bk!

In the solo/small firm world, nobody likes to talk about advertising - only about referral/network marketing. Most small practices - especially those that handle sophisticated matters - shun advertising like the plague. The big secret is that no matter how big your network is, or how great your website is, or how frequently you blog, awesome potential clients are out there searching the internet for you. The number one easiest way to reach them is by using a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign like Google Adwords (I never used anything but).

I ran my own Adwords account for a while, with what I’d call partial success. I got a lot of inquiries, but I had to sort far more wheat from chaff than I really had the time for. And of course the chaff represented a lot of clicks that I was paying for! After a friend of mine reported satisfaction with retaining a PPC management firm, I found and hired my own (he wouldn’t tell me who he hired!).

The firm I hired (see below) fixed my craptastic Adwords campaign and copywrote dozens of new ads. Clicks went up, cost per click plummeted. Several ads had ridiculously high click-through rates. I don’t have any numbers, but my experience proved to me that the inquiries I got as a result of the new campaigns were from serious prospective clients, not tire-kickers or loonies. What I was able to set up on my own was like throwing a net into the sea and seeing what I drug up out of the depths - boots and all. The managed campaign was like fishing with genetically engineered bait.

Integrating a professionally managed adwords campaign into my marketing plan marked a serious step-up in my practice. I don’t think I need to give any more reasons for having online advertising be a component of your marketing plan for your practice! If you already have an Adwords campaign, or have been thinking about using one, you should strongly consider professional management. This is not to say that you should give up on other marketing activities - some of my best clients came through my network, but not all! Ultimately your success depends on your skills as an attorney and service to your clients, but the clients first need to be able to find you.

I chose LegalPPC. They get my highest recommendation for their skill, knowledge, and friendliness. Ken and Maya are experienced legal marketers and only manage adwords campaigns for attorneys and law firms. When I was searching for the right firm to hire, their experience in the legal arena really stood out. There are others that manage campaigns for larger firms, or bundle services, or just aren’t experienced with the issues in advertising for professional service firms.

LegalPPC designed their services for solos and small firms, and their prices reflect it - no minimum monthly spend [have you searched for a PPC manager and found that most want you to spend thousands of dollars per month on your Google Adwords campaign?!], reasonable monthly maintenance costs, along with their wonderful work. The ads they drafted for me - all in 3 tiny lines - simultaneously struck the right professional tone, reflected my personality, and targeted the right kind of client. It was clear they understood how the legal services industry works and how potential clients think. They were also attentive, friendly, professional, and always available to answer any number of my stupid questions. They managed everything for me from top to bottom.

Thanks Maya & Ken!