January 20, 2025 • 16 mins
Stop Copying Everyone Else; Create Your Own Damn Strategy
This episode encourages law firms to stop copying competitors and instead create unique marketing strategies that reflect their individual strengths. It explores the importance of authenticity, understanding client needs, and implementing a sustainable framework for successful marketing.
• Discussing the dangers of imitation in law firm marketing
• Importance of defining a unique value proposition
• The role of authenticity in building client trust
• Understanding the target audience and their pain points
• Six-step framework for developing a custom marketing strategy
• Common mistakes firms make and how to avoid them
• Actionable challenge for implementing unique strategies this week
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Stop copying everyone else.
Create your own damn strategy.
Welcome to Legal Marketing 101.
I'm Toby Rosen.
If you have been told to justfollow the best practices or
copy what the firm down thestreet is doing, stop right now.
Today we are tearing up thecopycat playbook and we're
building a strategy that isunique to you and to your firm.
(00:29):
Let's get real for a second.
Copying another law firm inyour market, copying their
marketing strategy, might feellike a safe system to sort of
cheat a little bit, but it's arecipe for mediocrity.
Why?
Because your firm isn't thesame as their firm Number one.
Your firm is unique.
Think about it.
(00:50):
Your practice areas, yourtarget clients, the culture of
your firm all of this creates acombination that no one else can
replicate.
Even if you are going to copythat firm down the streets
marketing strategy, aren't youbetter than them?
If you specialize in, say,estate planning for retirees,
your audience and your approachare probably going to look
(01:10):
nothing like a firm that'sfocused on high-stakes corporate
litigation.
And by copying someone else'sstrategy, even if they're in
your vertical, you're ignoringthe things that make your firm
special and you're reallymissing a huge opportunity to
stand out.
Now let me be clear when I'mtalking about copying, what I'm
(01:33):
talking about is sort of blindlycopying a strategy that you can
see.
It doesn't mean you can't beinspired by what others are
doing, and it doesn't mean thatyou can't use what others are
doing as a jumping off point.
Those are really easy ways tosort of take a step forward.
But if you're directly copyingwithout giving it your real
flavor of who you and your teamare, then you're really missing
out on something.
(01:54):
Because our number two key pointhere is that imitation leads to
mediocrity.
When we just directly mimicanother firm, we're not
showcasing our strength, we'reblending into the crowd, we're
looking like everybody else, andwhen potential clients can't
tell one firm from another onthe Google search page, they're
just going to start shopping byprice, and that is not what we
(02:15):
want them to do in this scenarioand that's really the last
place we want to be competing,because you know the way to have
an edge is to lower your prices.
Differentiation when it comesto marketing is really not just
a buzzword.
It is how we shift theconversation from who's the
cheapest to who's actually thebest fit.
For me, number three is thatthe market is changing
(02:38):
constantly.
What was working for a firm ayear ago, or even a month ago
may already be irrelevant tothat.
Client Platforms evolve,algorithms shift, platforms may
even become unavailabletemporarily, and the reality of
all of this is it combines and,at the end of the day, what
matters the most is that clientexpectations grow, things get
(02:58):
better and they see thatimprovement across the market.
Remember that firm down thestreet that was crushing it with
a LinkedIn campaign?
You could pour a ton of timeand money into the exact same
strategy, only to find out thatour clients just aren't engaging
on LinkedIn.
They're on Instagram or they'reon Facebook.
Firms learn this the hard waywhen they take big bets on
particular platforms withoutdoing their research, and part
(03:21):
of that is understanding what'sunique about you and where that
message fits best.
So stop playing.
Follow the leader.
Spend some time carving out astrategy that actually reflects
who you and your team are, whatyou guys do, and figure out
where you can deliver thatmessage, where your clients are
actually spending their time.
And now that we've covered thissort of basics of why copying
(03:43):
others doesn't work I mean thereare a lot of reasons why it
usually doesn't work, but wedon't need to get into the weeds
there.
Let's start focusing more onthe upside of forging our own
path, a custom marketingstrategy, doing something that's
a little bit different, or, youknow, even if it's inspired or
the idea comes from somebody,it's a game changer to really
have something that's custom andrings true to you.
(04:05):
That's because number oneauthenticity resonates.
Think about the last time youconnected with a brand.
It wasn't because they weregeneric, for sure.
