A marketing agency is meant to help a small business outsource their marketing needs so that the focus of the internal team can go to different tasks. However, the actual return you can get on the investment in a marketing agency varies greatly. There are many agencies that claim to be effective but don’t produce results and which won’t help your law firm grow.
If you’ve had a problem finding the right partner before, don’t worry. You’re not the only one experiencing law firm marketing agency frustrations. Thankfully, there are some marketing technology and marketing platforms that will help you avoid the common law firm marketing agency frustrations and can actually help you get control of your marketing efforts.
Frustrations with Marketing Agencies
Lawyers are constantly dealing with law firm marketing agency frustrations. Whether it’s due to an agency not understanding how a law business functions or not communicating clearly with you, there is no end to the types of frustrations that law firms have to manage with inadequate marketing agencies. Here are the top ten law firm marketing agency frustrations:
1. No Personalization
The goals that you have for your marketing efforts are never going to be exactly the same as another business, whether it’s another law firm or any other type of business. Why, then, do so many marketing agencies treat every client exactly the same? Rather than personalize a plan that fits your needs, many marketing agencies will instead push a cookie-cutter strategy that doesn’t drive real results for your business.
2. No Communication
A common complaint against marketing agencies is the time it takes for them to reply back to a message or respond when you’re trying to get a hold of them. And, when you do get on a call, they would rather talk than listen to you and your concerns. Overall, many marketing agencies give the impression that they simply don’t care about your law firm and only see you as an invoice.
3. No Transparency
Go to any marketing agency’s website and you’ll find huge claims and promises about what they can deliver. Phrases like “increase in leads” or “big returns on ROI” are peppered all through their web pages, but many law firms are finding out that the agencies that promise these results don’t always deliver. And, even worse, many marketing agencies don’t show you the work they do, leaving you in the dark.
4. No Data-Driven Decisions
While data is a buzzword often associated with digital marketing agencies, the truth is that many won’t use the data they collect to make better decisions for your brand or help you understand the metrics of your goals. Without any reports or analytics, law firms are left in the dark and are unsure if their investment in the agency is paying off.
5. No Cost-Effective Pricing
The cost of using marketing agencies often comes with a huge price tag. Many use a retainer pricing model and a fixed pricing menu for additional work outside of a retainer cost. In addition, advertising costs to run social media or display ads are another cost added to the base price of the agency. All of this adds up, and can prove frustrating for law firms who don’t see where the money is going.
6. No Flexibility
Another one of the common law firm marketing agency frustrations that lawyers experience is the lack of flexibility that most agencies have. They are so busy keeping up with customers that they don’t want to address new concerns, new technologies and platforms, or new trends. Instead, they want to keep on the same path as it’s easier for them to manage.
7. No Industry Specific Knowledge
A law firm runs differently than any other type of business, and the industry has specific knowledge that one needs to know in order to fully understand how to market it. However, many marketing agencies don’t bother getting to know the ins and outs of the industry. Instead, they’ll claim to be an expert or partner in many industries and miss the focus that comes with specialization.
8. No Clarity in Pricing and Services
What exactly are you paying for when you sign a retainer contract with a marketing agency? Many law firms aren’t sure. Rather than providing clarity in the pricing and services, agencies will hide behind a price wall and leave you in the dark when it comes to clear breakdowns of what you are paying for and what services are being completed on a monthly or quarterly basis.
9. No Customer Service Skills
One of the most frustrating aspects that law firms have when dealing with a marketing agency is the lack of customer service they receive. It becomes a challenge to get in contact with the agency, receive replies back from your point of contact, and keep clear communication going between your firm and the agency. It can end up feeling like they care more about their own bottom line than yours.
10. No Control
The biggest of all law firm marketing agency frustrations is the lack of control that you have over your marketing efforts. Everything goes in the hands of a stranger, and the pace at which campaigns are run and your business scales no longer is something that you have direct control over. That leads to you becoming dependent on a marketing agency rather than having them support your goals and efforts.
Why Surefire Local is the Agency Antidote
Lawyers who partner with Surefire Local are able to utilize an all-in-one marketing platform. That means that they are able to control all parts of their marketing in one place. Leads, reviews, ads, content, email, directories, social media, photos, and much more are all available in a single solution.
Get Rid of Duct-Tape Solutions
Having an all-in-one platform means that lawyers can stop relying on duct-tape solutions that lead to frustrating results, and that they can eliminate data silos from your organization to gain a 360 perspective on ROI.
Surefire Local lets you get a single sign-in view of literally everything with a data-driven marketing intelligence platform that seamlessly aligns your branding and messaging to online and offline touchpoints as people move through the customer journey.
Integrate with SMB Tools
Partnering with Surefire Local allows your firm to work smarter and faster with a single platform that is easily accessible across devices and browsers. The Surefire Local platform also integrates with all the digital marketing tools SMBs rely on.
This helps you work faster and have a transparent view of all areas of your marketing from anywhere that has an internet connection. After all, the future of marketing is the ability to have an opaque view of what’s working and what isn’t, helping you save precious time and maximize your throughput and velocity.
Gain More Insights Into Your Marketing
You’ll also be able to unlock never-before-seen insights about your marketing. Surefire Local’s secure, all-in-one platform brings all your data into one centralized hub and generates marketing intelligence reports to help you identify patterns, trends, and channels worth investing in.
By enabling the power of modern marketing and leveraging customer data in this way, you’re able to find more ready-to-buy leads faster, which helps your law business grow more quickly and profitably. And, by having the platform do the heavy lifting for you, you are able to focus your time more on helping your clients rather than doing marketing analysis.
Surefire Local’s data-driven marketing intelligence platform, with built-in AI guides your business forward. By eliminating data silos and analyzing customer attribute information, customer interactions, and the results of those actions, the Surefire platform allows you to generate more personalized insights and recommendations to help you find more look-a-like customers. This helps you ultimately identify new opportunities within your marketing and focus your efforts on the exact activities and channels that will attract your ideal customers. This way, you will never waste any time or budget on ineffective tactics.
Partner with the Best
You’re never along with Surefire Local. You’re not just given the software that will help you grow your business profitably and left to fend for yourself. We become a part of your team and your biggest cheerleader. We also help you empower others in your organization to participate in marketing effectively, so all teams work towards a shared goal.
Every Surefire Local customer gets expert guidance from one of our experienced Digital Marketing Strategists. They will work with your law firm to help you utilize the software to the fullest extent, make the right decisions, and get the most out of your digital marketing efforts. Request a demo today to get started with Surefire Local and help your law firm grow now.
