Choosing the right digital marketing agency can be a make-or-break decision for your law firm. A good agency can significantly boost the effectiveness of your online marketing and increase your revenue.
On the other hand, a poorly chosen agency can lead to disappointing results or even cause negative outcomes. In this article, we will provide you with some tips on how to choose the right digital marketing agency for your law firm.
Why Hire a Legal Marketing Agency?
Hiring a legal marketing agency can save you money, provide access to years of experience, offer greater bandwidth and efficiency, access to experts, new perspectives, and better resources. Investing in marketing technology can get expensive. An agency, assuming they’re reputable, will have access to the most up-to-date and cutting-edge resources that’ll improve your strategy over time.
Make Sure the Marketing Agency Understands Your Needs and Your Business
It’s essential to seek out an agency that understands exactly what you need, as well as your practice areas and your target audience. While specializing in the legal industry is not a requirement, it is highly likely your firm will achieve better results partnering with an agency that understands the specifics of working with lawyers and law firms and the nuances of legal marketing.
Here Are Things To Look For in a Legal Marketing Agency
1. Understanding Your Needs
Before you start looking for a digital marketing agency, it’s important to understand your law firm’s marketing needs. Consider the goals you want to achieve, the target audience you want to reach, and the specific services you require. Do you need help with search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, or all of the above? Understanding your needs will help you find an agency that can provide the services you require.
2. Identifying Potential Digital Marketing Agencies
Once you’ve identified your needs, you can start looking for potential digital marketing agencies. You can use online search engines, social media platforms, or professional directories to find agencies that specialize in law firm marketing. Additionally, you can ask for recommendations from other lawyers or colleagues who have worked with digital marketing agencies before.
3. Evaluating Agencies’ Experience and Expertise
When you’ve compiled a list of potential agencies, the next step is to evaluate their experience and expertise. Look for agencies that have experience working with law firms or in the legal industry. Ask about the agency’s team members’ credentials and expertise in digital marketing. Ensure that the agency has a clear understanding of the legal industry and the specific challenges law firms face when marketing their services.
4. Reviewing Agencies’ Portfolios and Case Studies
Reviewing an agency’s portfolio and case studies can give you an idea of the quality of work they produce. Look for examples of digital marketing campaigns the agency has executed for law firms. Review case studies that demonstrate the agency’s ability to achieve the goals and objectives you have set for your law firm.
5. Assessing Agencies’ Communication and Collaboration Skills
Working with a digital marketing agency requires a significant amount of collaboration and communication. Ensure that the agency you choose has strong communication skills and can provide regular updates on the progress of your campaigns. Consider the agency’s communication methods, such as email, phone, or in-person meetings, and choose an agency that aligns with your communication preferences.
6. Inquiring About Agencies’ Reporting and Analytics Capabilities
Measuring the effectiveness of your law firm’s digital marketing campaigns is critical to determining their success. Inquire about the agency’s reporting and analytics capabilities. Ensure that the agency can provide regular reports and metrics that demonstrate the effectiveness of their campaigns. Additionally, ensure that the agency can track and analyze the data from your law firm’s website and other digital marketing channels.
7. Examining Agencies’ Rates and Contracts
Digital marketing agencies can charge different rates and have different contract terms. Examine the rates and contract terms of potential agencies to ensure that they align with your law firm’s budget and needs.
Ask About Their Services and Skills
Ask any agency you’re considering what services they offer and which, if any, they specialize in. An honest agency will be upfront about where its strengths and weaknesses lie. Anyone claiming to be an expert in all aspects of digital marketing is almost certainly over-representing themselves.
Room for Growth
Ask about the agency’s ability to cover a few different strategies and how accustomed they are to adding services as their clients grow or their needs change.
Ask About Strategy vs. Execution
Some marketing agencies will specialize in strategy and planning, expecting you to take care of the execution. Others might be ready to handle the execution, but expect you to devise and inform them of your own strategy. Still, others will fall somewhere in the middle. The right choice for you will depend on exactly what your goals are and how involved you want to be in the various processes.
Make Sure Your Goals Are Aligned
Before heading into the hiring process, map out your marketing goals. Then, bring up goal setting when you meet with agencies. Do their goals for your firm align with your own? Do they feel equipped to reach your goals?
Ask How Results are Communicated
Find out right from the start how those results will be communicated to you. A good digital marketing agency will not only provide the data but also help you glean actionable insights and strategies from that data.
Ask For and Check Past Results. Don’t Take Their Word Alone
Ask for and check references. Any reputable marketer will be able to provide references from past clients with verifiable results.
Make Sure the Price is Right
Consider how much your firm can afford to spend and how you will be charged. You should think about both of these factors and ensure you know how billing will work with each agency you’re considering.
Conclusion
Choosing the right legal marketing agency is paramount for success. Not all agencies are alike, and sadly, there are many companies that lack knowledge of best practices. With these tips in mind, you can start your search for a digital marketing agency that will be both effective and comfortable to work with. Remember to seek out an agency that understands your needs and business, ask about their services and skills, ensure there is room for growth, and check past results.