When becoming a lawyer, no one thinks of the marketing side of starting a practice. But no matter where you work, your practice’s success will depend on how well you advertise your legal services.
While some law practices invest in TV commercials, others are more present on social media and in print ads. Depending on your audience and what kind of law you’re practicing, you must adjust your marketing activities and determine which channels work best for you.
To help you see what works and what doesn’t, we covered the 10 best lawyer advertising examples. Plus, the five strategies to help you improve your law firm advertising.
Let’s first dig into the best examples of law firms and their advertising.
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1. Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman – Power (2010)
When it comes to ads, humor works best – no matter what you’re advertising. And personal injury law firm, Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman from New York, knew how to use humor to promote something that’s never fun when it happens.
To communicate their message about the importance of having legal protection for personal injuries, they created a lighthearted ad that portrays a man whose PlayStation game ended due to a power outage.
This man’s “tragedy” was a great way for the company to portray an image of being equally funny and serious at the same time.
2. Reaves Law Firm – Content of your character (2022)
When advertising your law practice, you don’t have to be limited to promoting just your legal services. You can also send a more powerful message of racial equality and your stance toward defending everyone, regardless of skin color or gender.
This is the exact message Reaves Law Firm sent in their 2022 Super Bowl ad, and it won the crowd’s hearts. So if you have a more powerful message to send to your prospective clients, make sure to communicate it properly.
Check out our full roundup of the best Super Bowl commercials to see if this one makes the cut.
3. Isaacs & Isaacs Personal Injury Lawyers – Hammer In Space (2020)
In some way, your lawyer can be your superhero when you need them. And many law firms point out their superpowers when advertising their business.
One funny example is Isaac’s & Isaac’s Super Bowl ad from 2020, where he and his office fight the villains and aliens to win the battle against small checks (insinuating that the villains are insurance companies). Though some elements of the ad seem a little trashy at first, this is exactly what emphasizes the humor of it.
4. Claims Direct, Personal Injury Compensation (2012)
Whether you’re producing an ad for a law firm or any other company, you know it will be a win if you include a funny and catchy song. In this case, the company Claims Direct tells a story of a young lady literally “falling off a corporate ladder”, and not receiving compensation for it.
This catchy tune sticks with the viewers even if they weren’t looking for legal help, which is always a great song if you’re looking to spread more awareness about your legal services.
5. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers – Super Bowl Commercial (2019)
Besides using humor, emphasizing empathy and emotional appeal is another great way to make sure your ad will resonate with the audience.
Injuries and misconduct are often traumatizing, and personal injury lawyers from Harris wanted to make sure their clients know they can count on them to fight every fight to get the compensation they deserve.
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6. Divorce Attorney Marilyn York – Duct Tape It (2019)
Family law battles can be fierce and unpleasant when a couple decides to go their separate ways. But, attorney Marilyn York found a humorous way to promote her office’s specialty in men’s and fathers’ rights. Her ad offers a seemingly simple solution to a happy marriage – duct tape.
Check out the ad and see how this lawyer attracts male clientele!
7. Jamie Casino – Super Bowl Commercial (2018)
In Jamie Casino’s 2018 Super Bowl ad, you can’t help but wonder if you’re looking at a movie trailer or a lawyer’s ad. To tell the story of injustice and show his audience that he’s the man who will relentlessly fight for their rights, Casino chooses a movie-like setting in his commercial.
This high-level production commercial shows the attorney as a powerful and righteous figure and moves away from conventional law advertising.
8. Mike Morse Law Firm – Super Bowl Commercial (2021)
Mike Morse’s office is one of the most famous law firms for understanding the power of media. He regularly releases new ads for his law practice and even invests in the largest advertising event of the year, the Super Bowl.
The message is simple – Mike Morse will chase justice and handle your case with full attention from start to finish.
9. The Mike Morse Law Firm – Returning the wallet (2019)
Since this attorney made a name for himself based on his commercials, it’s only logical to include another one of his ads on the list. With the same mission to showcase to his potential clients the dedication he’ll have in fighting every case, Morse created an ad, “Returning the wallet.”
What makes this ad so great is the simple message combined with humor telling the audience, “I’ll be there for you no matter what” – something everyone wants to hear when hiring a lawyer.
You can find a full video on the link: The Mike Morse Law Firm – Returning the wallet – 2019
10. Hello Divorce – Commercial Spot (2019)
When starting the divorce process, you usually don’t consider the legal fees and expenses. And these can become pretty high for you and your (ex) partner. That’s why Hello Divorce created an educational and straightforward ad that shows viewers how to navigate through divorce period with less stress.
Though this ad may not be the most creative one on the list, its direct approach helps viewers resonate with the issue and improve awareness of the platform.
Five marketing strategies to improve your law firm advertising
Even if you just started looking into advertising options with a smaller budget, you can still make great ads that convert clients. To avoid creating cheesy commercials that make your team look like they don’t know what they are doing.