It was because they told astory or shared values that
mattered to you.
The same is true for your firm.
When your marketing isauthentic, when it reflects your
unique story, expertise andvalues, it draws clients in.
(04:27):
People aren't just looking for alawyer.
They're looking for someonethat they trust, someone who
understands them, and thisdoesn't mean it has to have a
lot of frilly language.
Just because you're looking forsomebody who understands you
doesn't mean you're looking forsomebody who's necessarily soft.
It means they're looking forsomebody who has the same
attitude towards the problemthat they do.
A personalized strategy allowsus to showcase the really human
(04:51):
side of our firm as well,because this does matter, and
whether this is through clienttestimonials, behind the scenes
glimpses, or even just a blogthat talks directly about your
audience's concerns, this stuffworks.
But number two, the big reasonwhy we want to create something
that's unique is because itgives us that competitive edge.
Law is a hugely competitivefield, especially in online
(05:14):
marketing, which is where we'regenerally talking about things.
Every day, potential clientsare bombarded with ads,
billboards, radio ads, searchengine results all of these
different sources of informationand a cookie-cutter approach
just blends in.
But a distinct strategy thatmakes you memorable.
When it's your knack forexplaining complex legal issues
(05:37):
in simple terms on YouTube, oryour commitment to responsive
communication that's highlightedby your Google reviews,
everyone is saying they respondright away.
He seems like he's always onthe phone.
Whatever it is, your customstrategy is what sets you apart
and ultimately, this helps buildloyalty and ensures that these
clients think of you first whenthey or someone they know needs
(05:58):
legal help.
But number three is that itsets us up for long-term success
, because let's talk aboutsustainability.
That's going to be an issue.
Trends in marketing come and go, but a strategy tailored to
your firm is built to last.
Why?
Because it's designed aroundyour specific goals, it's built
around your audience and it'sbuilt around your strengths,
instead of just chasing whateverthe latest fad is or the latest
(06:21):
type of video or the latesttrend is on whatever app, you're
going to be focusing on whatactually works for your firm and
adjusting as needed.
This adaptability is reallycrucial in a world where client
expectations and technology are,let's say, just constantly
evolving.
It's always changing and whenyou actually own your strategy,
(06:42):
you're not going to bescrambling to keep up with
whatever the competitor is doing.
You're going to be leading theway.
The bottom line here is that acustom strategy isn't just about
better marketing.
It's about creating thesemeaningful connections that help
us stand out in this crowdedmarket and set our firm up for
sustainable growth.
This is what we're talkingabout on pretty much every
episode of Legal Marketing 101.
(07:02):
So, to start, take a step back,define what makes your firm
unique and start building astrategy that actually reflects
that.
And if that seems a little bitoverwhelming, don't worry, I
have a little bit of a strategyBuilding this strategy.
It can feel overwhelming.
There are a lot of pieces hereand the reality is it is kind of
(07:24):
overwhelming, but if we do somesmart planning and we get
things pretty organized, itmakes it a lot easier.
My script here is actuallytelling me that it doesn't have
to be overwhelming, but myscript is wrong.
It's overwhelming, and that'sbecause there are a bunch of
phases, there are a bunch ofelements, and we need to get
them right because we want to besuccessful.
So let's start with these sixsteps that help us create this
(07:51):
strategy.
I'm not saying it's going to beeasy, but it will get done.
Let's say that.
So number one is that we need tounderstand and assess our
unique value proposition.
So what sets us apart Basically?
Maybe it's our niche expertiselike the lawyer for startups
that are navigating complex IPissues or maybe it's our client
service we offer a personalizedapproach to legal guidance that
feels a lot less transactionaland much more relationship-like.
(08:14):
Or even it's our approach totechnology.
Maybe we have a seamless clientportal and they get their
documents back and it's a lotfaster.
All of this can be adifferentiator.
Whatever it is, identify thatunique value proposition, or UVP
, because you need this as thefoundation of all of the
marketing.
Really, this is this is reallya crucial piece, because it's
(08:36):
sort of what we're going to sell.
If you're not sure what makesyou unique, here's an easy way
to find out Ask your clients whythey picked you.
Their insights could tell youabout strengths that you haven't
even thought about.
Sure, some of them are going tosay it's referrals, but some of
them are going to tell you it'sbecause I saw this on Google or
saw this on your website and Ifelt like, hey, they're really
(08:57):
going to understand my problem.
