Legal Marketing News

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Denver, CO: AAJ 2018 Annual Convention Attendance

picIn just a few short days, Denver will host one of the largest conferences for trial lawyers in the nation.  The AAJ 2018 Annual Convention will take place from July 7 – 10 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.  The conference features over 200 events including advocacy section breakouts, litigation group CLE programs and committee meetings.

 

If you are new to the American Association of Justice or experiencing this conference for the first time, be prepared for four days of networking opportunities.  You can get up close and personal with experts, industry leaders and speakers who willing share their wealth of knowledge.  The schedule is jam-packed with something for everyone from Asbestos to Zofran.

 

Join Amicus Media Group and Amicus Capital Group’s CEO Bill Tilley as well as Melissa Repking and Daniel Rodriguez at this year’s AAJ Annual Convention. Visit Booth #3 and learn more about increasing your law firm’s profitability.  We are a legal media agency dedicated to law firm growth and case acquisition with less risk.  We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Connecting to Your Audience with Transformational Advertising

pic2How Emotional Appeals are Evolving Legal Marketing Strategies

It should not surprise anyone that emotional appeals to consumers are the latest trend in advertising.  We have seen a considerable shift in how companies connect with viewers.  Consumers want to know the why behind a company, not just information about the product or service.  Advertisements that center around a particular product or service are quickly being faded out in favor of transformational advertising that appeals to a consumer’s feelings or mood.

What is Transformational Advertising?

The American Marketing Association defines transformational advertising as that which “associates product usage with certain feelings, images or meanings that then transform the experience of using the product.”  This type of advertising is often compared with informational advertising or that which “presents factual, usually verifiable, information about the product or product usage.  Transformational advertising looks to offer an experience to the consumer.  This form of advertising is less concentrated on the particular service or product but instead on the overall feeling that the consumer will get when they invest in the company.

Johnson & Johnson uses an emotional appeal to their viewers that is less based on the features of their actual product but more on how consumer’s feel when they use the product.  Other approaches by major corporations include Uber, Facebook and Wells Fargo who have all tried to refocus on the actual brand instead of the individual product or service in light of recent negative press.  Honda’s “Random Acts of Helpfulness” tv and radio commercials are extremely successful at selling an experience that investing in the brand will give you without ever even mentioning the actual product. Industries across the board have used transformational messaging in advertising to develop brand loyalty and deliver the idea of a whole “lifestyle” to their consumer.  Companies have become more experienced focus.  Advertising transcends beyond an individual product and instead shows how that product or service will enhance a particular outcome or experience for the consumer.

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How to Build a Successful Transformational Legal Ad

Legal marketing is mainly geared toward transformational advertising.  We are a service industry focused on helping those in need.  Unfortunately, most legal advertising does very little to connect with consumers.  Building a successful transformational legal ad begins with creating an experience.  The focus of the ad should be less on selling the legal service and more on how your practice can help your target audience live a better life.  According to a paper written by Christopher Puto, Duke University and William D. Wells or Needham, Harper and Steers Advertising, Inc. and published by the Association for Consumer Research a transformational advertisement will “make the experience of using the product richer, warmer, more exciting, and/or more enjoyable than that obtained solely from an objective description of the advertised brand.”

The idea is to sell without selling.  You want to create feelings, thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and images that a consumer connects with your brand.  The best examples of transformational advertising are done by companies that are admired.  Start with the principle that “truth builds trust” and stand behind your commitment to the customer.  Be a positive force in the legal industry and use that in your branding to showcase who you are and what you stand for.

Learn More about Transformational Advertising for the Legal Industry

If you are interested in growing your firm, contact Amicus Media Group today for more information.  We have case specialists available to take your call at (888) 700-1088.  Our team of dedicated media managers will help you understand the keys to successful branding and how to build transformational advertisements that genuinely speak to your target audience.  Contact us today for more information about Transforming the Business of Law.

This blog post does not contain legal or financial advice. Author and publisher disclaim any and all warranties, liabilities, losses, costs, claims, demands, suits, or actions of any type or nature whatsoever, arising from or any way related to this blog, the use of this blog, and/or any claim that a particular technique or device described in this blog.

Law Firm Growth: Marketing Individual Attorneys

pic15 Ways to Market and Promote the Attorneys at your Law Firm

One size fits all legal marketing will not fit for most law firms.  The legal industry is a robust playing field with many different facets and niches.  Even within individual law firms, some attorneys are more suited to a particular branch or specific area of law.  In your overall law firm marketing plan, you should consider how each attorney fits into your firm and how they can help your brand.  Individual attorneys should have their successes promoted and marketed.  You need to evaluate each lawyer, how they contribute and what sets them apart then advertise those strengths.  Showcasing a lawyer’s strengths will make them an invaluable player at your firm and will help sell them to potential clients.

 

Step 1: Conduct an attorney interview

This interview is not a job interview but rather a discovery interview.  Set down with your associate, junior partner or even paralegal that you would like to feature.  Make sure that you understand what their long-term goals are with the firm and what motivates them.  See what they do outside of work including community involvement and if they have special interests that the firm can participate in as well.  Marketing your firm should start internally.  You want to have happy employees that will ultimately be brand ambassadors.

 

Step 2: Add Lawyer Profiles to your Website

Add a spotlight on each attorney to your website.  Under your firm profile, each attorney should be listed out with information on where they went to law school, essential achievements inside and outside of the firm and information that sets them apart.  Use the information from your discovery interview to build a unique profile that speaks to your ideal client.

 

If you are featuring an individual, then they should have a robust digital presence.  Hold associates accountable.  Each attorney should have their AVVO profile completely filled out.  They should also update other legal directories and social networking sites with information about their position with the firm.  LinkedIn can be an excellent networking resource, make sure that each firm employee has up-to-date information and a link to your firm profile page.

 

Step 3: Hold Regular Business Development Meetings

Marketing your firm does not have to begin and end with you.  Having attorneys and employees that are invested in the firm’s growth will be instrumental in taking your firm to the next level.  Hold regular business development strategy meetings that focus on potential conferences to attend, community involvement, organizations to join and networking opportunities.

 

Step 4: Nurture Individual Skill Sets

Practicing law requires a unique skill set, but not all attorneys are created equal.  If you have an associate that struggles with writing but excels in oral argument, nurture his/her strengths while working on their weaknesses.  Ask the attorney or paralegal to list areas that they feel they excel in and areas that they struggle.  Every member of your firm is an asset, make sure that they are growing with the firm.

 

Step 5: Set Goals and Follow Through

Finally, you need to set goals for each member of your firm.  Discuss plans for individual growth as well as law firm growth.  Plan ways that they can contribute to your firm’s marketing campaigns.  Implement those changes and regularly follow up to make sure your team stays on board.  Be open to suggestions and plan employee incentives for referrals, successful networking campaigns or marketing ideas.

 

 

 

Want to learn more about legal marketing and promoting the individuals within your firm?  Contact Amicus Media Group, Amicus Capital Group or Amicus Consulting today.  We are a full-service law firm marketing company that can help you grow your firm with less risk.  We have case managers that understand the needs of law firms big and small.  Contact us today for a free consultation.