Why Law Firms Need Both Data and Creative Strategy to Drive Growth

In today’s competitive legal landscape, the debate between driving business through data-driven tactics or building a lasting brand through creativity isn’t an “either-or” scenario. For law firms to thrive, the marketing strategy must include both. Data-driven decisions and compelling creative work are two sides of the same coin, each vital to short-term success and long-term growth.

Marketers have access to an endless stream of data, insights, and analytics, leading to a natural focus on driving conversions and immediate results. While these short-term tactics may increase leads quickly, they often overlook the long-term benefit of building a relationship with clients, which is critical to sustaining a firm’s success.

Here’s why both elements are essential for your firm:

The Importance of Data-Driven Strategy

• Precise Targeting: Data helps identify and target the right clients, focusing on those most likely to convert.
• Measuring Success: It allows for clear tracking of campaign performance, providing a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
• Quick Wins: Short-term lead conversions are valuable for immediate growth and meeting business goals.

The Power of Brand Building

• Building Trust: Brand-building helps establish loyalty and trust, making clients more likely to turn to your firm or recommend it to others.
• Long-Term Resilience: A strong brand is more resilient to competing law firms  and market shifts, providing a competitive edge.
• Emotional Connection: Clients are more likely put their future in your hands  when they feel a strong emotional connection to your brand.

Balancing Data and Creativity

While data is necessary for driving immediate business, creativity is what humanizes your law firm. It’s not enough to push your brand—you need to pull clients in by keeping your message real, authentic, and culturally relevant. Here’s why creative storytelling matters just as much as data:

• Creating Buzz: Compelling campaigns make your brand stand out, even in a crowded market.
• Cultural Relevance: Creativity allows you to stay agile and adapt your message to resonate with evolving consumer demands.
• Deepening Loyalty: People who care about your brand stay loyal, and in legal services, loyalty and referrals are priceless.
• Firm Longevity: Rely on data to optimize and track your marketing investment but integrate that data with your creative efforts to deepen client relationships and build a lasting brand. Remember, sometimes the only way to measure that brand success is if the doors are still open in 20 years.
• Use “Pull” Marketing: Don’t just focus on pushing your brand to clients. Create campaigns that pull them in through relatable, real, and engaging content.

At the end of the day, a law firm that combines data with creativity isn’t just driving business—it’s creating a brand that clients trust and return to. Success in the modern legal landscape requires doing both, turning your marketing from a cost center into a smart investment. Strategically blending data with creativity can help you build a resilient, culturally relevant law practice that will out-last and out-perform anyone else in the market.

Say yes to strategy, collaboration and firm longevity! Give Network Affiliates a call at 800-525-3332 and ask for Tammy Kehe!

Network Affiliates…Strategy. Creativity. Results.

How To Attract and Engage a New Generation of Clients

As you plan the future of your law practice, it’s crucial to recognize the growing importance of younger generations as potential clients. Law firms need to focus on future-proofing their brand and legacy by connecting with this demographic in meaningful ways.

Here’s how you can build a practice that resonates with younger audiences:

1. Embrace a Digital Media and Marketing Strategy

• Be present where they are. Younger audiences are highly active on social platforms and consume tons of content through Streaming television and audio.  They watch and listen to what they want when they want. 
• Utilize sequential retargeting, a digital marketing tactic using online ads to target users who have already interacted with your firm on a digital platform but didn’t follow through in that initial interaction.  Again, be present where they are.

2. Mobile-Friendly Communication

• Ensure you website is your top performing employee!  Make sure it’s mobile-friendly and easy to navigate and quick to load.
• Offer online consultations via Zoom or other platforms and offer online booking for appointments.
• Utilize text & email communication for appointment reminders, updates, and quick questions.

3. Education is Key

• Create engaging content by including video content (such as FAQs or testimonials), infographics, and blogs to explain legal issues in simple, relatable language. Use a conversational tone that is clear and concise.
• Consider adding a “Did You Know” element to your advertising strategy and online activities. Many potential clients, have no idea what their rights are after an accident. By educating your audience on some basics of what to do (or NOT do) after an accident, you remove a great deal of their fear of the unknown and they’re more likely to trust you.

