How do I choose the right marketing measures?

Start with strategic planning

To determine the right marketing measures, a company needs a well thought-out marketing strategy. Without strategic marketing, even in the legal industry, it doesn't sell well these days.

We explain how to do this in our article on strategic marketing in the legal industry.

Basic information on the measures in legal marketing

Across all measures, it is important that law firms and other companies in the legal sector also follow a structured process in marketing. The following three steps help to set up effective measures:

1. Define goals and determine performance tracking
2. Determine concrete measures and plan them bindingly
3. Investing in necessary tools

In the following, we will briefly explain these individual steps and then turn our attention to the question of which measures are possible and correct.

1. Define goals and measure performance

It is important to know what you are working towards.

"In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are." Arnold H. Glasow

In the end, it is all about achieving the desired results with the efforts invested. To do this, you first have to determine the direction. Once the goal has been defined, the next step is to measure and evaluate performance. Constant monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures is important in order to make adjustments where necessary and to avoid missing the targets.

In the case of law firms, for example, these objectives could be

• "We want to increase sales or profit per partner by Y percent in period X." Or: "We want 10 new clients in the category "Key Accounts" from Industry Z within one year."
  Such goals can be pursued, for example, via activity in the CRM system or financial accounting.
• "We want to increase our visibility in our target audience XY."
  The increase in visibility could be tested, for example, by tracking the number of visits to the company website.
• "We want to increase our expertise in areas X and Y."
  In this area, for example, an increase in requests for publications or presentations in the intended area would indicate an increase. An increase in the number of subscriptions to a company-internal newsletter/blog with relevant content on the specific topic is also evidence of corresponding expertise in a legal field.

2. Select measures and draw up binding plans

Once the objectives have been defined, the task is to determine the right measures to be taken. As mentioned at the beginning, these result from strategic planning. Of course, depending on the constellation in the company, personal preference also plays a certain role. It's all about the mix and about putting the right people in the right place. You can learn a lot, but you shouldn't force someone who has his strengths in written communication to put everything on the networking card. That usually does not come off well.

Once the measures have been determined, concrete implementation planning is also required. It often happens that you determine exactly what you want to do, but in the end little or nothing happens. This is because there is no fixed, binding plan that defines who does what and when for the individual areas.

New law firm website: Here's how the process to a successful project

3. Investing in the necessary tools

If the necessary resources are not yet available, they should be procured. As far as digital measures are concerned, if a good website does not yet exist, it is essential to set up one. Today, the website is the linchpin of all modern marketing strategies and the most important communication channel for service providers.

The same applies to the know-how: if there is a lack of (technical and strategic) marketing knowledge, this should be purchased. At best, your employees may need some help in certain areas. Here, targeted training can compensate for short-term deficits and help you get started.

Which marketing measures make sense?

You'll love the answer: It all depends. And even better: The mixture makes the difference! Law firms (and also other companies in the legal industry) need different measures along the entire sales process to complete it successfully.

The sales process can be roughly divided into the following three stages: Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing and Closing. The aim is to bring the leads forward and to close them. There are marketing measures that help generate leads. Then there are those that help to supply the leads with interesting content and thus bait them. And then there are other measures that support the closing of a sale.

The most common measures can be classified as follows:

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Successful marketing therefore requires a functioning mix of these measures along the entire process. It is noticeable that many law firms and other companies in the legal industry focus strongly on generating new leads. In our experience, measures in the areas of lead nurturing and closing are often neglected.

The mix that you put together from this menu will therefore vary from company to company. The selection depends strongly on the available resources. In any case, a structured procedure with 3 steps (see above) helps in the model shown.

The HeadStarterz guide to online lead generation.

Conclusion

In summary, it can be said that there is potential for optimisation in the marketing activities of many providers of legal services or legal content. There is no such thing as an abbreviation. Structured planning and the subsequent implementation is complex. Those who use the right tools and are well organised will quickly become efficient. Inefficient and idle efforts can be stopped (cost savings). And above all, the defined goals will be achieved and the fruits of the investments made will be reaped.

How HeadStarterz Can Help!

We advise law firms in the field of strategic marketing. This includes the definition of the appropriate marketing mix. But we are not only a strategic partner: HeadStarterz supports clients in the implementation of design work (corporate design) and technical developments. If you have any questions: call us at (+41 61 554 55 74) or send us an email to tobias@headstarterz.com.