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A LaFleur Legal Marketing Guide
How to Develop a Scalable,
Sustainable Digital Marketing
Plan for Your Law Firm
NO
STREAM
RISES
HIGHER
THAN
ITS
SOURCE.
~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Marketing,especiallydigitalmarketing,isapracticethatis,at
best,under-appreciatedand,atworst,disregardedentirely.Unlike
advertising,wherethegoalistotapintoourcollectivepreferences
anddesiresinordertoenticeconsumers,thegoalofmarketing
istopromoteawarenessofagivenbrandandprovideagreater
understandingoftheproductsorservicesthatthebrandiscapable
ofdelivering.It’sakeystoneofcommerce,butinordertobeeffective,
itmustseemtobeintrinsicallyanonymousandalsoremain
outwardlyhonest.Maintainingtheillusionofanonymityisakindof
practicalmagic,andlikeallmagictricks,oncethedevicebehinditis
revealed,itisnolongermagical,butmechanical.
Thisconceptofanonymityoftenleadslawfirmstounderestimate
thepowerofmarketing,whichcanbedevastating—especially
inourmodernerawhereinformationandcommunicationare
thecatalystsforgeneratingattractiveleads,achievingdesired
results,andretainingclients.Withoutaconcreteunderstanding
ofthefundamentalsofdigitalmarketing,constructingascalable,
sustainablemarketingplanisimpossible.Andexecutinga
marketingcampaignwithoutaplanislikebuildingaskyscraper
withoutablueprint:adiscombobulatedmessonthebrinkof
inevitablecollapse.
Underestimatingthepowerofmarketing
canbedevastating.
STRUCTURE & STYLE
A NOTE ON
ARCHITECTURE
Mostpeoplethinkofarchitectsasthegeniusesbehindthe
granddesignsofourcountry’sgreatbuildings.Andwhilethat
interpretationaccuratelyreflectsasegmentoftheprofession,
architectureisn’tjustlimitedtodesigningaestheticallystunningand
pragmaticstructureslikeelaboratehomesandmajesticbuildings.
Atitscore,architectureisaboutplanning;it’saboutstrategy.
Inourpersonallives,wearethearchitectsofourrelationships,
ourperspectives,ourideologies.Professionally,weworktodesign
thetrajectoryofourcareers,whetherwebecivilengineersorcivil
servants.Onamoregranularlevel,marketingisjustanotherform
ofarchitecture.Althoughachievingtangibleresultsistheprimary
functionofmarketing,theessentialformofmarketingisplanning.
Thus,inmarketing,wearepresentedwithaninstanceofform
overfunction,forresultswillnevermaterializewithoutmeticulous
attentionpaidtoplanning.
Despiteoverwhelmingevidencetothecontrary,manyfirms
continuetooperateundertheassumptionthatmarketingisoptional
–thatitisaconvenience,aluxury.Theheadsofthesefirmsinsist
thatdeliveringaqualitycustomerexperienceisenough.Whileit’s
truethatmanyfirmsareabletoretainclientsthroughexcellent
wordofmouth,theindustryhasbecomefartoocompetitivetorely
onthestatusquo.Instead,successfulfirmsmustadoptaproactive
approach,providingpotentialclientswithpertinentinformationand
theopportunitytoenlisttheirlegalservicesoncetheseprospective
clientshaveconductedthoroughresearch—researchthatcanbe
brandedandmadeeasilyaccessiblethroughsuccessfulmarketing
campaigns.
Simplyput,firmsthatemphasizeefficient,holisticmarketing
practicesareabletogenerateidealleadsandexceedanticipated
caseloadsearlyintheirannualbusinesscycle,andtheyareableto
dosoyearafteryear.Conversely,firmsthatfailtobuildtheirbrand
througheffectivemarketingreceiveonlyafractionoftheclients
thattheywouldbecapableofretainingiftheyinstitutedstrategic
marketinginitiatives.
The purpose of this whitepaper is to help you think more
intuitively about the opportunities that well-considered, well-
placed marketing can bring to your law firm and to help you focus
on meticulously creating a blueprint: your marketing plan. Before
diving in, however, it’s imperative that you weigh your options and
choose the marketing medium that will most benefit your firm.
With increasing
regulations in the
public and private
sector, the demand for
lawyers with a high degree
of business acumen has
increased dramatically.
