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Editor: Ben W. Glass
Profession: Attorney at Law

Category: Marketing Advice

"Free Consultation!" "Need an Attorney?" "We Care For You!"

Do you have these types of statements in your lawyer advertisements? If so, you are not the only attorney to make this common lawyer marketing mistake.

Too often, lawyers waste money on ineffective ads. They market in the Yellow Pages and on the Internet with ads that look like everyone else. Some attorneys will waste valuable ad space with comments that are similar to those above that really don't differentiate them from the law firms down the street.

When you open the Yellow Pages, it is common to see pages and pages of lawyer ads. Law firms spend thousands of dollars to advertise in the Yellow Pages and online and get little return on investment. There are many possible explanations, including the following:

Trying to say too much in one ad.
Good money is paid on marketing and many attorneys mistakenly believe that they need to make the sale in one ad. What ends up happening is that they say too much. All you need to accomplish with your ad is to get someone to contact you or request your free information. If you try to get them to hire you based on one advertisement, you are basically asking someone you just met to marry you.

Listing too many practice areas.
Out of paranoia, a law firm will list every possible area of law possible, which is why you will sometimes see up to thirty specialties in just one ad or website. What is this ad or website telling the consumer? It's telling them that this law firm is just an average firm without any type of niche.


Making the same offers and statements as everyone else.
As an attorney, don't make the common error of using the same statements as every other law firm in town. What you need to do is offer something for free, such as a book, report or CD. Give them a reason to contact you.

For more information, read my article, Trying to Say Too Much in Your Ad & Other Common Marketing Mistakes.