Marketing is a dynamic discipline: the field evolves constantly, and strategies that were historically effective cannot be relied upon today. There are challenges which face marketeers as a whole, and there are additional challenges in specific fields; law firm marketing is perhaps one of the most difficult sectors to operate in. At AsOne, we have enjoyed extensive success in the field over more than a decade, and in this blog post we’re going to share a couple of the unique challenges facing marketeers in law firm marketing.
Audience Mood
Let’s face it, nobody wants to have to use a lawyer. Lawyers are often there for when things in our lives break down – from intimate relationships, to corporate contracts, as well as personal injury and the death of loved ones. This means that law firm marketing does not approach hopeful individuals, who are ready to spend big as a result of their positive outlook. More often, the target audience is struggling, if not financially then certainly emotionally, and fostering trust in them is even more difficult than with a marketing campaign in another sector.
Shrinking Margins
This isn’t necessarily unique to the legal sector – margins in many businesses have shrunk recently; but there are specific challenges for law firm marketing here. Firstly, with the rise of “no win no fee” offers with lawyers, legal business owners are spending even more time ensuring their cases are water-tight; which leaves less time for marketing. Secondly, young lawyers now have a large amount of student debt and high living costs, and as such are seeking a higher wage than they may have previously been happy to start working at. Finally, with a stark rise in the number of legal firms operating – there are now 180,000 solicitors operating in the UK, up 22% from just 18 months ago – the competition is higher than ever.
Legislation and Regulation
As with any marketing, law firm marketing cannot promise to do something that it ultimately cannot guarantee – like win a case. Unfortunately, this is often the only factor which governs the choice of the consumer – very few clients pick a lawyer based on their low environmental emissions, for example. These leaves law firm marketers in a tricky situation, whereby you are left to talk of your firms past credentials, and your lawyers’ expertise, without ever confirming the key piece of information that the customer wants – whether you will win their case or not. Clients left frustrated by not getting this answer will not be booking a consultation, so the skill is to make them feel as if it has been.
As a full service digital agency, AsOne is perfectly placed to not only offer digital marketing advice, but also wider business development strategy planning, and able to ensure that your marketing strategy is working in service of that strategy. Having your digital business development run from the same office as your digital marketing is a huge advantage, as it means that you only deal with one point of contact, and that point of contact has a much better contextual and holistic understanding of the work being done. This is especially beneficial when looking at the analytics, of which we have a full suite, to assess the effectiveness of the campaigns and alter them in line with your wider business goals.
Contact the marketing and business development experts today at AsOne to find out how employing a new law firm marketing strategy could boost your business to the next level. Call us today on 0161 368 9100 or email here@asone.co.uk to get the conversation started.
Alternatively, you can find us at the North East Expo on May 2nd 2019, at Kingston Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
