In the legal marketing industry, things change often, and fast. It can be hard to understand how or why those changes are happening without some understanding of what marketing is.
Read Books Dedicated to Specific Areas of Marketing
We recommend reading up on the foundational topics of marketing themselves without all the watered-down opinions of practitioners. Specifically, it’s a good idea to read books that give you foundations on specific mediums.
Here are a few we recommend on every marketing medium:
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini – This book is a must-read on the science of persuasion and how people make decisions.
- Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller – Miller helps you learn how to clarify your brand’s message and connect better with your clients.
- This Is Marketing by Seth Godin – Godin offers insightful advice on how to stand out and make an impact in a sea of competitors.
I can tell you right now that most marketing books aren’t worth your time to read, as they are clearly nothing more than marketing assets for vendors. That’s why we only recommend the best.
Follow Marketing Blogs of All Kinds
The blogs you follow don’t have to specifically be legal – in fact, the best ones aren’t. You want to follow those folks who have their fingers on the pulse of up-to-date marketing trends. Here are some of the best digital marketing blogs out there:
- The Moz Blog – handy SEO tips and tricks that help your website shine and rank like a pro
- MarketingLand – juicy news and updates on digital marketing to keep you ahead of the game
- Search Engine Land – everything you need to know about how to crush search marketing and stay on the first page of Google
- Social Media Examiner – easy-to-follow advice on how to ace social media and grow your followers
- Occam’s Razor – no-nonsense tips on how to turn your data into digital gold
- Ahrefs – offers SEO hacks, content tips, and backlink advice to help you level up your marketing game
One thing to note is there are far more blogs about SEO or digital advertising than there are about traditional media. Learning more about how SEO works can better assist you in building your brand.
Subscribe to Legal Marketing, Operations, or Trial-Focused Podcasts
Listening to marketing podcasts will give you a good idea of what the competition is doing. Law firms tend to divulge successful strategies on their podcasts. This is one of the easiest ways to improve your marketing – and you can do it on your daily commute.
Here are some podcasts we recommend:
- The Hot Docket Podcast – (The MeanPug podcast! Shameless plug!)
- Bourbon of Proof – it’s a legal podcast – with booze!
- Great Trials – a podcast featuring some of the country’s leading trial lawyers
Reddit also offers some great suggestions for more legal podcasts that are worth your time.
Go to the Conferences
You don’t need to follow the entire circuit, but you should make a point of going to some legal conferences every year. This will help you build a referral network with other attorneys – and that can improve recruiting efforts for your firm. You can also connect with industry leaders and keynote speakers who can advise you on how to improve your current practices.
Every year, there is a new list of the top legal conferences lawyers will be attending. Make a note of the ones that apply to your practice so you can maximize the benefits – and your time.
Bonus: MeanPug attends between 5-10 legal conferences a year, so that could be your chance to meet us in person! Message us to schedule a time to meet.
Work with the Team at MeanPug to Boost Your Marketing Efforts
Learn from our successes and our failures. Hiring MeanPug is a good start to a strong foundation. We have decades of experience and specialists in every role you could need to help your firm.
We want to do more than just help you execute a strategy. We want to help your firm learn and grow so you can make more informed strategic marketing decisions in the future. So contact us today, and let’s get started.