4.  Reviews and Testimonials

• Leverage online reviews.
• Showcase testimonials featuring younger clients.

5. Showcase your values

• Highlight your social responsibility by sharing your firm’s commitment to diversity, community involvement, and/or causes.

6. Be Responsive & Accessible

• Ensure your firm responds promptly to inquiries through chatbots, email, or social media messaging.
• Consider offering extended hours for consultations or weekend availability.

7. Address Their Fears Directly

• Speak to their common fears, like the cost of legal services, long processes, or lack of legal knowledge.
• Younger clients are often overwhelmed by the idea of legal battles. Provide a sense of peace of mind by demonstrating how your firm is there to guide them every step of the way.

8. Focus on User Experience

• Streamline client intake by making it easy for potential clients to get started with online intake forms, quick consultations, and simple onboarding processes.  Make it easy for them to HIRE you.

9. Explain how the Law Firm gets Paid

• Sounds obvious right?  It’s not.  Understand that a large percentage of your potential client base have probably never been in an accident, so they don’t know how the process works. Research shows that a significant number of accident victims who need a lawyer don’t call one because they “can’t afford” one. It is imperative that you are transparent in every aspect of your marketing and other communications regarding how your fee structure works, especially if you work on a contingency basis.

Attracting a new generation of clients requires innovation, empathy, and a forward-thinking approach. By focusing on authenticity, transparency, accessibility, and personalization, your law practice can resonate with a demographic that increasingly values client relationships and aligned values.

Network Affiliates…Strategy. Creativity. Results.

What is a KPI?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable measures used to evaluate the success of an organization, employee, or process in meeting objectives for performance. Essentially, KPIs act as a compass to help businesses understand whether they’re taking the right path towards their strategic goals.

Importance of KPIs in a Law Firm

In the context of a law firm, KPIs are crucial for several reasons:

• Performance Measurement: They provide a clear picture of how well the firm is performing in various critical areas.
• Decision-Making: KPIs offer data-driven insights that can guide decision-making and strategic planning.
• Client Satisfaction: They can help ensure that the firm is meeting client expectations and delivering value.
• Resource Allocation: KPIs assist in identifying areas that require more investment or improvement.
• Competitive Edge:  law firms can gain an advantage in a competitive market by ensuring their resources are being used most efficiently and that their brand promise is being met.

How to Effectively Use KPI Information in a Law Firm

• Identify Relevant KPIs: Common KPIs for law firms include cost per lead, cost per case, conversion of leads to cases, case duration and average case fee by case type.
• Set Clear Targets: For each KPI, set a clear and achievable target.
• Regular Monitoring: KPIs should be monitored regularly to track progress and identify any deviations from expected performance levels.
• Data Analysis: Gain insights into your progress by looking for trends, patterns, and anomalies that can inform future actions.
• Actionable Insights: Use the insights gained from KPI analysis to make informed decisions.
• Review and Adjust: KPIs should not be set in stone. As the firm grows and the market changes, it may be necessary to review and adjust KPIs to stay aligned with current objectives.

Why KPIs are Vital for a Law Firm’s Success

Strategic Alignment: KPIs help ensure that every aspect of the firm’s operations is aligned with its strategic goals.

• Performance Improvement: They enable law firms to identify areas of strength and weakness, fostering continuous improvement.
• Financial Health: Financial KPIs specifically can help firms manage their finances more effectively, leading to better profitability and sustainability.
• Client Retention: By monitoring client related KPIs, firms can improve their client relationships and retention rates.

KPIs serve as a foundational element in the management and optimization of your law firm’s operations. As a client of Network Affiliates, we can help you effectively utilize these indicators, and navigate your firm’s path towards success with greater precision and understanding of your business dynamics. To learn more about how Network Affiliates can help, give us a call at 800-525-3332 and ask for Tammy Kehe!

Network Affiliates. Strategy. Creativity. Results.

Legal Advertising used to be frowned upon, but that’s no longer the case. When each market only had a handful of law firms available, word of mouth was enough to keep a law firm thriving. But today, there are hundreds of lawyers in every market across the country. It’s crucial for your law firm to rise above the noise to capture and educate your target audience as to why you’re the firm they should call. Here’s what they want to know:

• Who are you?
• What do you stand for?
• Do you win?
• How much does it cost?
• Are you the kind of lawyer I need?
• Are you the kind of lawyer I WANT?
• Do you have the right kind of experience?
• How do your prior clients feel about working with you?
• How will I feel working with you?

