Do the old advertising platforms work?

Marketing can make or break even the greatest law firm. It’s the way that you get your message out and draw in new clients. In an era where people typically look for lawyers online, one might ask if older offline advertising methods still have a role to play. The answer might be yes, especially when paired with a digital strategy. 

What are traditional advertising platforms?

Before the digital age, lawyers used direct mail, billboards, bus and other transit advertising, directories like the Yellow Pages, and television to advertise their firms. This assumed a couple of things about potential clients: they were in a specific geographic area where they saw the billboards or ads and would use name recognition to decide upon legal counsel.

Many people also used word-of-mouth or referral to find attorneys. A personal recommendation from a trusted friend might hold more sway than a clever phone number or billboard tagline. Overall, without access to in-depth information on the internet, people might have relied less on prior knowledge about a firm’s history or approach to practice. 

What are the alternatives to traditional advertising?

Now digital marketing is a primary way firms advertise services. This involves having an online presence, with social media pages and a website. Many firms use content marketing and other search engine optimization (SEO) techniques like digital business listings to improve their visibility on Google. When successful, digital marketing can give firms top billing when a potential client asks the search engine to recommend a lawyer in the area.

Other digital marketing techniques include email marketing, where a firm regularly sends informational correspondence to their email list. There are also several paid advertising methods online, like pay-per-click ads and promotional services on platforms like Facebook. What distinguishes all of these from traditional advertising is the focus on the digital space. 

Why might you choose traditional methods?

You can’t really get away with not having some kind of a digital presence, even if you rely more on traditional methods. Now because internet access is ubiquitous, many consumers will glance at a firm’s website after encountering a traditional advertising method. Based on all the information they might decide to get in touch.

Traditional methods might have an advantage over digital marketing alone, however. Only a few firms reach the top of the Google search results in response to a specific query. There might be 50 law firms in your geographic area, but Google chooses to highlight 5-10 on the first page. With traditional advertising, you don’t have to worry about the algorithm. 

A direct mail campaign can reach everyone in a neighborhood, some of whom might need a lawyer. Hundreds or even thousands of people can gain exposure to a transit advertisement, and with an added QR code those interested can go straight to the firm website. While it might seem like bus ads are an oversaturated market for lawyers, it’s possible the same is also true for digital marketing. 

Let’s not forget there are also hybrids between traditional and digital advertising methods. Television ads for lawyers still exist on digital platforms like YouTube. The medium and the message are similar, but the advertiser on a digital platform can use more sophisticated data analysis technology to show their promotional materials to a precisely targeted audience. 

The best of both worlds

One of the ways lawyers used television to promote their services was, and is, infomercials. These are ostensibly informational programs that look like talk shows, but are actually paid commercials featuring members of the firm. These advertising opportunities still exist on local television, but even more so firms are tweaking these methods for a digital audience.

Firms host webinars, podcasts, and public question-and-answer sessions. They post that content onto their websites and social media channels. The rule about oversaturation exists here too, however; even though the television audience for an infomercial might be small, it might be more than the number of views a firm gets on a YouTube video or a podcast episode. 

Firms can do a bit of information gathering before they make a decision. This includes asking television stations the details about audience numbers and demographics before paying for this form of advertising.

Consider digital marketing with Martindale-Avvo

Traditional marketing channels remain important to modern law firms. They often work best when paired with a digital marketing strategy. Martindale-Avvo works with small and solo law firms every day in their quest to get their message out to their target audience. Learn more today.