Here are the five best strategies to help you create slick and professional ads for your law office:
- Determine the target audience
- Examine your competitors
- Think of the problems you solve for your clients
- Point out the services you offer
- Figure out the core message
1. Determine the target audience
Whether you’re a personal injury attorney, criminal defense lawyer, or divorce attorney, your audience will be drastically different. Take a look at your current clients, their demographics, and the issues that most bother them.
By looking closely at your current clients, you can make more informed decisions about the clientele you would like to attract. Plus, you’ll peek inside at what made them choose you. All this information will help you turn your future ad into creative content that converts.
2. Examine your competitors
If you’re just starting up the business and don’t have a clear idea of what people look for when choosing their lawyer, make sure to study your competitors. Your competitors’ websites and ads are your free look into what works and doesn’t work for the same target audience.
Here are three things you should study carefully when doing competitor research:
- What tactics do they use for advertising?
- Which advertising channels are they mainly using?
- What is the core messaging in all ads?
Knowing your competitors’ advertising strategies will help you develop your unique style and give you enough insight to make sure you beat them with your ads!
3. Think of the problems you solve for your clients
In your ads, it’s not all about you. It’s essential to think of the problems your clients have that made them come to you. Wherever someone needs a lawyer, they are experiencing a stressful and (probably) traumatic event.
And besides stating the obvious, you can pay more attention to all factors people consider when choosing a new lawyer. If you look at your marketing efforts from this perspective, you’ll more likely create relatable ads that will result in the real “aha moment” for your prospective clients.
4. Point out the services you offer
At one point, you should have a clear overview of all services the clients can get from you. Besides pointing out the fact that you win cases, your audience should have a complete understanding of your services.
Sometimes, we need to remember to point out the obvious in advertising because the things that might be obvious to you don’t have to be evident to your audience.
Quite the contrary, your ad is the first time they hear of your office, and that’s why it’s so important to present your legal services adequately.
5. Figure out the core message
Ultimately, every ad needs a core message. Whether you’re creating a billboard, a short video ad for social media, or a TV commercial, the rules are the same. You need a core message that will stay with your audience for a long time.
The core messaging is often something with an emotional appeal that has the potential to stay remembered. Once you understand all four previous marketing strategies, it will become much easier for you to establish clear messaging that can go way beyond just one ad.
What is legal marketing?
Legal marketing is about using the right techniques to grow the brand reputation and recognition for law firms to expand their business. It can include traditional marketing, digital advertising, or building stronger partnerships with other influential companies from the legal industry.
With the ongoing evolution of marketing, law firms are quickly adapting new ways to promote their businesses. And we are still waiting to see what this constantly evolving landscape will look like with the rise of new marketing channels.
Traditional advertising vs. digital advertising for law firms
Though the legal profession counts as a more traditional field, it doesn’t mean your advertising strategy has to be the same. Depending on various factors, you should decide which channels will bring you the most customers.
A the end of the day, choosing between traditional and digital advertising depends on four factors:
- Who is your target audience
- Which channels are suitable for your audience
- What budget do you have for the disposal
- What kind of message are you trying to convey
If you’re trying to attract an older audience, consider TV or print advertising. You can even go for radio advertising if you’re trying to spread the word in a smaller local community where one radio station is particularly influential.
However, if your goal is to impact a wider geographical area and attract a younger audience, you should experiment with digital advertising. Google ads or Facebook ads could be great tools to expand your audience and give you more detailed insights about your audience.
Do you need to hire an ad agency for your first ad?
Most large law offices with significant advertising budgets use ad agencies for their advertising efforts. Even though many free online educational materials help you learn the basics of online advertising, you’ll still get a lot from collaborating with an agency.
Here’s what an agency can bring to the table:
- Search engine advertising
- Sponsored content ads
- PPC ads
- Video advertising
- Facebook ads
- Billboard advertising
Even if you’re starting with a smaller advertising budget, you can still get something from this collaboration. They will advise you on where to allocate your advertising and how to get the best value for your money. So before you start doing everything independently, consider meeting with an agency for their opinion.
How to speed up client feedback on law firm ads
Accurate presentation of all information is one of the most important aspects of law firm ads. In the field where everything is about lawsuits, you have to avoid the risk of publishing anything that can compromise your business.
With a client feedback tool like Filestage, you can have your review process basically run itself, waving goodbye to sleepless nights of waiting for someone’s approval.
Filestage allows teams to share, discuss, and approve all their files, all in one place – including documents, images, videos, websites, and audio files. Plus, all reviewers will get notified whenever there’s a due date approaching, making sure you collect all your approvals in time.
Final thoughts
Whether you have a small family practice or multiple law offices across the country, advertising will positively impact your business. With a strategic advertising approach, you’ll be able to expand the list of your clients, build a stronger reputation in your community, and spread your messaging to a broader audience.
Ultimately, no law firm should be scared to start working on advertising their business. At the end of the day, who knows where it will take you?
