Law Firm
Advertising

Elements of a Strong Lawyer Advertising Campaign

Law firm advertising covers a wide variety of options and mediums. Nevertheless, whether it’s a Google ad, a business card, a landing page or physical advertisement, there are some elements that help you to create the type of law firm ad that encourages potential clients to take action and contact your firm.

Below are some attorney advertising best practices that can ensure that your ad provides an impact:

Be Memorable

At PaperStreet, one of the website designs that has achieved the most acclaim is the “cheetah” website. New clients approach us because the imagery produced an emotional response that they hope to emulate with their new design.

With that in mind, think outside the box with the imagery used in your ads. If you create another law firm ad with merely legal scales or a gavel, chances are that the ad will be quickly skimmed over and your firm name will be forgotten.

Be creative and embrace symbolism with the images you want to connect to your practice. Are you edgy? Classy? Do you problem-solve? Match your theme with an image that fits, and the effect will impress your potential clients. Further, as some of your images/ads will be in social media feeds or used within your newsletters, it’s important to have imagery that will stand out from your competitors.

Evaluate All Aspects of Your Aesthetics

Though the physical design of something such as a logo, banner or advertisement seems to be the most important element, many attorneys select ads with designs that are not executed properly. For example:

• Did you create an ad that displays equally well on mobile screens as it does on a desktop?
• Does your video take too long to load?
• Is your logo able to be recreated easily on a business card?
• Are you ADA compliant?

Many times, clients come to PaperStreet because a law firm’s ad designer or logo creator only completed half of the process or managed one aspect incorrectly. It’s important to hire a graphic designer or ad agency who understands the full criteria of what makes a high-performing ad.

Consider Your Text

Just as the imagery involves careful planning, so does your text. Do you explain why a potential client should call you? Do you fully break down your practice areas? Did you forget to include all of your relevant contact information?

Beyond that, however, the wording for a law firm advertisement can be creative. Do you have a favorite or inspirational quote that would make sense to include on a business card? Do you want to say something personal to your potential clients? How about a favorite testimonial from a client?

The careful use of text in an attorney advertisement continues the goals of staying memorable and offers yet another opportunity to connect with your potential clients.

Truly Consider Your Target Audience

Many times, law firms will have a mood board or set theme in the attorneys’ minds for their advertisements, web design etc. Sure, it’s great to have a plan, but what message are you sending to your potential clients?

Edgy themes or bold themes can be wonderful for litigators and corporate lawyers, but may not be best for estate planning or services for children or the elderly. On the flip side, a classic theme for lawyer advertising mediums may be perfect for more straightforward legal services – i.e. tasks like title searches, will creation or corporate formation – but may be too generic for a person hoping to recover funds in a personal injury lawsuit or someone fighting an arrest. You need to consider what emotion is evoked by the elements of your legal advertisement.

You can use your advertising theme to stand out and attract specific claims, as well. For example:

• A warm and nurturing theme could be a great choice for a lawyer looking to target personal injury claims for child victims.
• A highly stylized website or ad could convey an “expensive tone” for attorneys seeking high wealth or high value claims.
• Powerful testimonials and videos could be wonderful for attorneys in high emotion cases such as elder law or custody battles.

Overall, logos, videos and other lawyer advertising mediums are known to trigger psychological responses from your potential clients. Consider what emotions you’d like to evoke as well as your target audience, and your ads will establish your brand and attract more clients.

A Consistent Design or Theme is Essential for Law Firm Advertising

Finally, regardless of the medium of your advertisement – video, tv spot, billboard, etc. – it’s important to always maintain the overall tone of your branding.

For example, if you create an emotionally charged tv advertisement for your law firm, but a potential client finds that your web design is cold and intimidating, they may reconsider hiring you. Similarly, if you create a highly stylized Instagram ad yet have a humdrum website, the potential client may also doubt if you’re the attorney for them. If you make a statement with your advertisement, you need to be sure that it coincides with your other advertising and marketing materials

On a related note, if you create a highly memorable ad with a unique element such as an animal, logo, sound byte etc., be sure to incorporate that element in other aspects of your branding and marketing. This helps you create a strong branding identity – which is often a top selling point when potential clients consider hiring an attorney. The new clients want to feel as though they know who you are and how you can best represent them.

PaperStreet is a full-service web design and marketing firm, thus, even if we didn’t create your website or ad, we can still help you create additional branding materials – or a new website! – to keep your identity consistent. No matter what your lawyer advertising needs are, we encourage you to contact us to help give you the inspiration to bring your ad to life.