Althoughlawyersareoftenpractitionersofbusinessin
additiontoexecutingthelaw,theyusuallylearnverylittle
aboutmarketingbestpracticeswhileinlawschool.In
manycases,thelonebusiness-relatedcoursealawstudent
takeswillbeonecenteredonbookkeeping.However,
withincreasing(andincreasinglycomplex)regulations
inthepublicandprivatesector,thedemandforlawyers
withahighdegreeofbusinessacumenhasincreased
dramatically.
HarvardLawSchoolisoneofthefirsttohave
acknowledgedtheneedformoreenterprisinglawyers.
SaysDeanMarthaMinow,“Toassistclientsorevento
launchentrepreneurialventuresoftheirown,lawyers
needtounderstandandusethetoolsandskillsinvolved
ingrowingandrunningabusiness.”Ofcourse,before
beingabletoimplementthoseskillsandtoolstoeffectively
marketalawfirmanditsservices,lawyersneedtodefine
whatmarketingactuallyis.
AccordingtotheAmericanMarketingAssociation,
marketingis,“Theactivity,setofinstitutions,andprocesses
forcreating,communicating,delivering,andexchanging
offeringsthathavevalueforcustomers,clients,partners,
andsocietyatlarge.”Ifthatsoundslikeanamorphous
collectionofintentionallyvaguekeyterms,that’sbecauseit
is.Tosimplify,theessenceofmarketingiscommunication.
It’saconversationmeanttoinformpotentialclientsofa
firm’sexcellencewhilesimultaneouslyestablishingand
increasingbrandawareness,allwhiletrackingpertinent
datatocontinuallysharpentheprovider-consumer
dialogueandexpanduponnewlinesofdiscussion.Of
course,anydefinitionofthethingitselfisuselesswithout
structure,hence,theneedforamarketingplan.
CONTINUING
EDUCATION
OF POTENTIAL
CLIENTS USE
ONLINE SEARCH
TO GATHER
LEGAL ADVICE.
Mostmarketshaveahandfulof“TVlawyers,”several“radio
lawyers,”andpossiblyevenafew“newspaperlawyers,”althoughwe
areseeinglessandlessoftheseasprintmediacontinuestodecline.
Thesefirmschooseamediumandspendexorbitantamountsto
cornerthemarketinthatspecificarea.However,thisoutbound
strategycanbecomeextremelyexpensiveandwillultimatelybe
dominatedbythelargestfirmswiththewillingnesstospend.It’snot
astrategyforeveryfirmbyanymeans,buteachmarketcansupport
ahandfuloffirmstakingthisapproach.
Digitalmarketing,ontheotherhand,providesfirmsofallsizeswith
theappropriatetoolstocontrolwhoisreceivinginformation,how
theyareaccessingthatinformation,andhowtheyareinteracting
withit.(Infact,96%ofpotentialclientsuseonlinesearchtogather
legaladvice.)Thisallowsforamoretargetedapproachbasedon
clearlydefinedmarketsegmentsandtacticsthatconnectrelevant
messagingwiththeproperaudience.Onceyouunderstandthe
demographicmakeupofyourprimaryaudience,youcanbegin
workingtowarddevelopingaholisticstrategy.
Additionally,digitalmarketingprovidesmoreterritoriestotarget
andpowerful,effectivetoolstotest,track,analyze,andreviseyour
efforts.Notonlyisdigitalmarketingmoreefficient,interactive,and
scalablethanoutboundmarketing,butinmostinstances,itisfar
morecost-effective,asitallowsyoutoalteryourbudgetinrealtime
accordingtoconstantlyupdatedinformation.
Beforeyoucanbegintotrackyourmarketingcampaigns,however,
youwillfirstneedtoimplementthem.Andbeforeyoucando
that,youwillneedtocreateapractical,relatable,andreviewable
marketingplanthattakesintoaccountyourfirm’smission
statement,availablebudget,anddesiredobjectives.Youwillneedto
setyoursightsonestablishingattainable,scalablegoalsforyourfirm.
CHOOSING YOUR
MEDIUM
96%
Oneofthekeystodevelopinganeffective,achievable
marketingplanistofirstestablishatargetandworktoset
yoursightswithindefinedparameters.Mostattorneyshave
avisionofwhattheywanttheirfirmtobeknownforand
howtoachievethatreputation,evenifthatvisionissolelyin
theabstract.