Step two let's really dig in onthat audience.
I know we've just asked themabout our insights and if you
just paused after step one anddidn't get to step two, I don't
know why you would do that.
But if you did that, go backand ask them again.
We need to understand ouraudience, because marketing
without having a real clientstory, a real picture of who our
(09:17):
client is, it's like throwingdarts in the dark.
We're never going to getanywhere and it might be
dangerous.
So take a little time toactually define on paper your
ideal clients.
Are they individuals, are theysmall business owners, or are
they large corporations?
What are their pain points?
How can you solve those painpoints?
Use tools like the surveys,client interviews, even social
(09:43):
media research, to get to knowyour audience.
The more you understand them,the more effectively you can
tailor your messaging and thechannels you use to reach them
where they are.
Step three is taking a look atour existing marketing efforts.
Before we jump into somethingnew, let's figure out what we're
already doing.
We need to know everything andwhat's actually driving leads.
What is sort of spending moneybut maybe not producing enough.
(10:04):
Look at our website, our socialmedia, email campaigns, local
paid advertising, anythingyou're spending money on.
If your blog posts are gettingviews, but your email open rates
are low, then we know where todouble down and where to improve
.
This whole step here helps usfrom wasting resources on tasks
that are sort of justineffective, basically, and from
(10:27):
doing things or adding elementsto our strategy that aren't
going to measure money, and youknow we could have just avoided
them.
Step four, though, is to setsome goals, because a lot of the
time, we're going to be tryingsomething new and we're not
going to know exactly how it'sgoing to go, but we need to have
some specific, measurable goals.
Things like get more clients.
(10:48):
This isn't going to cut it here.
We need to write out goals andaim for things like increase
quality leads by 20% in the nextsix months.
Specific goals like this helpus stay focused, and measurable
goals allow us to track ourprogress.
On top of this, clear goalslike increase quality leads by
20% in the next six months,makes it a lot easier for us to
(11:11):
celebrate milestones along theway, keeping our team motivated,
and it makes it really easy forus to know whether or not we've
succeeded.
And then, once we've set ourgoals, we understand where we
are.
Step five is to experiment andinnovate.
This is where the fun reallybegins.
Don't be afraid to test newideas.
Sure, we have some data on whatworks and what doesn't, so we
(11:32):
don't need to play with that.
But maybe we launch a webinarseries that showcases expertise,
or we try short form video adson YouTube shorts, or maybe on
TikTok.
We'll see.
Experimenting doesn't meanthrowing spaghetti at the wall.
This is not what we're doing,and we're not throwing darts in
the dark either.
Experimenting means makingcalculated decisions based on
(11:53):
what we know.
We know about our audience andmeasuring the outcomes.
This is a science experiment.
We want to use the scientificmethod whenever possible and we
also want to have a little bitof fun.
So step six is less fun,unfortunately.
It is to measure and adapt,because our strategy isn't set
in stone.
This is a living document, thisis a living plan, and we have
(12:15):
to treat it like that.
Use tools like Google Analytics, your CRM system, client
feedback all of these elementsto feed in and help us monitor
what's working and what's not.
If a campaign flops, don'tpanic.
Analyze why that happened, whatwe could fix, and then pivot.
If it's fixable, keep doing it.
If it's not fixable, dosomething else.
(12:37):
Do something else.
The most successful firms arethose that are continuously
learning and adapting, and,while they do know when to cut
their losses and move on to thenext project, they also make
sure they give it a good collegetry.
By following this framework,we're going to create a strategy
that's not only unique, butit's effective, sustainable and
(12:57):
it's flexible enough to evolvewith your firm and with the
market.
Now, before we go, I want tomention three big mistakes that
firms tend to make when it comesto these marketing strategies.
These aren't really the end ofthe world, but they're things
that happen and it can make youfeel like you're stuck in a rut.
They can derail your efforts abit.
Mistake number one isovercomplicating your strategy.
(13:19):
It's really easy to get caughtup in the flashy tools, the new
tactics, the new stuff and doingall these different things, but
a strategy that's overloadedwith complexity is going to fall
apart faster than it getsstarted.
Simplicity here is really whatwins.
Focus on a few core initiativesthat align with your goals and
your audience.
So if we start with somethingsmall, we can then grow it.
