ATTORNEY MARKETING COMPARISON
1. A ¾ page yellow pages ad or a video channel with educational video?
My question is “Why would you ever bother with the yellow pages anymore?” Since it’s a money-losing proposition and most people don’t use the yellow pages anymore, why would you throw away all of your marketing dollars on a static ¾ page in a competitive market? A consumer searching for an attorney will have to wade through 20 full page ads (in New York) to find a personal injury attorney. Then they’ll get to the ¾ page ads, then the ½ page ads and on and on.
Some lawyers say that if they use the YP as an educational tool and direct them to a website or phone number they stand a better chance of getting a call from another source. Makes sense, right? Yes, but only if the other 20 lawyers before you have rejected that person’s case. You get the rejects that nobody wants.
If that’s what you want to spent your $20,000 on, then good luck to you. I personally think it’s a mistake, but what do I know? You might prove me wrong. The only person you should be worrying about is whether that $20,000 will produce a great return on your investment; not just that one client will pay for the ad- you want to generate a profit from the ad and have the ad continue producing quality, pre-qualified clients for you. Do you really think the yellow pages is the way to do that anymore?
2. TV ad or create online video?
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to create a series of TV ads and have them play frequently for any significant time on TV for $20,000. Your ‘branding’ message with a TV ad is an expensive proposition. It’s unlikely someone needing your services will be watching that particular show, at that particular time slot on only a few days of the week. Unless you have a huge marketing budget, TV ads will not generate the calls to your office in the way that some other media can.
My advice? Skip the TV ad genre. They’re too similar and fail to explain to a viewer why they should call any one particular attorney over another.
3. Radio ads or online video?
When was the last time you called someone after listening to something on the radio? I’ve never done it. I’m sure others have. Radio messages are transient and fleeting. After those 15-30 seconds, your marketing dollars disappear into the radio waves, never to return.
How many radio ads do you need to create to establish frequent broadcasting to your audience? Many each day; each week and continue to do so. Will it work? Sure it will- over time; using a catchy ‘1-800-I-SUE-FOR-YOU’ phone number. The key is knowing whether it will pay off and is a worthwhile return on your investment.
Compare that to online video. Create your video once and have it played 10 times, 100 times, 10,000 times or more, all for the same exact price of…NOTHING!
What other media allows you have your marketing message available to you any time of day or night, exactly when someone wants to know the information that you have to offer in your video? Nothing else compares.
4. Classified ads or online video?
You’re kidding right? You are still using classifieds to market your services? You think you’ll attract quality paying clients using Craigslist with the following type ad? “Injured? Call me. I can help.” Very original. Very informative. Certainly stands out from all other attorney ads. I’m being facetious in case you couldn’t tell.
Skip the classifieds and start creating your attorney video.
5. Display ads or online video?
Some attorneys love to use display ads. They offer seminars; they create advertorials; they try to stand out using a display ad. That’s good marketing. However, in order to get the best rate, you need to publish your ad often and over a period of months. That will become cost prohibitive. Also, unless you can track your calls from your ad, you’re wasting your money.
What happens when that newspaper is finished and gets thrown in the garbage? You see your marketing dollars going down the drain as well. It doesn’t work for you while you sleep. It’s not found by someone searching for your services; only if they were reading that newspaper and read up to the point where your ad appears.
When you create informative online video, after your initial cost to create and upload it, it works for you ALL the time and it costs you zero dollars. There is nothing better anywhere.
6. Direct mail or online video?
If you’re a trial attorney like I am and handle personal injury and medical malpractice cases, you can’t use direct mail for the general public. You can’t send direct mail to patients in a hospital emergency room or even in an orthopedist’s waiting room (but I bet a lot of attorneys fantasize about being able to do that!). You can’t send direct mail to people who don’t need your services at that time; that’s a waste of money.
If you have a targeted list, then you can use direct mail to your advantage and you should. However, without a list of potential clients who will need your services, you have to have an alternative. CAVEAT: THERE ARE MANY ETHICS RULES THAT PROHIBIT DIRECT SOLICITATION OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR LOCAL RULES ARE BEFORE ENGAGING IN DIRECT MAIL.
With video, it’s online and available at all hours of the night or day. It will show up when a viewer is actively looking for your specialty. Optimize the chance that your video will be found and you stand a much greater chance that your viewer will call you for information instead of your competitor.
My advice: Get started creating online video today.
About Gerry
Gerry Oginski is a New York medical malpractice trial lawyer who created The Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers to help lawyers get onto video.
We make it so simple, fun and easy for you to create your attorney video. We shoot your video, create a custom video channel for you and we give you the equipment we just shot your video with. This way you can create video any time you like. You just turn on your equipment, create your video and then send us the memory card and we do the rest. My team of post-production specialists edit your video and before uploading it, I personally review each one. Then, before you know it, your videos are online. The hardest thing you had to do was drop that memory card in our pre-paid Fedex mailer. That’s it.
There is no other video production company that offers this much value for the money. None. That’s how I stand out. I’m different and it shows.
So what are you going to spend your marketing dollars on this year? The same old tired way of hoping to get new clients, or a proven way that is the best return on your investment? How do I know it’s the best ROI? Because I’m living proof it works.
I encourage you to call me at 516-487-8208 or send me an email at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. I welcome your call. To learn more, go to The Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers.
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I do not know how much response your suggested advertising method would produce, however I can comment on the response generated from other sources you dismiss without any facts or basis. For example, to make statements such as, “people don’t use the phone book anymore” is unfounded and without any supported facts. Statements need to be supported with proven facts. Here are the facts: on a cost-per-call basis, “local” community yellow pages still outperform online forms of advertising. In fact, we have compared yellow pages to online ads (Google & Yahoo pay-per-click). The yellow pages outperformed them by a margin of 14 to 1. Here is the proof: As an agency, our clients include small businesses such as service companies, retailers, and professionals, including attorneys. Every ad we place for our clients, whether print or online (including online video), has a unique “call tracking” phone number. It records every call, including time of day, call length, and caller ID. Our clients receive as much as 140+ calls every month from their yellow pages advertising! The fact is that consumers are still using the yellow pages – and using them a lot! Results vary by category, as professionals receive less calls, yet their average new client is worth much more than a restaurant or beauty salon. Our advertising decisions are based on actual results. Regarding yellow pages, the best yellow pages are the local “community” phone books. As I mentioned, these local yellow pages outperform the online ads by a margin of 14 to 1 (on a cost-per-call basis). They have low rates and high usage. The rates aren’t anywhere near the $20,000 you quote in this article. And the number of ads in the yellow pages is not the issue. The issue is how many competitors are there in your classification. A divorce attorney ad does not compete with a bankruptcy ad, etc. Here’s the proof: one of our clients is the #26 ad in the attorneys classification in their local book. However, they receive 56 calls per month! That’s because they were the first ad in the classification that focused on their specialty of law. The cost was only $559 per month! That is a great return on investment! The problem with yellow pages has been with the utility publishers (i.e. AT&T, Idearc). Their years of abuse of businesses with high rates and poor service have finally caught up to them. Businesses have another option these days – local “community” phone books and local online options (i.e. Google Maps). The bottom line is this: advertising decisions should be based on proven results and the return of investment. Place a “tracking number” in your proposed advertising medium (online, print, or video) and let the facts decide.