Usingthesimplestterms,thoseabstractideasneedtobeput
onpaperinabrainstormingsession.Don’tworryaboutthe
wording;justfocusondocumentingthekeyconcepts.Once
thoseabstractideashavebeentransferredintothetangible,
youcanbegintodefinecertaingoalsthatyouwouldlike
yourfirmtoachieve.
Asyouidentifyandtargetyourgoals,keepinmindthat
yourmarketingeffortswillimpactnearlyeveryservice
thatyourfirmiscapableofdeliveringandwilllikewise
impactanypotentialclients.Itmightsoundsilly,butyou
willneedtodeterminewhattodointheeventthatyour
marketingeffortsarehighlysuccessful.It’spossiblethat
yourcampaignswillgeneratemorequalityleadsthanyour
firmisabletohandleeffectively.Youshouldconsiderwhat
youwilldoifasubstantialincreaseinclientbasecreatesan
immediateneedtoexpandyourinfrastructure.
Forthesereasons,it’simportantthatyouestablishscalable,
realisticgoalsthatcanbeadaptedandaugmentedatany
timeinamarketingcampaign.Generatingqualityleadsin
largenumberswillactuallyhurtyourfirmifyouareunable
toserviceyourclientseffectively,whichwillalsodamage
yourreputation.
Onceyouhaveclearlydefinedandrecordedyourvisionfor
thefirmandthegoalsyouhopetoachievethroughyour
marketingefforts,youcanbegintodocumenttheareas
inwhichyouexcel,whythoseareasareimportanttoyour
targetaudience,andhowtheywillhelpyoureachyourgoals.
TARGET PRACTICE
EFFECTIVE
MARKETING,
USING THE
SIMPLEST TERMS,
IDENTIFIES
AND
TARGETS
GOALS
TO GENERATE
QUALITY LEADS
IN THE AREAS
IN WHICH YOU
EXCEL.
Executing a ma
campaign witho
like building a s
without a bluep
arketing
out a plan is
skyscraper
print:
adiscombobulatedmess
onthebrinkofinevitablecollapse.
IDENTIFYING
YOUR PRIMARY
DIFFERENTIATORS
Yourpotentialclientslikelydonotknowwhatcharacteristicsthey
shouldbelookingforinchoosinganappropriateattorney;this
createsagreatopportunitytohelpeducateyourclientbasewhilealso
tellingyourstoryandemphasizingyourfirm’spositiveattributes.
Indoingso,youneedtoilluminatetopotentialclientswhatitis
aboutyourfirmthatdifferentiatesitfrom(andplacesitabove)
yourpeers.Thisshouldbeexpressedasiftheclientweresitting
directlyacrossfromyou.Thatis,youshouldhighlighttheattributes,
successes,andcapabilitiesofyourfirminaconcise,conversational
tone;thisappliestowebsitecontent,blogarticles,emailcampaigns,
PPCcampaigns,andbasicallyeveryelementofyouroverall
marketingstrategy.
Thesedifferentiatorsshouldbedeliberatelyfilteredintoyour
messaging,especiallythroughoutyourblogcontent(whichisa
greatplacetoseparateyourselffromyourcompetitors,asonlyabout
25%offirmsmaintainaprofessionalblogontheirwebsite).Even
ifbarrulesrestrictyoufromreferringtoyourselfas“thebest,”you
cansteerpotentialclientstowardreachingthatconclusionthrough
comparativediscourse.Forinstance,youcantellthestoryofacase
inwhichyourattentiontodetailmadethedifferencebetweena
mediocreresultandanoutstandingone.Also,reviewingthesecases
willhelpyouunderstandyourstrongsuitsasafirmandmoveyouin
thedirectionofyouridealclient—youridealpersona.
Highlight the attributes, successes,
and capabilities of your firm in a
concise, conversational tone.
Inadditiontooutlininggoalsandestablishingdifferentiators,your
teammustalsocreateidealclientprofiles,alsoknownas“personas.”
It’sprettyhardtomarkettoyouraudiencewithoutfirsttaking
thetimetogettoknowwhotheyare,wheretheylive,andhow
theyaccesstheInternet.Inordertocreateaccurateandeffective
clientpersonas,yourfirmmustfirstunderstandyouridealclients’
circumstances,needs,anddemographicsaswellastheopportunities
yourlocalregionpresents.Thisrequiresagreatdealofresearchand
athoroughunderstandingofwhatthatresearchreveals.