(13:43):
Instead of prioritizing sixsocial media platforms,
prioritize one or two where theclients are most active, and
then scale with automation.
Mistake number two is ignoringdata and relying too much on
your gut feeling.
Yes, your instincts may be verysharp, but the reality is
they're no substitute for thehard data that I'm looking at.
(14:03):
Ignoring the metrics likewebsite traffic, conversion
rates, ad performance all ofthis leads to missed
opportunities and wastedresources.
Again, the script wants me tohedge my bets and say it can or
this could happen, but thereality is it does.
If we ignore the data, we wastemoney.
So make sure you're on top ofthe analytics.
(14:24):
If you don't fully understandsomething, make sure you're
asking someone about it, becauseit can be complicated.
I've been in there for a longtime and it's really annoyingly
complicated.
But make sure you're usingthese tools to guide your
decisions, back up what you'retrying to do and ensuring that
your efforts aren't grounded inreality and not the assumptions,
because this is one way for usto just really get off track
(14:46):
quickly.
Mistake number three and this isone that I think lawyers have
gotten better on as the Internethas become more popular, but
they do cut their losses quicklyis giving up on ideas just a
little bit too fast.
Innovative strategies, doingsomething new it takes time and
gaining traction is difficult,but too often firms are
(15:08):
abandoning the initiativesbefore they've had a chance to
show results.
I always talk about this withpay-per-click that we're looking
for 60 to 90 days for aninitial test to see if we're
going to get results, and that'sgenerally true, but there are
definitely situations where thenumbers are different.
Sometimes we reach a criticalmass of clicks much faster and
sometimes it takes longer.
(15:28):
If you've done your researchand your execution is solid and
your team concurs with all ofthat, give the ideas the space
and the runway they need tosucceed Before we go.
There's actually one more thing,and this is your challenge for
the week Take one unique ideafrom today's episode and start
implementing it this week.
Maybe it's just starting withidentifying what your unique
(15:51):
value proposition is, or justplaying around with a new
platform, or even simplifying anexisting strategy, so you can
focus a little bit more on whatreally matters.
Small steps here lead to bigchanges, and the sooner you put
one foot in front of the other,the faster you're going to see
results.
If you found this episode,please don't forget to subscribe
, share it with a colleague andcheck out the paid episodes on
(16:13):
the first Monday of every month.
Let's keep the conversationgoing.
Your next big breakthrough isright around the corner.
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvert.
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvertisingcomfor more Thanks.
Stop copying everyone else.
Create your own damn strategy.
Welcome to Legal Marketing 101.
I'm Toby Rosen.
If you have been told to justfollow the best practices or
copy what the firm down thestreet is doing, stop right now.
Today we are tearing up thecopycat playbook and we're
building a strategy that isunique to you and to your firm.
(00:29):
Let's get real for a second.
Copying another law firm inyour market, copying their
marketing strategy, might feellike a safe system to sort of
cheat a little bit, but it's arecipe for mediocrity.
Why?
Because your firm isn't thesame as their firm Number one.
Your firm is unique.
Think about it.
(00:50):
Your practice areas, yourtarget clients, the culture of
your firm all of this creates acombination that no one else can
replicate.
Even if you are going to copythat firm down the streets
marketing strategy, aren't youbetter than them?
If you specialize in, say,estate planning for retirees,
your audience and your approachare probably going to look
(01:10):
nothing like a firm that'sfocused on high-stakes corporate
litigation.
And by copying someone else'sstrategy, even if they're in
your vertical, you're ignoringthe things that make your firm
special and you're reallymissing a huge opportunity to
stand out.
Now let me be clear when I'mtalking about copying, what I'm
(01:33):
talking about is sort of blindlycopying a strategy that you can
see.
It doesn't mean you can't beinspired by what others are
doing, and it doesn't mean thatyou can't use what others are
doing as a jumping off point.
Those are really easy ways tosort of take a step forward.
But if you're directly copyingwithout giving it your real
flavor of who you and your teamare, then you're really missing
out on something.
(01:54):
Because our number two key pointhere is that imitation leads to
mediocrity.
When we just directly mimicanother firm, we're not
showcasing our strength, we'reblending into the crowd, we're
looking like everybody else, andwhen potential clients can't
tell one firm from another onthe Google search page, they're
just going to start shopping byprice, and that is not what we
(02:15):
want them to do in this scenarioand that's really the last
place we want to be competing,because you know the way to have
an edge is to lower your prices.
