Measuring success can sometimes be straightforward. For example, if you file a lawsuit and negotiate a settlement, you can compare the time and resources you spent working on the matter to how much you were paid. That’s a straightforward way to measure a return on investment or ROI.
In legal marketing, there are also some instances where the ROI is obvious: You place an ad for $500 that leads to a client hiring you for a matter that yields a $5 million settlement. But there are so many ways a law firm’s marketing efforts pay off in intangible ways. This can make it challenging to measure success. Boosting brand awareness and building a reputation are a couple of those “intangible” marketing goals that can be hard to measure but are important aspects of a legal marketing strategy.
While business development is often the primary goal of a legal marketing plan, those intangible goals play an important role in supporting that primary goal. Without measuring how your marketing activities are performing, you don’t know what’s working and what’s not. Often, small changes or updates can lead to a more significant ROI.
Measuring your legal marketing plan’s effectiveness begins with establishing a baseline. Where data is available, such as the number of website visits or followers on your firm’s LinkedIn page, collect that and keep it.
Then, start tracking and reviewing data wherever you can. Here are four important marketing tactics to measure:
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Website
Law firm websites offer a wealth of data to help measure effectiveness. Analytics allow you to track the number of website visitors and their behavior when they arrive at your site. This includes how long they stay, how many pages they visit, and if they click on downloadable content or “call-to-action” links. If you’re using an SEO strategy, these analytics are critical to evaluating its success. You can also track from your social media’s effectiveness in driving visitors to your website. Learn more in our previous post: Law Firm Website Analytics: Six Ways to Measure Success.
Social Media
When measuring social media as a legal marketing strategy, focus on growth and engagement. Once you’ve recorded the number of followers each of your social media platforms has, be sure to check again on a regular basis or after launching a targeted campaign. Likewise, the large social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, also provide page administrators with helpful analytics related to how users are interacting with your posts. If you’re paying for ads or sponsored content, you’ll receive a lot of useful feedback. When you know what types of posts generate additional followers and increase engagement, you can focus on creating more high-quality content that your audience appreciates and wants.
Email Marketing
Email marketing systems provide data on how many recipients open the email, as well as how many click through to read more… and how many unsubscribe. This provides an indication of what content is well received and where improvements can be made. Looking at everything from email subject lines to what time of day you send the emails can move the needle.
If you have a call-to-action button on your website or have created a campaign to grow your subscriber list, the response you receive is another indication of interest and effectiveness. Sometimes, better outcomes can come from simple changes, like catchy messaging or offering a free download of an informative white paper.
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Ask for Feedback
Asking perspective clients how they learned of your firm and including a “How did you hear about us?” question on a new client matter form is a simple way to track your marketing efforts.
Collecting the data is not enough. Take the time to analyze it, create reports and, importantly, share key takeaways with law firm stakeholders. Marketing metrics can provide powerful insights for decisions on law firm and practice strategy and resources. There’s no better way to ensure an ROI!
