Lawyers know TV commercials still capture more eyeballs than ads sent through any other medium on the planet.

The key to effective advertising on screen, however, is to make your message national caliber—one that rings a little louder, differently or more authentically.

It sounds simple, but when your law firm’s ad follows a heavily branded, visually tempting eye-catcher from let’s say Coca-Cola or another corporate giant, what you have to say needs to be even more distinct.

You can’t afford to get drowned out by a big-bucks spot that happens to precede or follow your commercial. There’s only so much prime time—and you need a premier spot to capture your audience’s attention.

Advertising messaging—and all marketing messaging, for that matter—has always been about “how” you do law differently (not what services you offer). Capturing that brand message in 60 seconds or less is a challenge.

But having a team of legal marketing and advertising experts on your side can quickly help you toss out the generics, distill your message to its essence and frame it effectively enough to compete with national ads book ending your commercial.

When developing a new TV spot or re-shaping an existing message for a visually based medium, it’s helpful to include a few key ingredients. Start by asking these questions; the answers will stir up a recipe for success.

1. Are you saying what every other law firm is saying? Be honest.
2. What is one distinguishing attribute (brand message) your firm can hang its hat on?
3. Are you simplifying your message for TV or overloading viewers with information they can’t digest quick enough?
4. Are you actually getting what you’re asking for with a clear and effective call to action?
5. Is your production quality crisp—taking into account think like ideal lighting, high-quality voice over, impeccable grain, interesting graphics and optimal editing?

If you’re creative light bulb just flashed, that’s good news. You either have already one or just realized you need to find a full-service TV production partner that can help your firm craft a competitive legal advertisement from start to finish. It’s worth every dime—and it doesn’t have to take every one of them.

Remember, when you’re going back-to-back with national ads, it’s not the time to take a backseat.

We would be happy to evaluate your advertising, confidentially and constructively. Please just give us a call. Network Affiliates has been in this lawyer marketing game since 1981. We currently represent over 90 Law Firms around the country.

What do you have to loose? We feel the value of the case you are trying to get is everything.

There is no one size fits all approach to advertising on TV. There are many factors that go into creating a strategic advertising plan for a law firm. Demographics, budget, competition, product, etc., are all things that help determine how an effective campaign is built.

With that being said, there are still two common schools of thought when it comes to planning a media campaign: the targeted approach vs. the shotgun approach.

Target Shooting – You Want a Specific Case

The targeted approach is better for advertisers that are looking for a very specific type of case or have a limited budget and thus want to focus on attracting a certain type of case. Target shooting requires the firm to specifically identify what type of case they would like to attract.

A creative team develops this and produces ads to attract this specific type of client. Once the creative is produced, the media buy is centered on specific programs and/or networks that have high viewership with the particular type of client the law firm is looking to attract.

For example, motorcycle campaigns are very targeted campaigns that focus on trying to bring in cases involving motorcycle accidents. Specific creative is produced and media is placed on networks and programs where motorcycle riders are most likely to be watching.

Shotgun Approach – You Handle a Variety of Cases

A firm using a shotgun approach is targeting a variety of cases specifically related to PI, or domestic law or criminal law, etc. The shotgun approach is more likely to be used by firms that have a larger budget and have the ability to refer cases out if the law firm can’t handle certain kinds of cases.

The shotgun approach is likely to be more expensive since the firm is looking to try and take in as many cases as possible and target as many people as possible. As such, the creative messages for a shotgun approach are often more general and cover broad areas of a firm’s practice.

Law firms using the shotgun approach need to be disciplined during intake and truly understand which cases will benefit the firm the most. An extensive referral network is also beneficial for law firms employing the shotgun approach, as many cases will likely come through the door that the firm can’t handle.

What Approach is Your Law Firm Using?

Is your law firm using a targeted campaign when it should be taking a more broad approach to the marketplace? Or, is your firm struggling to make noise in the market with a shotgun approach and you’re beginning to think a targeted approach might make more sense? Either way, it is important to know where your firm stands and use an approach that will be most effective for your business.