Differentiation when it comesto marketing is really not just
a buzzword.
It is how we shift theconversation from who's the
cheapest to who's actually thebest fit.
For me, number three is thatthe market is changing
(02:38):
constantly.
What was working for a firm ayear ago, or even a month ago
may already be irrelevant tothat.
Client Platforms evolve,algorithms shift, platforms may
even become unavailabletemporarily, and the reality of
all of this is it combines and,at the end of the day, what
matters the most is that clientexpectations grow, things get
(02:58):
better and they see thatimprovement across the market.
Remember that firm down thestreet that was crushing it with
a LinkedIn campaign?
You could pour a ton of timeand money into the exact same
strategy, only to find out thatour clients just aren't engaging
on LinkedIn.
They're on Instagram or they'reon Facebook.
Firms learn this the hard waywhen they take big bets on
particular platforms withoutdoing their research, and part
(03:21):
of that is understanding what'sunique about you and where that
message fits best.
So stop playing.
Follow the leader.
Spend some time carving out astrategy that actually reflects
who you and your team are, whatyou guys do, and figure out
where you can deliver thatmessage, where your clients are
actually spending their time.
And now that we've covered thissort of basics of why copying
(03:43):
others doesn't work I mean thereare a lot of reasons why it
usually doesn't work, but wedon't need to get into the weeds
there.
Let's start focusing more onthe upside of forging our own
path, a custom marketingstrategy, doing something that's
a little bit different, or, youknow, even if it's inspired or
the idea comes from somebody,it's a game changer to really
have something that's custom andrings true to you.
(04:05):
That's because number oneauthenticity resonates.
Think about the last time youconnected with a brand.
It wasn't because they weregeneric, for sure.
It was because they told astory or shared values that
mattered to you.
The same is true for your firm.
When your marketing isauthentic, when it reflects your
unique story, expertise andvalues, it draws clients in.
(04:27):
People aren't just looking for alawyer.
They're looking for someonethat they trust, someone who
understands them, and thisdoesn't mean it has to have a
lot of frilly language.
Just because you're looking forsomebody who understands you
doesn't mean you're looking forsomebody who's necessarily soft.
It means they're looking forsomebody who has the same
attitude towards the problemthat they do.
A personalized strategy allowsus to showcase the really human
(04:51):
side of our firm as well,because this does matter, and
whether this is through clienttestimonials, behind the scenes
glimpses, or even just a blogthat talks directly about your
audience's concerns, this stuffworks.
But number two, the big reasonwhy we want to create something
that's unique is because itgives us that competitive edge.
Law is a hugely competitivefield, especially in online
(05:14):
marketing, which is where we'regenerally talking about things.
Every day, potential clientsare bombarded with ads,
billboards, radio ads, searchengine results all of these
different sources of informationand a cookie-cutter approach
just blends in.
But a distinct strategy thatmakes you memorable.
When it's your knack forexplaining complex legal issues
(05:37):
in simple terms on YouTube, oryour commitment to responsive
communication that's highlightedby your Google reviews,
everyone is saying they respondright away.
He seems like he's always onthe phone.
Whatever it is, your customstrategy is what sets you apart
and ultimately, this helps buildloyalty and ensures that these
clients think of you first whenthey or someone they know needs
(05:58):
legal help.
But number three is that itsets us up for long-term success
, because let's talk aboutsustainability.
That's going to be an issue.
Trends in marketing come and go, but a strategy tailored to
your firm is built to last.
Why?
Because it's designed aroundyour specific goals, it's built
around your audience and it'sbuilt around your strengths,
instead of just chasing whateverthe latest fad is or the latest
(06:21):
type of video or the latesttrend is on whatever app, you're
going to be focusing on whatactually works for your firm and
adjusting as needed.
This adaptability is reallycrucial in a world where client
expectations and technology are,let's say, just constantly
evolving.
It's always changing and whenyou actually own your strategy,
(06:42):
you're not going to bescrambling to keep up with
whatever the competitor is doing.
You're going to be leading theway.
The bottom line here is that acustom strategy isn't just about
better marketing.
It's about creating thesemeaningful connections that help
us stand out in this crowdedmarket and set our firm up for
sustainable growth.