If you can explain your brand, you can sell your brand.

The hardest thing for most advertisers to remember is that, in many cases, they aren’t their audience. Along with narrowing down what you want to say, added attention needs to be paid in crafting how you say it, so that your message resonates with a diverse audience. That requires a multi-tiered approach based on language, creative, talking points and platform. There is no single solution that will work everywhere for everyone.

If you can sell your brand, you can sell your services.

Legal advertising isn’t like traditional product advertising, so exceptional data-based media strategy and memorable creative is key, because a strong, complementary media and creative presence doesn’t just sell a service or a product. It sells your brand…and the services your brand provides. Nobody plans on being in an accident or facing legal issues, so keeping your law firm top of mind in case you ever are needed is critical. Ultimately, advertising is brand support; it’s the visuals, the voice, and the power behind your brand. It can position your firm as a trusted ally and resource, ready to provide support when needed most.

In the world of legal advertising, just like in the legal field itself, one size does NOT fit all. Your brand, your values, your unique story deserve to shine through.

• Trust your gut: Every law firm, every attorney, and every legal service is distinct. Do not be afraid to showcase your firm’s authentic brand. Just remember that your audience is diverse. Whatever voice you choose, make sure it can be heard and embraced by everyone you reach.

• Represent Your Brand: You have a vision, a mission, and a message that sets you apart. In legal advertising, we believe in representing your brand the way YOU want it to be represented. Your voice, your identity, your expertise – it is what makes you extraordinary!

• Diverse Strategies: Legal advertising has many “legs” and a true strategy to ensure those “legs” complement each other is paramount.  Your brand is multi-faceted, and your marketing efforts should be as well.

• Build Trust: When you are genuine and authentic in your advertising, you build trust with your audience. They’ll see that you are not just another lawyer, but a true partner and person who genuinely cares about their needs and concerns.

• Embrace Variety: It’s easy to fall into a rhythm of running what you know has worked for your firm in the past. But remember, audiences expand and change, so the way you create and deliver your message needs to expand and change as well. Be open to innovative ideas, because while you know your audience, you may not BE your audience.

• Elevate Your Brand: By embracing variety and innovative ideas in advertising, you are not just promoting your services; you’re elevating your brand. Let the world see the incredible qualities that make you stand out…Authentically!

At Network Affiliates, we are here to help you showcase your unique identity in the legal world. Your vision, our expertise – together, we’ll create an advertising strategy as diverse and vibrant as your brand. If you’d like to discuss the many ways NetAff can help you stand out and represent your brand the way you want to be represented, simply give us a call at 800-525-3332 and ask for Tammy Kehe! Network Affiliates. Our Network. Your Move.

Can you imagine investing millions of dollars on JUST your advertising creative? We can. And we HAVE!

At Network Affiliates, we have a massive repertoire of exceptionally effective advertising concepts and campaigns just waiting to shine and deliver results in your market. We have invested literally millions of dollars into crafting and creating a diverse collection of legal campaigns that will get people talking and move the needle with quality leads and cases. This is how you fully leverage and expand the results of your media investment.  From your creative to your marketing strategy, once you join the “Network,” your firm will stand out in your market in the best ways possible.

We have targeted creative campaigns that speak to (not at) and impact every demo, every type of personal injury case and every prospect in your market. And the hits keep coming because we’re a creative bunch and we just can’t help ourselves.

We pride ourselves on tailoring unique creative just for you. Like a suit, but better, bc our work lets you do your work… providing people the expertise and help they need when they need it most.

Network Affiliates… Our Network. Your Move.

Intake is the #1 most important aspect of building a successful practice. Why?

By building a successful intake practice, you are perfecting your brand and increasing your business! This is your opportunity to ask yourself:

• Who are we as a law firm?
• Are we representing ourselves accordingly when potential clients reach out to us?
• Do our intake specialists’ behavior, tone and customer service skills represent our brand?
• From an objective perspective, is our intake staff as compassionate/professional/well-informed as we need them to be?
• Do our intake specialists have what they need to be successful?
• Are we providing them with the right kind of support and training?
• Are we respectful of their expertise and adapting our intake approach accordingly when appropriate?
• Are our intake practices demonstrating excellent conversion?

