5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Law Firm Marketing Agency
Before deciding whether you should hire a marketing agency for your law firm, there are a few things to consider. The legal industry is made up of some highly competitive firms and people. Therefore, marketing can become a top priority to a firm that is trying to outdo their competition, which may result in the desire to hire a law firm marketing agency.
On top of that, this demand has encouraged the creation of many such agencies. Law firms have many options to choose from. This means that you may have an easy time finding those options, but which one is the right fit for your law firm?
Thinking about what you would get in return for your investment and who can best provide those results is necessary before taking the leap. Asking yourself the right questions will help save you time and money.
What are your marketing goals?
In order to know which law firm marketing agency will be best able to help you, you need to have a set of marketing goals. The best way to create marketing goals is by using the SMART goal acronym. This stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
For example, your starting goals may be to “get more social media followers.” However, using the SMART acronym, you may end up with “Get 50 more Facebook followers in 60 days.”
Having your goals prepared beforehand means you will go into a meeting with a potential agency knowing what you want from them and able to hear their feedback. They can discuss whether they feel they can help you with your goals and give some basic strategy as well as make suggestions for any changes.
What is your marketing budget?
It may come as no surprise to hear that you will have to pay more to hire a law firm marketing agency that can bring about quicker and more noticeable changes. However, you should go into the search process with an idea of how much you are willing to spend and how long you will be invested in the marketing change process.
Even the best marketers can not guarantee immediate results. Marketing strategies always come with a risk. The better the marketing agency is, the more this risk is lessened, but if a company is “guaranteeing you results” I would run fast.
Oftentimes a company may promise to get you “page 1 results or you don’t pay”. The problem with this language is that there is very little value in having your listing at the bottom of page 1, and that is likely where you will end up. You will never find a company that will offer you the same thing for first page, first position organic results. If you do, stop reading this and sign up with them now! Just make sure what they are offering is organic results, not paid ads. Anyone can be on page one with paid ads, the problem is that when you stop paying, your ads disappear. Paid ads are simply rented real-estate. Organic results are long-lasting and don’t cost anything outside of your initial SEO investment. Being aware of these “traps” and having this mindset will spare you any disappointment in the case that things don’t go as planned.
You also need to base your budget on your marketing goals and the level of competition. The more change you want to create in your marketing results, the more you will have to spend. This is especially true if you are competing with multiple law firms or are in a highly competitive market.
How much do you want to be involved when hiring a law firm marketing agency?
Some attorneys like to hire marketing agencies who do all the work without them, while others want to be involved every step of the way. Involvement can be through regular updates and check-ins, content reviews, strategy discussions, in-person meetings, and more. Some attorneys may also want the ability to make their own suggestions.
How much you want to be involved in the marketing process can affect which law firm marketing agency you choose to hire. For example, if you want to have frequent in-person meetings, you may want to choose an agency that is local to you.
Do you have enough time and resources to hire a law firm marketing agency?
While you may want to hire a marketing agency that is able to completely handle the work, you will need to provide some information to them (especially when you’re just beginning to work with them). This can include information about your clients, your expertise, value proposition, your firm’s story and history, past success, and the work you are currently involved in.
Some of this information may seem simple to provide, but your marketing agency is going to want to dive in and really understand you and your firm so they can accurately represent you in your marketing strategy. If you feel overwhelmed by this or don’t feel like you have enough time or knowledge to provide enough information to them, you may want to reconsider whether you’re ready to hire a law firm marketing agency.
Are you ready to market your law firm?
Any law firm (or any business, for that matter) has to establish the basics of their organization before investing in marketing. You should have the foundation in place for your business to be up and running, as well as being able to provide real value to your customers.
The quality of your services is important to consider when beginning marketing. When you first open your law firm, you may find that there are some issues in service quality or business processes that may need to be cleared up before being able to sufficiently attract clients and be able to promise value.
Therefore, if you are in the beginning stages of setting up your law firm or know you need to work on some of the foundational work, you should consider holding off on hiring a law firm marketing agency to ensure you have everything in order first.
Conclusion
After reading, hopefully you have gained a little bit of an understanding of the type of work you will have to do before hiring a law firm marketing agency. Making these considerations and preparing will help you make a more informed decision for your law firm.
If you would like to discuss hiring a law firm marketing agency in more detail, please contact us today to learn more about our attorney web marketing services.
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