This is what we're talkingabout on pretty much every
episode of Legal Marketing 101.
(07:02):
So, to start, take a step back,define what makes your firm
unique and start building astrategy that actually reflects
that.
And if that seems a little bitoverwhelming, don't worry, I
have a little bit of a strategyBuilding this strategy.
It can feel overwhelming.
There are a lot of pieces hereand the reality is it is kind of
(07:24):
overwhelming, but if we do somesmart planning and we get
things pretty organized, itmakes it a lot easier.
My script here is actuallytelling me that it doesn't have
to be overwhelming, but myscript is wrong.
It's overwhelming, and that'sbecause there are a bunch of
phases, there are a bunch ofelements, and we need to get
them right because we want to besuccessful.
So let's start with these sixsteps that help us create this
(07:51):
strategy.
I'm not saying it's going to beeasy, but it will get done.
Let's say that.
So number one is that we need tounderstand and assess our
unique value proposition.
So what sets us apart Basically?
Maybe it's our niche expertiselike the lawyer for startups
that are navigating complex IPissues or maybe it's our client
service we offer a personalizedapproach to legal guidance that
feels a lot less transactionaland much more relationship-like.
(08:14):
Or even it's our approach totechnology.
Maybe we have a seamless clientportal and they get their
documents back and it's a lotfaster.
All of this can be adifferentiator.
Whatever it is, identify thatunique value proposition, or UVP
, because you need this as thefoundation of all of the
marketing.
Really, this is this is reallya crucial piece, because it's
(08:36):
sort of what we're going to sell.
If you're not sure what makesyou unique, here's an easy way
to find out Ask your clients whythey picked you.
Their insights could tell youabout strengths that you haven't
even thought about.
Sure, some of them are going tosay it's referrals, but some of
them are going to tell you it'sbecause I saw this on Google or
saw this on your website and Ifelt like, hey, they're really
(08:57):
going to understand my problem.
Step two let's really dig in onthat audience.
I know we've just asked themabout our insights and if you
just paused after step one anddidn't get to step two, I don't
know why you would do that.
But if you did that, go backand ask them again.
We need to understand ouraudience, because marketing
without having a real clientstory, a real picture of who our
(09:17):
client is, it's like throwingdarts in the dark.
We're never going to getanywhere and it might be
dangerous.
So take a little time toactually define on paper your
ideal clients.
Are they individuals, are theysmall business owners, or are
they large corporations?
What are their pain points?
How can you solve those painpoints?
Use tools like the surveys,client interviews, even social
(09:43):
media research, to get to knowyour audience.
The more you understand them,the more effectively you can
tailor your messaging and thechannels you use to reach them
where they are.
Step three is taking a look atour existing marketing efforts.
Before we jump into somethingnew, let's figure out what we're
already doing.
We need to know everything andwhat's actually driving leads.
What is sort of spending moneybut maybe not producing enough.
(10:04):
Look at our website, our socialmedia, email campaigns, local
paid advertising, anythingyou're spending money on.
If your blog posts are gettingviews, but your email open rates
are low, then we know where todouble down and where to improve
.
This whole step here helps usfrom wasting resources on tasks
that are sort of justineffective, basically, and from
(10:27):
doing things or adding elementsto our strategy that aren't
going to measure money, and youknow we could have just avoided
them.
Step four, though, is to setsome goals, because a lot of the
time, we're going to be tryingsomething new and we're not
going to know exactly how it'sgoing to go, but we need to have
some specific, measurable goals.
Things like get more clients.
(10:48):
This isn't going to cut it here.
We need to write out goals andaim for things like increase
quality leads by 20% in the nextsix months.
Specific goals like this helpus stay focused, and measurable
goals allow us to track ourprogress.
On top of this, clear goalslike increase quality leads by
20% in the next six months,makes it a lot easier for us to
(11:11):
celebrate milestones along theway, keeping our team motivated,
and it makes it really easy forus to know whether or not we've
succeeded.
And then, once we've set ourgoals, we understand where we
are.
Step five is to experiment andinnovate.
This is where the fun reallybegins.
Don't be afraid to test newideas.
Sure, we have some data on whatworks and what doesn't, so we
(11:32):
don't need to play with that.
But maybe we launch a webinarseries that showcases expertise,
or we try short form video adson YouTube shorts, or maybe on
TikTok.
