Slowdown…or Opportunity for Legal Marketing?

Let’s face it – the recession is not bringing out the best in every business. People are increasingly putting their head in the sand, pulling back their resources, and building the proverbial bunker to ride out the storm. If you haven’t been thinking of ways to cut down on your marketing budget, you’re an exception to the rule – but you might be smarter than the pack.

A recent article in the National Law Journal exhibits just what I mean. Entitled “As firms cut marketing, others see opportunity,” it sums up the entire climate in one simple headline.

It can be tempting to cut down on your Internet marketing investment in these lean times, but remember, search engine optimization – especially in the highly competitive legal field – is a numbers game and an endurance race.

Google has been increasingly focused on a site’s overall value to an end user – and that’s something that is built over time. If you continue to invest in your site’s searchability, you’ll reap the rewards long after the people who have cut their marketing drop away in the rankings game.

The same holds true for prospecting. It can feel useless to spend money to reach out for potential clients when you see everyone around you tightening their belts. But never fear: good old-fashioned customer service and the tried and true tenets of unique value propositions and return on investment will serve you well. Most legal woes are time-sensitive…play on this opportunity as you seek to convert leads into clients.

If you’re getting cagey about your marketing output, think of it as a long term investment in your firm. Take a deep breath and ask yourself what’s reasonable. Chances are this is the best time to kick your marketing into high gear. Evaluate your ROI and drop what isn’t working and put that money into what is working … the Internet is the present and the future of law firm marketing.