But law firm marketing agencies come in all shapes and sizes. For example, FindLaw serves over 17000 laws while other agencies like Rankings.io focus on specific practice areas within the legal industry.
Today, you have law firm marketing agencies for every practice area costing anywhere between $1,000 per month to $10,000+. Between these agencies, there is you, the attorney, looking for your next marketing agency for your law firm. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to look for when hiring a law marketing agency.
Why hire a law firm marketing agency?
There are many reasons why you would opt for a marketing agency for your law firm but a few stand out more than others.
On avg. attorneys at a small or a mid-sized law firm work anywhere between 42-54 hours a week. From court visits, and consulting to reviewing documents, attorneys are less likely to focus on marketing their firm with dedication. From SEO to PPC, you need to invest time into your marketing strategy for it to work, and given all the important things on your plate already, prioritizing marketing is hard.
But time is not the only challenge, expertise in marketing is another. Attorneys spend years at law school and if marketing was their expertise, they would be in a different profession. Often marketing law firms is made to sound easy (we’ve all seen the YouTube videos) but to scale and optimize your marketing efforts, you need the experience and expertise.
This is where legal marketing agencies come in.
Simultaneously, another key reason to hire a legal marketing agency is budget. Attorneys starting or running an individual practice are quite ready to invest in in-house marketing. Though, some marketing agencies can be more expensive than others, using a marketing agency can be much more cost-effective than other options. Part of the reason also includes you are not covering costs for health insurance and benefits, etc.
Though by now, all these reasons are resonating with you, it does not mean you hire any law firm marketing agency.
What to look for in a law firm marketing agency?
Table of Contents
1. Expertise & Innovative Strategies
Though legal marketing has changed, not all marketing agencies have. Till today, most of them pitch the same strategies that only worked 5 to 7 years ago and are not aiming for an innovative approach. You would come across many marketing agencies that have developed templates, and fast-marketing systems. Eventually, you would notice that you and your competitors not only look the same, but are targeting the same keywords on search and PPC, and you’re content marketing strategy is invisible.
Generating results is a matter of expertise and consistent innovation. How can your agency help you stand out? Take an approach that differs from that of competitors.
For example, content marketing is still new to the legal marketing industry. At most, agencies would create blog posts and call it a day. On the flip side, you could be distributing compelling content via video, podcasts, emails, social media, and more to build a brand around you. One law firm that has done a great job at this is Ashoori Law. Michael Ashoori has built a recognizable brand with over 90,000 subscribers on YouTube and has appeared on numerous podcasts.
One question we recommend lawyers ask when shopping for marketing agencies is, ‘What would you do differently that another law firm won’t?’
There are multiple ways to answer this question but any agency that talks strategy and not just social proof is likely to be more innovative.
2. Portfolio & Case Studies
Now, it doesn’t mean that social proof is not important. It is. An agency’s portfolio showcases the work they have done in the past. Whether they build websites, offer search optimization services, or are full-service. Portfolios help you determine if your law firm and the agency are a match.
Now, some law firm marketing agencies might be young and may not have a massive portfolio. This does not mean that they are not good at what they do. Alternatively, you can schedule a quick meeting to speak with their leadership team and gauge if they know what they are doing. Younger marketing agencies tend to be better invested in your law firm since they are dealing with a few clients at a time. Moreover, you have the leverage of negotiating a better price as well initially, and if the results are good, you can continue at a higher price point.
But case studies and portfolios help you envision your law firm with your next marketing agency.
DVC Agency Case Study: How Law Office of Phan Nguyen increased case volume by 127%
3. Reviews & Testimonials
Reviews & testimonials are important for law firms and they are equally important for legal marketing agencies. Reviews and testimonials reassure you that other attorneys have had a pleasant time working with the agency you are about to sign. In some cases, the agency might not have a whole bunch of reviews. In that case, you can always request to speak with at least one of their clients. This is as good as a review because you are speaking directly with a client.
Remember, if they flat-out refuse to support the idea for a reference call, it might be an orange flag, if not red.
However, reviews and testimonials are a great way to determine who you are about to get in business with, what their customer service is like, and if anyone has mentioned your concerns.
