Market Masters Legal – TV Advertising Blog

Everyone who advertises knows that the key challenge is getting your branded message to the right audience.  For example, if yours is a personal injury firm, you want to target the demographic that books the most miles driving.  Further, you want to focus on those most likely to select an attorney based on what they see on TV. Makes sense, right?

The vast range of network and cable television channels makes pinpointing television ads to the right demographic far more possible than in the past.  “To be effective, no longer do TV ads have to run during major events like the Super Bowl, because they can be placed and timed to address a smaller set of more targeted viewers.”  says RecruitmentADvisor, an expert in today’s digital media.

That does not mean to forgo online advertising.  Just the opposite. “Combine the broad reach of television with the targeted reach of websites, and the result is usually more effective marketing,” explains RecruitmentADvisor.

Q Media Research has been studying the tandem impact of television and online ads for several years.  Among other things, they have found:

• “Using TV and online together results in 47% more positivity about a brand than using either in isolation.”
• “The likelihood of buying or using a product increases by more than 50% when TV and online are used together.”
• “48% of the sample group watched broadcast TV while online, most days.”
• “Two-thirds of this group have watched TV via online providers, primarily as a way to catch-up with broadcast TV and mainly from TV broadcasters’ websites.”
• “Both TV and the internet are used for entertainment (TV, 80%; online 56%) and both have a significant influence on driving purchase (75% and 52%).”

Market Masters–Legal understands the tandem balance of targeted TV and online advertising for legal professionals.  Because of the enhanced visual element of large flat screens and such, they also understand the power of bringing popular, trusted television and film celebrities to the screen – many from beloved television series – by integrating them into the attorney’s marketing strategy.  Robert Vaughn, William Shatner, Judge Joe Brown, and Harry Hamlin (among others) are only several of the many popular, influential spokesmen and spokeswomen that we make available to our clients.

Americans love television, and they love learning about professionals located in their community whom they can trust and get to know.  We harness that trust for our clients via compelling, professional advertising campaigns that both build your brand as a professional attorney or firm and produce demonstrable results.

Spend your time on your clients, while we keep your phone ringing and email inbox dinging.  We invite you to give us the opportunity to prove our effectiveness – and the unbeatable power of television advertising – with a low cost trial period.  It’s a small risk, well worth taking.

In addition to the recent post on dog bites, another area that you may want to consider paying attention to is Veteran Disability cases. According to the Associated Press, 45 percent of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking disability benefits. The different types of ailments are now up to eight to nine on average per afflicted veteran as compared to fewer than four for Vietnam vets.

This spike is due to many issues, including more soldiers surviving wounds due to better body armor and better field care, and more awareness of problems such as PTSD. The unemployment rate is not making matters any better, as returning veterans struggle to find employment. And as the population of veterans from these wars expands and ages, the spending will only rise. A recent article from CBS News reports that in 25 years the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured soldiers. What is the cost right now? Nearly the same as paying interest on the national debt.

Unfortunately, veterans have a long waiting time for their disability evaluation – more than a year on average. But when they are compensated, payments range from $127 per month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one, according to the Washington Post.

Contact Market Masters-Legal if you are interested in adding Veteran Disability cases to your mix of TV commercials (See: TV commercials For Attorneys) or website content.

The paradigm has changed when it comes to how the public perceives insurance companies.  Thanks to the excellent multi-media campaigns deployed by the major consumer insurers, they have actually become quite likable.  Combine this with the now prevalent strategy of swooping in and offering quick cash (albeit low) settlements at a time when people need money and the recipe is right for it to have an impact on your practices.

What used to be a “Cold War” approach of delay and deny has taken on the illusion of “the Wall coming down”.  In other words, the wolf that used to clearly wear wolf’s clothing is now the wolf wearing sheep’s clothing…..and the public is buying it.

Our job is to make the consumer aware of what is going on and encourage them more than ever to contact a (your) law firm before signing anything or taking a deal.  That is certainly something that we at Market Masters-Legal understand and are focusing our TV and Web licensee’s campaigns on.

I just read an interesting recent article in Advertising Age that discussed the question of whether using celebrities in marketing was still viable in the “Era of Social Media”.  The overall conclusion was – yes.

“We receive more than 3,000 commercial images a day; our subconscious absorbs more than 150 images and roughly 30 reach our conscious mind………..if you use a (celebrity) strategy, you dramatically accelerate the potential for your brand to reach the conscious mind of the consumer.”

“….(it) has the power to instigate and inspire, enlighten and enrage, entertain and edify the consumer. Its inherent benefits are that it can be leveraged across multiple channel experiences (and potentially services), cuts through advertising clutter, creates a brand narrative and allows for channel-specific optimization. Ultimately, (it) is always worth investing in if you have the right person.”