Fundamentally,creatingclientpersonasisathoughtexercise.Ithelps
youandyourteamfactoroutassumptions,bias,andpreconceived
notionstomakeinformeddecisionsbasedonactualdata.Creating
personasinvolvesexaminingdifferentvariables,aswellasan
analysisofhowthosevariablesoverlapandrelatetooneanother.
Certainagegroups,ethnicities,genders,etc.,aregoingtointeract
withyourmarketingmaterialsindifferentways.Forinstance,nearly
70%ofthoseseekinglegaladviceusebothasmartdeviceandaPC.
Understandingyourpotentialclients’usagepatternswillhelpyouto
customizeandoptimizeyourefforts,resultinginmoretrafficand
betterleads.
Forinstance,ifyoupracticepersonalinjurylawandyourfirmis
situatedinanareawherethereisagreatdealofcommercialtrucking
traffic,you’lllikelywanttoaggressivelypursueclientswhohave
beeninvolvedinmotorvehicleaccidentsinvolvingcommercial
truckingnegligence.Alternately,ifyouspecializeincraftingwills
andmanagingestatesandliveinaregionthatisalsooccupiedbya
largenumberofseniorcitizens,you’llwanttoadjustyourmarketing
effortstocatertothisparticularagegroup(ortheircaretakers,
dependingonthecircumstances).
Whatfollowsarethreeexamplesofclientpersonasbasedontheir
demographicsandtheircorrespondingneedforlegalspecialization.
Thesesamplepersonasshouldprovideagreatdealofinsightinto
theneedsofeachclient,whichcanhelpyoudevelopyourownclient
personasandpursuehigherqualityleads.
DEVELOPING PERSONAS
Understanding
your potential
clients will help
you to customize
and optimize
your efforts.
ShellyisaretiredteacherlivinginSpringfield,Massachusetts.She
is58yearsold.Shetriestoremainactiveandoftentakeswalkswith
herchocolatelab,Buddy.Duringoneoftheirmorningstrolls,they
encounteredanimposingGermanshepherdwithoutaleashor
ownerinsight.TheanimalbecameterritorialandattackedBuddy.
Inherattempttoseparatethetwodogs,Shellywasbittenbythe
Germanshepherd.Immediatelyafter,acoupledroveup,gotoutof
theircar,andpulledtheGermanshepherdaway.
Unfortunately,thedamagehadalreadybeendone.Shellysuffered
threepuncturewoundsandalargetearinherhand.Thecouple
quicklyapologized,grabbedtheirdog,andleftthescenewithout
sharinganyoftheirpersonalinformation.Shellysnappedaphoto
oftheirlicenseplateonhersmartphoneasthecoupledroveoff.She
thencalledherhusbandtolethimknowwhathadjusthappened
andpromptlywenttothehospitaltoreceivetreatmentforher
injuries.
SHELLY
NEED:
retired,age58
Anattorneythatpractices
personalinjurylaw
PERSONA
TheinformationfromGoogleAdWordsabovetellsusthatthemostcommonindividuals
searchingfor“DogBiteLawyer”inandaroundSpringfield,Massachusettsareofnoclearly
definedageorgender.However,thesignificantmajorityofthesepeopleareconductingtheir
searchontheirsmartphonesormobiledevices,whichhelpsustailoroursocialmediaand
pay-per-clickcampaignstocapturethelargestandmosttargetedaudience.
Springfield,MA
DogBiteLawyer
searcharea:
searchterm:
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Unknown
Male Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
Female
Unknown
22% Gender Device
18% 18%
15%
12%
9%
5%
43% 27%
44% 57%
13% 16%
Billisa31-year-oldentrepreneur–atrueblue-collarworker.Heis
marriedandhastwochildren,buthefeelslikeworkpreventshim
fromspendingenoughtimewithhisfamily.Hisprimaryoccupation
isasacorrectionsofficer,butduringmuchofhisfreetime,hebuilds
customfurniturethathesellsthroughhisownwebsitethathebuilt
himself.Hisdreamistodesignandbuildfurnitureashissolesource
ofincome.Alaypersonuninitiatedinthelaw,Billisunawareof
thestepsheshouldtaketoregisterhisbusinessorthelegalpitfalls
thatcouldbelyingahead.Heiswillingandabletopayforlegal
assistance,buthefeelsconfidentthathecouldhandlemostofthe
workonhisown.Heissearchingforresourcesthatwillhelphim
getstarted,butheisopentothepossibilityofhiringtherightlawyer
withwhomhecanbuildalong-termrelationship.Heisseekinga
business-savvyattorneythatcansteerhimintherightdirection
fromalegalperspectiveandalsodirecthimtowardotherserviceshe
mayneedinthefuture.