Running a successful law firm requires that you spend time focusing on every facet of your practice. But you can’t win cases you don’t get. By performing secret shopping, you have a unique opportunity to examine and perfect your firm’s customer service experience.

How can you effectively secret shop your firm? Here are some tips that may come in handy once you have made the decision to move forward:

• Selecting a secret shopper”: Make sure to choose someone your team won’t know. You can either hire professional secret shoppers, or go with someone you know, as long as they can be objective. There are even professional services out there that specialize in “shopping” the legal field.
• Know your objectives: Make a list of what you want to learn through this process, and make sure the secret shopper knows what questions to ask.
• If possible, have multiple shoppers call. One bad call doesn’t mean your process isn’t working.
• Call at various times of the day: This allows you to gauge consistency, track weak performance windows and truly understand how your intake is performing.
• When you have to say no: Along with having one caller ask about a case you KNOW your firm would take, see what happens when a shopper calls with a case you can’t help them with.
• Compare: Consider having your secret shopper call competitors’ law firms as well. You know your potential clients are “shopping around.” Why shouldn’t you?
• Review the results with your team: Share the shopper’s feedback so they can learn what worked and what needs to improve.

You may not always like what you hear from the shoppers, but constructive feedback allows room for growth, both for your intake team and your firm!

So, what do you do with the results? Hopefully, you went into the secret shopper exercise with clear goals. Now’s your chance to leverage your investment!

Once you’ve received feedback (or even better… heard the calls) thoughtfully review what happened. Here are some things you may want to highlight for improvement:

• Evaluate hold times. Was your shopper forced to wait on the line for too long? Do you have exceptionally busy times of the day? Is your phone system up to the task? Do you need additional staff or a more streamlined intake process?
• Make intake easy. Did the caller have to answer too many questions before being offered an appointment? If your intake process is too cumbersome, callers may lose interest in proceeding after the first few minutes. They want to be heard and know if you can help them as quickly as possible. If you can’t help them, they want to find someone who can.
• Improve staff’s ability to provide answers or resources: The reason for this is twofold. Your intake team cannot answer legal questions, but are they provided with pre-approved options and answers? Are they trained to go beyond “no, we can’t help you?” Remember, even if you cannot take the case, you are still building a relationship. Now you have (1) a legitimate reason to capture contact information and (2) an opportunity to build credibility for your brand.
• Refine training:  Remember, this secret shopping process is about growth, both for your firm and your intake specialists. Be thoughtful in how you address any shortfalls. Your foundational goal throughout this process is to inspire and improve.

Now you have some real things to work on together. And you don’t have to take on all the work yourself. Bring in other members of your team to help create solutions.

Lessons

At this point you have heard the calls and processed the feedback. Now what?

• Refer to your original goals: Not only will you see where you stand, but you may see some missed opportunities and room for creative problem solving.
• Give Feedback: Be prepared with constructive feedback for your intake team.

• Think creatively on how to leverage what you’ve learned: Don’t just think about the calls that resulted in cases. Look at the calls that weren’t a good fit. Sure, it may take a little more time in the intake turn-around rate, but you are still winning hearts and minds. In a 40+% referral world, you are building capital with every call. What does your firm’s network look like? Are there other firms or resources that may help the people that you can’t help, and do you know who they are? Are you able to capture an email address to send resources? As you know… contact info is priceless to your practice.
• Addressing issues: Is your priority simply to “catch” the underperformers, or are you also looking for the successful performers and sharing their techniques? Secret shopping your firm is about growth… not guilt! Positions on an intake team aren’t for everyone, but with a little support and extra confidence, turn-over is less likely… saving you money in searching for staff and training costs.

Remember, consumers are more likely to leave a bad review after having a negative experience. The last thing you want is to have callers who are frightened, confused or frustrated diminishing your brand online. A review such as, “they couldn’t take my case, but they pointed me in the right direction” can be worth as much as any “win” in the long run. Network Affiliates. Our Network. Your Move.