As a lawyer, you may not be used to the idea of being unconventional. You’ve achieved success by learning how to interpret tradition, strategizing within the lines, and negotiating with precision. The thought of experimenting with your marketing strategy may not be on your radar or something that you’ve thought of before.
But, in a crowded, competitive legal market, being a little unconventional with your marketing efforts and messaging can pay off. Guerrilla marketing techniques can get you notoriety and help your law firm stand out from the competition.
And standing out can translate into getting more clients and increasing your marketing budget’s ROI.
What Does Guerrilla Marketing Mean?
No, it does not mean you’ll be marketing your firm by dressing up as a guerrilla and roaming the streets. The concept of guerrilla marketing was created by Jay Conrad Levinson and simply means leveraging the surprise factor by catching people off-guard with your marketing messages during their daily routines.
Guerrilla marketing can be executed well both offline and online with unconventional messages and campaigns using billboards, live streaming events, online discussion groups and forums, email signatures, competitions, free content, and videos.
While you may be thinking “I don’t have time for this,” you can start small. After all, guerrilla marketing is about experimenting with messaging in places and in ways your potential clients wouldn’t expect from traditional law firm advertising. Something as simple as placing a call to action within your email signature is considered a form of guerrilla marketing.
Forms of Guerrilla Marketing
Of course, if you’re ready to try something more unusual and creative than a call to action in your email signature, there are other ways to surprise people with guerrilla marketing tactics. The main forms or categories include:
- Outdoor or street marketing: Uses outdoor space and elements. Think sidewalk chalk art or a removable display. Bounty recently used this technique by placing displays of “life-sized messes” throughout the streets of New York City. From giant melting popsicles to spilled coffee cups, the campaign worked by disrupting what residents would normally see while walking outside.
- Ambient marketing: Involves placing advertising messages in places potential clients wouldn’t expect. This technique can also include promoting services by interfering with the natural flow of day-to-day life. Think of things that potential clients might pass every day and not expect. The Grammy’s recently leveraged ambient marketing by having posters of nominated artists start singing.
- Experiential marketing: Think live streaming and other events that encourage leads to participate and get to know your brand. With a legal practice, this may prove to be a little more difficult due to confidentiality concerns. However, video blogs or live streaming commentary from trade shows, conferences, and industry events can work. You might even consider live streaming any public speaking engagements you do that showcases your knowledge.
Online Guerrilla Marketing
If you’re thinking some of these ideas sound intriguing, but you don’t have the time or the resources to pull them off, there are several ways to incorporate guerrilla marketing tactics into your firm’s online presence. Unconventional law firm marketing doesn’t mean you have to take to the streets to find ways to grab people’s attention.
- Create custom, personalized videos: There are several platforms like Vimeo that let you create personalized videos for your leads. Think about providing customized advice or even one-one-one private consultations through live video.
- Post to discussion groups and online forums: Join online discussion groups and forums through social media platforms where potential leads may be asking questions about legal advice or issues. While you may be limited in what you can disclose in your posts, it’s a great way to get the name of your firm and what advice you can offer in front of potential clients. You can include a call to action and redirect potential leads to your website in your posts if they’re interested in more information.
- Give away free content: What kind of content or items could your potential clients find useful and engaging? A guide on things to consider when filing for a divorce? Or tips on when to pursue a personal injury claim? You can offer this content through posts in online groups, on social media platforms, through live Twitter discussions, and your own website.
- Guest blogging: Look for sites that share similar content and reach out to see if those sites would consider a topic from a guest blogger. This can be a great way to expand your reach, share your expertise, and gather leads through links that direct them back to your website.
Guerrilla marketing may sound intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be. While it can be trickier to navigate for lawyers and law firms due to client confidentiality concerns, you can still reach potential clients in unexpected ways. Traditional, generic advertising may get your name out there, but it isn’t enough to make potential leads notice you and your firm.
To keep as many leads as possible in the pipeline, your marketing needs to stand out and get potential clients talking. Guerrilla marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, but it can have a huge impact and save you money and time. You’ll be able to focus on building and achieving the success you want.
Guerrilla marketing can be one way you get more ROI from your marketing efforts. If you want to take your law firm marketing to the next level, the time to do it is now. Learn how you can get started today with my FREE webinar.