WILLIAM
NEED:
entrepreneur,age31
Anattorneythat
practicesbusinesslaw
PERSONA
InthestateofColorado,thetargetaudienceforthesearchterm“BusinessLawyer”iswell-
representedbymenaged18-44whoareusingmobiledevicestoconducttheirqueries.Those
firmswhofailtodevelopaccuratepersonasmightfalselyassumethatmostentrepreneurs
areindividualsovertheageof40whomostcommonlyusetheircomputerstoconducttheir
search,whichwouldleavethemwithveryfewleadsandadecliningreturnoninvestment.
Colorado
BusinessLawyer
searcharea:
searchterm:
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Unknown
Male Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
Female
Unknown
22% Gender Device
15%
20%
17%
12% 10%
5%
47% 24%
63%
15% 12%
38%
RebeccalivesinRaleigh,NorthCarolinaandhasbeenthestay-at-
homemotherofthreechildrenforthelast14years.Afteryearsof
“tryingtomakeitwork,”herhusbandRoberthasmovedoutofthe
houseandisseekingseparationanddivorce.ThoughRebeccahas
knownthatthiswasinevitable,shealwaysheldouthopethatthey
wouldbeabletoworkthingsout.Rebeccahasbeenoutofwork
eversincegivingbirthtoherfirstchild,andshehasveryfewjob
prospects.Robertispushingforaformalizedagreementinvolving
theseparationofassetsanddebts.Rebeccahasnoideaifwhat
Robertisaskingforisfair.Shehasmetwithalawyer,butshewas
notimpressedafterhemadeseveraloff-handcommentsaboutthe
situation.Sheisnowsearchingforalawyerthatwilladvocatefor
herwithunderstandingandcompassion.Thisisnotaneasytime
forher,andthelastthingshewantstofeelishelplessandmore
uncomfortablethanshealreadyis.
REBECCA
NEED:
stay-at-homemom,
age34
Anattorneywhoworks
withfamilylawanddivorce
PERSONA
Whiletheredoesn’tappeartobeanydiscerniblepatternbetweenagegroupsandgender
whenitcomestodivorceinRaleigh,NorthCarolina,thepreferredresearchdevicestatistics
areoverwhelming.Ifyourfirmisn’toptimizedformobile(which33%oflegalsitesarenot),
yourGoogleresultsaregoingtosufferduetoyournegligence,whichwillcauseyoutomiss
outonapotentiallylucrativeclientbase.
Raleigh,NC
Divorce
searcharea:
searchterm:
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Unknown
Male Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
Female
Unknown
18%
Gender Device
15%
21% 19%
14%
9%
4%
47% 12%
43% 80%
10% 8%
THE
BLUE-
PRINT
Onceyouhavetakenstepstoestablishyourgoals,identifyprimedifferentiators,
andconstructaccuratepersonas,it’stimetobegindraftingyourmarketingplan.A
marketingplanisawrittenstrategythatoutlinesacourseofactiontoachievecertain
goalsindistinctareasandthroughdistinctchannels.Itspurposeistocommunicate
thesegoalsandthesubsequentplanofactionthatwillfacilitatethosegoals.Whileeach
individualmarketingplanwillcontainitsownuniquesetoftacticsandobjectives,they
shouldalladheretothefollowingthreecharacteristics:
PRACTICAL RELATABLE REVIEWABLE
PRACTICAL
THE BLUEPRINT:
Yourmarketingplanismorethanthe
hastilyscribblednotesfromamandatory
meetingorthefeedbackcompiledfrom
aninnocuousemployeequestionnaire.
Yourmarketingplanshouldbeacarefully
constructedplanofactiondetailinga
carefullyconsideredstrategyonseveral
frontswithcontingencyplansinplacein
caseyouhavetodeviatealongtheway.It’s
notconceptual;it’spractical.
Constructaplanofaction.
Countoncontingencies.
Ifyouareplanningonbuildinganewwebsite,thereshouldbeanoverallcontent
strategyconsistingofrelevanttabsandpagesthatarerepresentedbywireframes(arough
designtemplatethatprovidesavisualrepresentationoftheplacementandspacingofall
forthcomingcontent).Thesewireframesshouldconveyanoutlineofyourintentionsand
objectives.Only53%oflawsiteshave“organizedcontent,”whichleadstoanegativeuser
experience,lowtimespentonpage,andahighbouncerate.
