Looking for the right marketing agency to help your law practice thrive and beat the competition? Asking the right questions when interviewing is key. Not every agency gets legal marketing’s unique needs, though.
Strategic questions will show if a potential partner has the specialized skills your firm requires to hit its goals. Their answers give important intel on strategies, abilities, and results for clients like you.
We’ll explore the key questions when vetting agencies to find the best legal marketing fit. Law firms need a strong online presence and marketing that brings in clients. But most lawyers don’t have extra time or staff to rock digital marketing solo. That’s why more partners with outside agencies, especially ones focused on legal marketing, not general stuff. Legal marketing’s got lots of special rules and details.
To find the perfect match, let’s examine the critical questions when assessing potential law firm marketing agencies.
Questions About Core Services and Expertise
First, ask questions to understand the agency’s experience delivering core legal marketing services:
What services do you offer specifically to law firms?
This open-ended question allows them to summarize the services they provide legal clients. Look for full-service agencies that offer things like:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Pay-per-click ads (PPC)
- Website design
- Web development
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
- Print/billboard ads
- Direct mail
- Lead generation
Having all these experts in one place is ideal.
How much experience do you have working with law firms vs. other industries?
A law firm’s marketing needs and client acquisition process can differ a lot from a standard small business or ecommerce site. The agency must have extensive experience specifically helping law firms be successful.
Ideally, they’ll have a long track record serving this niche instead of just dabbling with a few legal clients here and there. Ask what percentage of their business focuses on law firms versus other verticals. The higher, the better.
What’s your track record helping law firms generate leads and new business?
Any agency can claim they use legal marketing best practices. You must probe deeper by asking for proof like performance data, client testimonials, and case studies.
Ask for specifics on average lead and client conversion rates they’ve achieved for firms like yours. How do they help turn website visitors into leads and eventually retain clients?
Look for data-driven agencies that are constantly testing and optimizing. Having case studies and reviews from satisfied legal clients is a must.
Do you stay current on legal marketing trends and regulations?
Legal marketing has very particular regulations around ethics, ads, keywords, and more. An agency needs in-depth knowledge of these nuances and any new regulations.
For example, rules around legal ads and keywords vary by state. Ask how they stay on top of this complex landscape. Do they attend legal marketing conferences and train staff regularly?
You want an agency with its finger on the pulse of legal marketing best practices and trends.
Questions About Strategy and Planning
Once you confirm an agency has strong legal marketing chops, dig into how they’ll develop your strategy:
How do you create plans tailored to each firm’s specific goals?
Avoid any agency that takes a one-size-fits-all approach. They should explain a detailed process focused on understanding your firm’s objectives, target clients, strengths, and pain points.
Their process should include research, competitor analysis, setting KPIs, and more. You want a strategy directly mapped to your goals.
How do you determine optimal budget allocation?
Ideally, the agency will have a methodology for figuring out the media mix that will get the best ROI. Their process may include testing campaigns and channels, measuring conversions and adjusting spending accordingly.
Ask how they’d allocate the budget between paid ads, website optimization, content marketing, etc. The right blend depends on your specific firm and goals.
How do you measure success/ROI and optimize campaigns?
Any reliable agency should have stellar tracking and reporting on key performance metrics. Ask how they track meaningful ROI across channels like site traffic, leads, rankings, conversions, and new clients.
Look for data-driven agencies experienced in continual optimization. Can they share examples of improving underperforming campaigns over time through testing?
Questions About Team and Operations
Ask logistical questions to understand who you’ll collaborate with and how the agency handles communication, reporting, and support.
Who will we interact with daily?
Ask who’ll be assigned to your account and their backgrounds. Look for specialists with significant legal marketing experience in SEO, PPC, social ads, etc.
A dedicated account manager who understands your firm is vital for smooth day-to-day collaboration. Avoid agencies that can’t guarantee staff.
How do you communicate and report to clients?
The agency should have a formal system for regular reporting to show campaign progress. These reports and calls should cover:
- Traffic, leads, and rankings
- Return on ad spend
- Website user behavior
- Any issues or optimizations
Ideally, they’ll meet regularly to discuss results and strategies. Clear communication and visibility into campaigns are crucial.
Do you offer 24/7 support if urgent issues arise?
Ideally, the agency will provide around-the-clock access to support in case pressing issues come up with your website, PPC ads, etc. Having technical staff available evenings and weekends prevents downtime.
Ask about their average response time to urgent requests. Slow responses could negatively impact your firm.
Questions About Results and Case Studies
Case studies and proven success should play a major role in evaluating agencies:
Can you share case studies of success with past law firm clients?
A trustworthy agency should have multiple examples of strategies consistently generating results for similar firms.
Ask for specifics on increased traffic, better rankings, new leads or retained clients. Look for hard metrics – avoid vague claims without data or reviews.
What results have you gotten for comparable law firms?
Press them to share measurable client results in similar practice areas, like personal injury law marketing or locations. Those are relevant examples if they’ve increased leads for personal injury firms in Chicago or grown rankings for criminal defense attorneys in Philadelphia.
Speak with those clients to hear firsthand how the agency impacted their success. This verifies the agency consistently delivers.
How will you benchmark our current marketing efforts?
Before launching new campaigns, the agency should thoroughly research your firm’s digital presence and marketing. Ask how they’ll evaluate where you stand now in areas like:
- Website traffic
- Search rankings
- Ad conversions
- Social media reach
- Current leads
Having baseline metrics will allow accurate measuring of growth moving forward.
Questions About Pricing and Contracts
Finally, discuss costs, contracts, and overall value:
What are your fee structures and billing?
Get specifics on how they bill – hourly, monthly retainer, commission, or a blend. Consider minimums and other factors to gauge overall costs.
Price alone shouldn’t determine your choice if they have a proven track record. But optimize for value within your budget.
Do you require long contracts or offer month-to-month?
Look for flexibility so you can reassess down the line. Many agencies want annual commitments, but some offer month-to-month once trust is built.
Are your fees competitive within legal marketing?
Do some research on average pricing by talking to other firms. Super cheap fees could signal inexperience. Aim for fair pricing from an agency that also provides great expertise.
Conclusion
Choosing the right marketing agency is a big decision that will impact your firm’s long-term success. Asking the key questions outlined in this guide will reveal agencies’ expertise, capabilities, and approach.
Some important takeaways for your evaluation and decision process:
- Vet each agency’s specialized legal marketing experience and expertise in SEO, PPC, etc.
- Verify case studies and results achieved for comparable firms to validate abilities.
- Discuss processes for research, planning, execution, and reporting to ensure transparency.
- Understand who you’ll collaborate with on the team and their legal marketing background.
- Assess each agency’s communication systems, technical support, and customer service.
Doing thorough due diligence during the interview process is critical for selecting the right partner to support your firm’s long-term mission and growth objectives. Focusing on these key areas will set you up to make a smart choice.