We'll see.
Experimenting doesn't meanthrowing spaghetti at the wall.
This is not what we're doing,and we're not throwing darts in
the dark either.
Experimenting means makingcalculated decisions based on
(11:53):
what we know.
We know about our audience andmeasuring the outcomes.
This is a science experiment.
We want to use the scientificmethod whenever possible and we
also want to have a little bitof fun.
So step six is less fun,unfortunately.
It is to measure and adapt,because our strategy isn't set
in stone.
This is a living document, thisis a living plan, and we have
(12:15):
to treat it like that.
Use tools like Google Analytics, your CRM system, client
feedback all of these elementsto feed in and help us monitor
what's working and what's not.
If a campaign flops, don'tpanic.
Analyze why that happened, whatwe could fix, and then pivot.
If it's fixable, keep doing it.
If it's not fixable, dosomething else.
(12:37):
Do something else.
The most successful firms arethose that are continuously
learning and adapting, and,while they do know when to cut
their losses and move on to thenext project, they also make
sure they give it a good collegetry.
By following this framework,we're going to create a strategy
that's not only unique, butit's effective, sustainable and
(12:57):
it's flexible enough to evolvewith your firm and with the
market.
Now, before we go, I want tomention three big mistakes that
firms tend to make when it comesto these marketing strategies.
These aren't really the end ofthe world, but they're things
that happen and it can make youfeel like you're stuck in a rut.
They can derail your efforts abit.
Mistake number one isovercomplicating your strategy.
(13:19):
It's really easy to get caughtup in the flashy tools, the new
tactics, the new stuff and doingall these different things, but
a strategy that's overloadedwith complexity is going to fall
apart faster than it getsstarted.
Simplicity here is really whatwins.
Focus on a few core initiativesthat align with your goals and
your audience.
So if we start with somethingsmall, we can then grow it.
(13:43):
Instead of prioritizing sixsocial media platforms,
prioritize one or two where theclients are most active, and
then scale with automation.
Mistake number two is ignoringdata and relying too much on
your gut feeling.
Yes, your instincts may be verysharp, but the reality is
they're no substitute for thehard data that I'm looking at.
(14:03):
Ignoring the metrics likewebsite traffic, conversion
rates, ad performance all ofthis leads to missed
opportunities and wastedresources.
Again, the script wants me tohedge my bets and say it can or
this could happen, but thereality is it does.
If we ignore the data, we wastemoney.
So make sure you're on top ofthe analytics.
(14:24):
If you don't fully understandsomething, make sure you're
asking someone about it, becauseit can be complicated.
I've been in there for a longtime and it's really annoyingly
complicated.
But make sure you're usingthese tools to guide your
decisions, back up what you'retrying to do and ensuring that
your efforts aren't grounded inreality and not the assumptions,
because this is one way for usto just really get off track
(14:46):
quickly.
Mistake number three and this isone that I think lawyers have
gotten better on as the Internethas become more popular, but
they do cut their losses quicklyis giving up on ideas just a
little bit too fast.
Innovative strategies, doingsomething new it takes time and
gaining traction is difficult,but too often firms are
(15:08):
abandoning the initiativesbefore they've had a chance to
show results.
I always talk about this withpay-per-click that we're looking
for 60 to 90 days for aninitial test to see if we're
going to get results, and that'sgenerally true, but there are
definitely situations where thenumbers are different.
Sometimes we reach a criticalmass of clicks much faster and
sometimes it takes longer.
(15:28):
If you've done your researchand your execution is solid and
your team concurs with all ofthat, give the ideas the space
and the runway they need tosucceed Before we go.
There's actually one more thing,and this is your challenge for
the week Take one unique ideafrom today's episode and start
implementing it this week.
Maybe it's just starting withidentifying what your unique
(15:51):
value proposition is, or justplaying around with a new
platform, or even simplifying anexisting strategy, so you can
focus a little bit more on whatreally matters.
Small steps here lead to bigchanges, and the sooner you put
one foot in front of the other,the faster you're going to see
results.
If you found this episode,please don't forget to subscribe
, share it with a colleague andcheck out the paid episodes on
(16:13):
the first Monday of every month.
Let's keep the conversationgoing.
Your next big breakthrough isright around the corner.
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvert.
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvertisingcomfor more Thanks.
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