Ifyouwillbecreatingandmaintainingapay-per-clickcampaign(PPC),you’llneedto
researchyourcompetitors’adcopy,keyterms,andlandingpagesinordertoestablisha
footholdfromtheoutsetoflaunchingyourcampaign.You’llalsoneedtosetaflexiblebudget
thatwillallowyoutoaggressivelybidforcovetedsearchtermsandplacedisplayadsonhigh-
trafficcontentsites.Keytermplacementinthelegalindustryisespeciallyexpensive,andif
youaren’twillingtospendaccordingly,you’lllikelyfindyourselfspinningyourwheels.
Ifyouwouldliketoengagepotentialcustomersthroughsocialmedia,youwillneedto
researchwhichplatformsgarnerthemostusersforyourspecificlegalspecialty.LinkedIn
isthemostcommonlyusedplatform,byfar,withabout95%ofalllawyersmaintaininga
profile.Giventhismedium’sfocusonprofessionalaptitude,itisanidealresearchportalfor
potentialclients.
Instagramisanimmenselypopularsocialapplication,butbeingavisualmediumstructured
aroundimages(ratherthandiscussions,educationalmaterials,etc.),itisfarlessusefulfor
legalteamsthanFacebookorTwitter,whichcanreachlargeswathsofpotentialcustomers
andeducatethemregardingtheirparticularlegalneeds.
Keepthingssimple.
Keepthingscoherent.
RELATABLE
THE BLUEPRINT:
Amarketingplanisaboutestablishingclear
objectives,notmuddyingthewaterswith
indecipherablejargon.Keepthingssimple.
Keepthingscoherent.Toensurecohesion
amongallelementsoftheteam,keep
marketingelementsseparate,leteveryone
knowtheirrole,andavoiddrowning
thecontentinambiguous,complicated
language.
Theplanshouldbesegmentedintodistinctsectionsfocusedoneachuniqueaspectofthe
overallstrategy.Asuccessfulplanwillensurethatalloftheseaspectsworkintandem,but
forthesakeofclarityandunderstanding,theyshouldeachcomprisetheirownsection.For
instance,youremailandblogdirectivesshouldremainseparate,eventhoughtheybothexist
inthecontentcreationrealm.Theyaresuretooverlapatsomepoint,buttheyservedifferent
objectivesandwilllikelybetailoredtodifferentaudiences.
Eachmemberoftheteamshouldhaveadistinctrole.Copywriterswritethecontent,
designersdesigndigitalelementstoengagetheaudienceandoptimizetheirexperience,
coderscodetheinformationsothatitiseasilyscalableandprovidesinteractivefunctionality,
andinformationanalyzersanalyzetherelevantdatatohelprevisetheplaninrealtime.
Theworkofalltheseteammemberswillhaveagreatdealofinfluenceononeanother,and
theyshouldattempttoengageinproductivedialogueconcerningthebestcourseofaction
dependingontheobjective.
Amarketingplanisn’tatermpaper.Thewordcountandmanhoursittakestocreate
theplanareirrelevant,orrather,theymatteronlyinproportiontotheactionabilityand
understandabilityoftheoverallstrategy.Thelengthwillvarydependingonthescope,andin
manycaseswillcollapseunderitsownweightifitistoocomplexortooambitious.
Rememberthat,aboveall,themarketingplanismeanttoincitedefinitiveaction.Confusing
theissuebyturningthedocumentintoaRussiannovelthatismoreconceptualthan
actionablewilldefeatthepurpose.Tohelpavoidthis,makesurethatyourfirmhasanexplicit
missionstatementandthatallteammembersarefamiliarwiththisphilosophy.Ifeveryoneis
onthesamepage,youwillbeabletotransformideologyintopractice,makingthemarketing
planlessofanabstractconceptandmoreofaguidetosuccess.
REVIEWABLE
THE BLUEPRINT:
Themarketingplanisaliving,breathing
documentthatwillexistinaconstantstate
ofrevision.Assuch,itshouldbesubject
toregularreviewinordertodetermine
whichgoalshavebeenmet,whichones
havenot,andtheimpactofthosesuccesses
andfailures.Perhapsyou’remeetingyour
goals,butitturnsoutthatthosegoalswere
irrelevant.Perhapsyouaren’tmeetingyour
goals,butthatisbecauseofexternalfactors
notaccountedforintheoriginaldraftof
theplan.Beopentothepossibilitythatyou
haveoverorunderestimatedthesegoalsin
theinitialdraftandthattheylikelyneedto
beupdated.
