OTLA Trial Lawyer Winter 2021

40 Trial Lawyer • Winter 2021 their first contact with you. The data also reveals that 42% of in-market legal cus- tomers’ first contact is by phone. This might be updated soon to include meet- ings by Zoom and Skype but the overall conclusion to be made is customers want interaction. With these points as a foun- dation, new clients want to have direct contact with an attorney so they can decide very soon who to hire, the case can be made for a mix of fast, agile, intrusive media. These are general obser- vations. It’s still very important you do your research to accommodate the unique aspects of your practice. Craft your message Armed with a well-defined under- standing of the ideal customers including where they are, what they value and how they behave, the next step is to use that information to craft your message with the goal of establishing a brand. It’s the secret to cutting through the noise and clutter your future customers are inun- dated with every day. A brand is a positioning statement, phrase or look that is clear, crisp and memorable. To be successful it must be valuable to the customer and a true statement about your practice. Creating a brand requires identifying the unique aspect of your practice that separates it from all others. It may be fluency in other languages, a unique specialty, a promise or commit- ment. It can be a simple catchphrase, jingle or slogan. The best brands connect with customers and ring in their heads. They have been well researched to trigger that response. Data can prove valuable in identifying characteristics that excite and engage customers. When asked what informa- tion you wanted to know before you first contacted an attorney, 60% of respon- dents said fees and 58% said free consul- tation. If understanding cost is very important to potential customers, it might be something to connect to your brand. Next on the list of importance was responsiveness at 48%, years of the same service. Think of it as two law- yers fighting over the same cow. One pulls on the head, the other pulls on the tail and Google milks it. Every item on that large list of media options has value in accomplishing some marketing objective. The key is to find the ones that are the right fit for your goals and situation. It’s said in advertising that no one goes into a hardware store looking for a drill, they go in because they need a hole. Think of the vast list of media options as a trip to Home De- pot. Rule out those that don’t fit your need and focus on just the few that do. How you do that is rule number two. Focus on the customer Locate research and dig into surveys on how clients find and then select an attorney in your area of law. Go beyond asking your current clients as they’ll simply reinforce what you’re already do- ing. You want to learn the behavior and criteria of those that didn’t select you. Stay open-minded, as something that always has been may have recently evolved into something different. For example, you may have ruled out news- papers, but your local community news- paper may be starting an “Ask the Expert” column and need contributors. The discovery phase is very important and not to be rushed. A common mistake is to select a media mix based on what you like or what is hot now. Research can help broaden your view. When asked how long it took to hire an attorney from the moment you knew you needed an at- torney to the moment you hired one, 22% of consumers replied one to two days, 13% said four to seven days, and 17% said one to two weeks. Certainly, this can vary by situation since someone needing representation for a DUI has a greater urgency than a tax case, but the overall lesson holds true. Half your new clients will decide relatively quickly after Advertising Continued from p 39