5 Ways to Decode Your Competitors' Marketing

Maybe you pay attention to your digital presence. Perhaps you’ve looked at your website, reviewed your social media pages, and even straightened up the lobby. But, have you examined the legal marketplace as seen by your potential clients? Have you checked out your competition?

One of the best ways to make sure that you are on top of your marketing game is to put yourself in the shoes of your potential clients. What do they see when they are looking for a lawyer? What information is available to them? Who are they likely to contact and why?

1. Identify your competition.

First, you must know and appreciate who that is. It may not just be other lawyers. It could be another means of addressing a need that your services address. For example, if you provide wills and estate planning, there are other tools for consumers to purchase the services of lawyers. The same is true for basic legal entity planning. If your competition is limited to other lawyers, remember that the geographic limitations of yesterday are mostly gone. There may be competition from other cities. Have you examined what your competitors (whomever they may be) offer and what they don’t (services, opportunities to meet, online booking options, virtual meetings, etc.)? Do you know what they charge?

2. Check out your competition’s websites.

How do they compare to yours? How might you improve yours considering what they are doing? Does their website have features that yours does not? Perhaps videos, FAQs (frequently asked questions), blogs, links to social media, online scheduling tools, and easy access to help. How might you distinguish your services from theirs?

3. Check out your competition’s social media presence.

What platforms do they utilize? How frequently do they post? How engaged is their audience? How many likes, shares, and followers do they have? How does their presence compare to yours?

4. Check out where your competition is that you’re not.

What else are your competitors doing to put themselves out there? How are they helping to increase their chances of being in the right place at the right time? Where do you see them or their firm names?

5. Do your competitors have a brand? Can you identify it?

Remember, a brand is more than a logo. It is a unification of thoughts and feelings that reinforce who they are, what they do, and how they do it. Can you determine what it is about their presence that reinforces their brand in a positive way? How could you do better with your branding?

It's hard to admit where we fail or are lacking. But the only way that we can improve is to look at ourselves with a critical eye. As lawyers, we are great justifiers. We can explain away anything. But a good, hard, honest review of what we are doing from a marketing standpoint is important. We must critically examine our tactics and strategies, especially in comparison to our competition. Yes, some of your competitors may be doing more than you can afford to do, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot do more than you are doing. Being strategic about your marketing efforts and having a marketing budget means spending the right amount on the right things – those most likely to contribute to the bottom line.

We’re only an email away. Let us know how we can help you. If nothing else, we can help you determine how best to spend your marketing dollars.