Amarketingplancannotbereviewedandrevisedproperlyifthegoalsandobjectivesofthe
campaignarenotestablishedearlyonintheplan’screation.Defineattainablegoalsanda
clearcourseofactiontoachievethemalongacarefullyconsideredtimeframe.
Eachsubsectionoftheplanshouldconsistofitsownmicroobjectivesthatwillcombineto
influencethemacrogoalsoftheoverallplan.Oncetheallottedtimeframeexpires,datamust
beaccuratelyassessedinordertoreevaluatethemarketingplan.
Peoplearepronetobasingtheirmarketingeffortsonpreconceivedassumptions,andthey
oftenfailtousethedataattheirdisposal—theinfallibleinformationthatwilldirectthem
towardinevitablesuccess.Theremustbesomeoneontheteamthatrecognizesthebenefitsof
A/Btesting(testingatleasttwovariableswithinasinglecampaigntodetermineefficacy)and
whoisadeptatdecipheringanalyticstoprovideappropriatefeedback.Listentothisperson;
theyrelyonthenumbers,andthenumbersrarelylie.
Defineattainablegoalsand
aclearcourseofaction.
Inall,developingyourdigitalmarketingplanshouldconsistof
afive-prongedapproach.First,youneedtodecidethatdigital
marketingisindeedthebestrouteforyourfirm(ratherthan
attemptingtooutbidthecompetitionfortelevision,radio,orprint
spots).Onceyou’vemadethatdecision,it’stimetositdownwiththe
properstakeholderstoestablishattainableandscalablegoalsand
objectives.Withthosegoalsandobjectivesinmind,you’llneedto
determineyourprimedifferentiators—whatcanyourfirmoffer
potentialclientsthatmostotherfirmscannot?Next,you’llhaveto
conductagreatdealofresearchtodeterminetheperfectpersona(s)
foryourfirm’scapacityandareaofspecialization,includingthe
demographicsandpreferreddevicesandbrowsersinyourservice
region.Andfinally,whenconstructingthedigitalmarketingplan
itself,bearinmindthatthedocumentshouldbepractical,relatable,
andreviewable.
PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER
Onceyou’vecompletedyourmarketingplan,it’stimetomoveonto
execution.Adheretotheguidelinesandobjectivesyouestablished
earlyonintheprocess,butdon’tjustsitbackandenjoytheview–
youhavetocontinuetorefinetheplanbasedonthedata.Thismeans
thatyouwillhavetodeviatefromtacticsthatareunder-performing
oremphasizecertainstrategiesthatareperformingespeciallywell.
Byconsistentlyandaccuratelyanalyzingthedataatyourdisposal,
youcancontinuetooptimizeeveryelementofyourcampaign.
Wesaidearlierthatdevelopingyourmarketingplanisalotlike
developingablueprint.However,weshouldamendthatstatement
andinsteadlikenyourmarketingeffortstothatofacityplanner.
Therearemyriadelementsatplayinthisprocess,andeachonewill
affecttheothers;however,theyshouldoverlapinseamlessfluidity.
Bytakingcomprehensivemeasurestoconstructasolidfoundation,
youcancontinuetoupdateandaugmentyourmarketingefforts,
resultinginreal-timeadjustments,optimalleadgeneration,and
satisfiedclients,whichwillultimatelyleadtoasterlingreputation,
iconicbrandawareness,andincreasedcustomerretention.
Adheretothe
guidelinesand
objectivesyou
established,but
don’tjustsitback
andenjoytheview
—refinetheplan
basedonthedata.
ABOUT
LAFLEUR
LEGAL
MARKETING
Ifyourfirmislookingfortheideal
marketingpartnertohelpyouconstruct,
implement,andoptimizeyourmarketing
plan,wewouldlovetohearfromyou.We
arealegalmarketingagencydedicated
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andtransparency.Wespecializein
contentstrategy,cutting-edgedesign,and
marketingautomation.Ifyouwouldlike
todiscussyourmarketingneedsfurther,
pleasecallusat(888)222-1512orvisitour
websitetolearnmoreabouthowwecan
helpyourfirmexpandyourclientbaseand
strengthenyourbrand.
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