Market Masters-Legal provides law firms with the opportunity to utilize the considerable spokesperson talents of William Shatner and Robert Vaughn in custom-filmed, market-exclusive multi-media campaigns.  Although far from the only elements of our creative that enable our licensees to regularly dominate their markets, they are critical components to their success.

“Everyone knows us.”

I shouldn’t be surprised when I hear this from an attorney at a well established firm that advertises heavily.  Yet, I almost always am.  Recently, I was told this by two of our licensees.  One was thinking that a 30% reduction in their advertising would not be a problem, and the other was saying that they could reallocate a portion of their budget to speculative strategies.  A few weeks after the cutback, the first attorney called me to express concern about dropping call numbers.  I reminded him about the reduction and he acknowledged that it was the likely cause of the downturn.

I have been told that the typical city/market experiences as much as a 20% annual turnover of population.  That 20% each year will not know you based on longevity or past marketing.  Even more important is the question as to what happens when a firm lessens its marketing position?  Inevitably, a competitor or competitors fill the vacuum that is created.  It can give them life where previously they were much less relevant.

Everyone does not know you, even if a lot do.  Stay strong and aggressive in your marketing using superior creative and proven strategies.  It will keep you on top.

Auto accident data is difficult to come by in a timely fashion.  Often what is available is a year old or more.  While it would be great to know how many cases one is currently getting out of the total potential “pie”, thus far this is information that eludes us.

One report, however, can provide an idea of how your market stacks up when it comes to overall driver safety.  Allstate recently released its “America’s Best Drivers Report™”.  The report uses Allstate’s claim data to rank the country’s 200 biggest cities based on frequency of car collisions to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

What is the safest city?  Fort Collins, CO.  Which city is more likely to have accidents than any other?  Washington, DC.  How does your city stack up?  Click to view the full 2010 report.

As with any data, results can be suggestive but are not necessarily conclusive.  The overall business of any individual law firm is the result of many factors, not the least of which is effective marketing.  Robust market conditions or soft, it is always best to be the one getting the first call.

Heading into Labor Day Weekend, I was trying to think of something appropriate to post.  Then I received a call from a prospective client interested in our TV campaigns for a specialized area, Wage Hour abuse cases.

Unfair labor practices have been around a very long time.  However, the suffering economy seems to have led to even more people being taken advantage of.   Hourly workers are required to work extra time without being compensated, or they are “promoted” to “management” to bypass overtime requirements. Two current Market Masters-Legal licensees began advertising for these cases earlier this year, with very strong results.  One of them told me that bigger companies are paying the fines/penalties whenever they are called to task, but have no intention of stopping what they are doing.  The savings outweigh the costs associated with the minority of people that will pursue claims against them.  In other words, there is no end to available cases/victims.

We have been advocating diversification in the types of cases being advertised for as a means to further grow practices.  Wage Hour abuse is an area that may be worth further exploration for you.  Let me know if you would like more information.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.

In my very first blog post I described what I believe to be a common marketing mistake that law firms make.  That is asking the question “How did you hear about us?” when someone first contacts the firm.  I heard from a number of people who agreed, disagreed and/or wanted to know how to acquire this useful information.

To clarify my point, I did not say that one should never ask this question, but only that it should not be among the first ones that are asked.  So, when can you do it?  One licensee sent me this comment:

“I ask this specific question at the end of the first telephone contact with the client – after Intake has finished the intake and has passed the call through to me for further assessment and making an appointment- and also in my initial meeting with the client when I am signing them up.  Not the FIRST question…………And what usually ensues is a bit of a conversation with the new client about the many ways in which he/she has heard about our law firm.  Very often, one way they have heard about us is from another person.  Of course, they almost always say they are familiar with the TV ads……I find that the clients like being asked that question b/c it shows that I care about what the “thought process” was by which they ended up calling us.”

Excellent.

Establish rapport, cover their problems, make them feel like you will be taking care of them, and then ask the question in an “organic” way.  The information you receive in this fashion will be more accurate and valuable than hitting them with it up front.

Which  Approach To Lawyer Advertising Is Best?

Dignified or Memorable.

Dignified, by far, has been the approach of choice.  Lawyers on camera communicating how much they understand and care about those in need.  The belief is that this type of advertising will hit home with people in a way that will make them feel good about the firm and want to do business with them.  The problem with most ads in this category, in our opinion, is that they are weak at generating response and are easily forgotten.

There is a minority of attorneys who have chosen to take a more aggressive approach.  Hard hitting ads filled with visual and/or audio gimmicks that practically scream at the consumer. Most lawyers would not choose this strategy, and in fact abhor it.  While they lack dignity, they are memorable (even if it is for the wrong reasons).

There is a third choice.

Without question, the hardest thing to do is to consistently advertise in a way that is both memorable and dignified.  However, we believe it is the only way to maximize response among those currently in need of a lawyer, while building positive equity with the larger segment of the market at any given time that does not yet have the need.  Translation – more cases and better cases.  With Market Masters-Legal you do not have to choose one or the other.  You get both.