If you are a small law firm or solo practitioner, your brand is everything. You need to be able to get your name out there and reach the right audience. But the legal industry is extremely competitive, and when you don’t have a budget as big as some of the larger law firms near you, you might feel like you just can’t win.
The good news is, even on a budget, there are ways you can reach prospective clients. One of the lesser known types of marketing opportunities is cooperative advertising. Many smaller law firms and solo attorneys have found success through this unique approach to marketing. Is it a good option for your firm? Let’s find out.
What is Cooperative Advertising?
Cooperative advertising is a new concept for plenty of lawyers. The industry is cutthroat and competitive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come out on top. With cooperative advertising, even your small law firm or solo practice can win against the biggest law firms in your area.
There’s power in numbers. Cooperative advertising works by pooling the resources of smaller law firms and solo attorneys. They then brand themselves as one unit. One attorney might focus exclusively on personal injury law, while another focuses on estate planning and real estate, for example. Others might focus on criminal defense. By pooling their time, budgets, and specialties, you’ll be able to reach a niche-specific market or a larger community.
There are several elements that go into a well-developed law firm cooperative marketing plan. Some of these include:
- Defining your target audience
- Identifying law firms that can serve this audience
- Developing a brand for the cooperative advertising strategy
- Choosing which systems you’ll use to track the strategy
- Deciding on a monthly marketing budget that contains the pooled resources
How Cooperative Advertising Works in Law
There are many different types of marketing strategies that law firms and solo attorneys need to utilize in order to stay relevant and competitive. Through cooperative advertising, you’ll have access to certain marketing campaigns you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. Some of these could include:
- Direct mail advertising
- Digital marketing
- Radio or television commercials
- Print advertising
- Speaking engagements
- Free eBooks and other downloadables
- Newsletters
- Community events
- Email campaigns
- Social media promotions and campaigns
NimbusMark campaigns, for example, uses a number of different strategies for their cooperative marketing campaigns. Some of the most innovative include:
- QR Codes – your potential client scans a barcode using their smartphone’s camera which then directs them to a microsite
- Microsites – these are websites that contain just one page that advertises a specific service or promotion
- MMS Texting – here, you can send quick messages through a text to your target audience’s smartphone
No matter what practice area you specialize in, cooperative marketing could be a great way for your firm to gain the exposure it needs to beat the competition.
Is Cooperative Advertising the Right Fit for Your Law Firm?
Now you know what cooperative advertising is, but how do you know whether it’s the right option for your law firm? Have you ever spent thousands of dollars on a marketing campaign that went nowhere? Or maybe you simply didn’t have the budget to sign up with a marketing company like your competitors and have no idea where to focus your efforts with the budget you do have. Cooperative marketing strategies are an excellent option for law firms who value client confidentiality and privacy.
Small businesses, including those outside the legal industry, and solo law firms who need affordable marketing options can benefit from cooperative advertising. Short and long-term financing may even be available to those who need it. And no matter what size your law firm or budget is, you need to be spending money on marketing. Why not pool your resources with your like-minded peers and take over the niche communities you hope to serve? NimbusMarkl offers packages as low as $1,499 per month that can give you access to the type of advertising and marketing strategies your law firm needs to be successful.
If you are still unsure whether cooperative marketing is a good fit for your law firm, consider where you see your firm in the next five or ten years and beyond. Without getting the exposure your small or solo law firm needs, your community won’t know who you are or how you can help them. Even if you’re the best attorney in your area, if people don’t know that when they need legal help they should call you, you can’t win. Cooperative advertising is your chance to get your firm’s marketing strategy where it needs to be so you can start bringing in clients.
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