MENLO PARK – A California-based legal staffing and consulting firm has conducted a survey that indicates that there will be an increase in marketing spending for law firms within the next few months.
Robert Half Legal developed the survey and found that 45 percent of lawyers interviewed expect to boost their marketing spending moving forward.
“It’s not necessarily more marketing, but more strategic marketing in a changing landscape,” Melissa Wolfe, metro market manager for Robert Half Legal in San Francisco told the Northern California Record. “Firms must stand out in a competitive business landscape in order to grow revenue and be successful.”
For the survey, Robert Half Legal had an independent research firm conduct 175 telephone interviews with attorneys at the largest law firms throughout the U.S. and Canada. During the survey, candidates were asked, “Does your law firm plan to increase or decrease its spending on marketing its services in the coming year?”
The responses from the attorneys indicated that 41 percent plan to increase their spending somewhat, while 4 percent said they have plans to increase their marketing spending significantly. Of the respondents, 44 percent said they would neither increase nor decrease their marketing spending with only 1 percent saying they will decrease it somewhat.
According to Wolfe, this may be a priority in the California region as there are many technology firms in this area to progress this marketing growth.
“We do speak to clients on a day to day and because of the large tech hubs such as Silicon Valley and San Francisco, increases in marketing spending have become a priority for businesses in Northern California,” Wolfe said.
The additional marketing push may also be feeding a need by law firms to distinguish themselves and garner more clients in the competitive marketplace. This includes hiring specialized marketing experts at the law firms, as well as incorporating digital advertising, redesigning websites and using social media to promote their brand and interface with potential clients.
“By implementing strategic marketing programs, law firms can strengthen their brand and broaden their exposure to potential clients,” Wolfe said. “We are seeing law firms in the San Francisco market implementing new marketing strategies such as redesigning websites, boosting social media platforms and expanding digital advertising to stay relevant and competitive.”
According to Robert Half Legal, this move to a more integrated marketing strategy at law firms has created a demand for web and mobile designers, content strategists and brand managers, as these law firms look to provide a more enriched experience for their clients via digital efforts.
Many of the law firms are looking to add blogs, video content and podcasts as a way to step into the digital age and bring clients the legal information they demand. It also helps to showcase a law firm’s expertise and help them stand out from the competition with their technology prowess.
Based on the results of the survey, Wolfe recommends that law firms take this opportunity to look at their marketing plan and see how they stack up against their competition.