Why Law Firms Should Outsource Marketing

Marketing is an essential part of any business. If you don’t correctly market your law firm and utilize the appropriate tools, your clientele may drop or be stolen by other firms whose marketing strategies are stronger. Outsourcing certain functions may not only increase your firm’s revenue and customer engagement, but also allow your staff to focus on other important company activities.

According to a 2016 Report on Trends Impacting the Legal Industry, 62% of United States law firms willingly outsource aspects of both business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing functions. Both models are considered beneficial in attracting, maintaining, and building relationships with clients. Through outsourcing, however, these models can be optimized and more effectively applied. (1)(2)

While some firms prefer to leave certain marketing aspirations in-house, there are various convincing reasons as to why they should also consider outsourcing in order to better their company as a whole.

Saves money 

Outsourcing marketing can provide your law firm with short-term and long-term cost efficiency benefits, in comparison to hiring/creating an internal marketing team. Employing just one individual can cost companies up to USD$100,000. Taking into consideration additional employee overhead expenses, such as ongoing training, health benefits, and leave, as well as acquiring the appropriate resources, a whole team dedicated to marketing could become a financial thorn in the side of your firm. (3)

According to a 2018 joint study by the Legal Marketing Association and Bloomberg Law, approximately 6.7% of law firm’s gross revenue is dedicated to marketing. Outsourcing can potentially reduce this number and provide you with the same results, if not better than in-house efforts, for a much lower price. (4)

Remain up to date with marketing trends

It can be difficult to decipher the best promotional strategies for your law firm when the marketing world is ever-changing. Receiving law firm consulting and outsourcing to a company who are up to date with the newest trends, both online and offline, can aid you significantly.

Attempting to draw in clients with traditional techniques alone, such as flyers or word of mouth, may not serve you well in the long run. The digital sphere is responsible for a significant amount of customer-engagement. While not every marketing trend will suit your specific law firm, adopting some of the most basic digital approaches can help.

Online techniques may include:

• An active website
• Social media
• Promotional videos
• Photography
• Email marketing
• SEO

According to the American Bar Association (ABA) 2020 Legal Technology Survey, approximately 87% of law firms have a functioning website. Law Technology Today outlined that 70% of attorneys have generated new clients through their websites. The power of legal technology is extremely impactful—especially when it comes to marketing. However, without adequate/current expertise, it’s easy to fall short. Therefore, outsourcing to experienced, intelligible individuals can aid you in deciphering and utilizing appropriate tactics. (5)(6)

Saves time and reduces employee stress

It may seem wise in the moment to keep all of your company processes internal, and to delegate them amongst your existing workers; however, work-related stress and anxiety can be worsened when employees attempt to juggle too many tasks and fail to do so in a timely manner.

Frequently working overtime and/or failing to uphold a healthy work-life balance can worsen employee mental well-being and lead to an overall reduction in productivity. According to a 2020 Legal Marketing Mental Wellness Report, approximately 96% of the 400 law firm professionals surveyed concurred that the legal marketing department is under a lot of stress—especially after the recent pandemic; 71% individually reported feeling overworked. (7)(8)

If an individual is overwhelmed, they’re less likely to perform at a higher standard. Whereas, if you outsource to an expert/company whose job it is to focus solely on your marketing, it’s more promising that you’ll see results faster and at an optimized level of quality.

Attract more/specific customers:

Maintaining relationships with clients is considered to be an internal company priority, as it often requires a more personal approach. However, understanding your targeted audience is one of the most important steps of marketing. Utilizing experts who specialize in your/your client’s specific legal niche can help you to evaluate your firm’s current position and lead you towards a more tailored and profitable approach. (9)

Not every marketing technique will effectively cater to your specific clientele; those who have previously marketed in that particular legal area will no doubt be able to pass along some gems on how to better reach your audience.

Final thoughts

Outsourcing your law firm’s marketing efforts can save you not only time and money, but also stress. Entrusting your tactics to a professional/s outside of your company can aid you in deciphering appropriate ways to reach your client-base and implement tools to keep them engaged.

References:

1. “62% Of Law Firms Now Outsource Their Marketing Needs”, Source: https://leadingresponse.com/62-of-law-firms-now-outsource-their-marketing-needs/   
2. “Law firms: B2B Marketing”, Source: https://nextcounsel.medium.com/law-firms-engage-in-b2b-marketing-5ce23046b248
3. “The Long-term Cost Efficiency of Outsourced Marketing”, Source: https://www.workhorsemkt.com/the-long-term-cost-efficiency-of-outsourced-marketing/#:~:text=The%20Long%2Dterm%20Cost%20Efficiency%20of%20Outsourced%20Marketing&text=Costs%20associated%20with%20outsourcing%20are,bucks%20in%20the%20long%2Dterm 
4. “2018 Joint LMA-Bloomberg Law Joint Survey Report”, Source: https://www.legalmarketing.org/page/2018-lma-bloomberg-law-research-study 
5. “2020 Websites & Marketing”, Source: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_practice/publications/techreport/2020/webmarketing/
6. “What Potential Clients Look for When They Visit Your Legal Site”, Source: https://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2019/02/this-is-what-potential-clients-are-looking-for-when-they-visit-your-legal-site/ 
7. “Law Firm Marketing Professionals Face High Levels of Stress, Pandemic Pressures, and Lack of Respect: Report”, Source: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/law-firm-marketing-professionals-face-high-levels-stress-pandemic-pressures-and-lack
8. “LAW FIRM MARKETING STAFF FEEL STRESSED OUT, OVERWORKED, & IGNORED BY LAW FIRMS: RESEARCH REPORT”, Source: https://fsquaredmarketing.com/law-firm-staff-stressed-research/ 
9. “Reasons to Hire a Law Firm Marketing Agency for Your Business”, Source: https://medium.com/@dlmllc/reasons-to-hire-a-law-firm-marketing-agency-for-your-business-1b7793bdb765