4. Data-Driven Approach
With the modern shift in marketing as a whole, especially, law firm marketing, data is the driving force for any successful strategy. If an agency is setting up campaigns and is unaware of metrics like return on ad spend, total leads, conversion rates, or CTR, you are likely going to hit a roadblock with the agency pretty soon. Marketing is meant to evolve consistently, and the best way to do it is through data.
Let’s consider a scenario. You are investing $5,000 on Google Ads. Your agency set up multiple campaigns and split the cost evenly. In a few months, you are generating mediocre results. However, the data suggests that one campaign is delivering better results than the other one. Since there is no data-driven approach, your agency missed it and instead of investing your budget where it generates the most results, you bled most of it as wasted spend.
As a rule of thumb, though your marketing agency should provide bi-weekly or monthly reports, always ask for it.
5. Communication
You started your law firm and invested heavily upfront into it. And it is important to you. One common complaint we hear from law firms today regarding their agencies is that there is barely any communication or customer service. Law firms are often trying to get a hold of their account managers.
This needs to be the other way around.
Your agency should proactively communicate–the good, the bad, and the ugly, whether you want to hear it or not. Communication helps you keep updated, letting you make important decisions along the way.
6. Contract Length
Agency contracts can last anywhere between a year to two years. But it does not mean you enter one without much research. Many agencies offer month-to-month engagements as well. You can start there with an agency and later convert it into a longer engagement.
Often, lawyers make the mistake of entering long-term contracts and cannot get out of them, no matter how dissatisfied you are with the service.
7. Honesty & Transparency
We’ve all seen agency ads guaranteeing the #1 position on search, promising 100 leads or you don’t pay. And it sounds appealing for sure. But these are all promises of overnight success, which are short-lived. Realistically speaking, if you are starting your search engine strategy, you are looking at at least 90 days for initial results.
This is where the need for honesty and transparency is so critical.
Ideally, you want to run a marathon, not a sprint. If an agency is unable to be honest with you regarding the results they can generate, you are likely to find yourself locked in a contract without any significant results.
8. Pricing & Costs
Marketing services can range from $500 to $10,000+. It entirely depends on what your practice area is, what is the size of your law firm, and honestly, how good the agency is as well. As a small or mid-size law firm, pricing would be one of your top concerns, and finding an agency that falls within your budget is critical.
Before heading in, you can ask for pricing as quickly as you need to in the process. This process will help you keep your options open and compare better.
Before Hiring a Law Firm Marketing Agency, Make Sure of Two Things
You might think that a law firm marketing agency is an obvious choice, but our goal is to make sure you make the best decision that is relevant to your needs and something you actually need. Working with a law firm marketing agency comes with a cost and a partial time commitment. Before you decide to sign up with an agency, make sure you have two very important things.
Goal: What do you want to achieve?
You do not need to know all the answers, but you need to have a clear goal. What are you looking to achieve from hiring a law firm marketing agency? Is it brand awareness? New leads? More revenue? Higher rankings? All of the above?
Understanding your goals makes finding and partnering with a law firm agency much easier. Some agencies may over-promise results, but the rule of thumb is to focus on quality, not quantity. Generating 100 plus MQLs each month is not impossible, but if 95 of those are irrelevant bad leads, you are not gaining much.
With these goals in mind, you are also able to understand reporting better and not waste your marketing budget.
Which brings us to the other thing.
Budget: How much does a marketing agency cost?
As we mentioned earlier, hiring a marketing agency can cost anywhere from $500 to $10,000+ but that does not mean that you invest all your money with a renowned marketing agency at once. Law firm marketing agencies have varying pricing models. But keep in mind, for services like PPC for law firms, you are paying separately for the ads and the law firm.
For example, a law firm can charge up to $500 to manage $1,500 in paid ad spend. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, you should be spending anywhere between 7% to 8% on marketing but you can either start slow or be aggressive, that is your decision.
Before signing, it is important to make sure you have all the pricing in writing and you fully understand it.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the law firm marketing agency you choose to work with, and how much money you inject into it, is totally up to you. However, these tips are to help you make the right decision that is less risky, understanding how important your law firm is to you and what will make you most successful.
DVC is a law firm marketing agency designed to help law firms take a modern and scalable approach to marketing. We work with you as partners and help you focus on what you do best while we take care of your search, PPC, content marketing, and website development. Schedule a call today to learn more.