TV has been one of the most effective marketing tools for law firms in previous years, especially a decade or so ago. However, it has gradually been replaced by the online world and digital marketing with Google Ads, social media, and SEO. The question that arises here is if TV can contribute to your marketing efforts and be effectively combined with your other ongoing campaigns.

Traditional media–such as television, radio, and billboards–has been dominating attorney preferences for their marketing and growth for decades. The digital and internet revolution has proven to be the industrial revolution or our times (as was successfully previewed in this article, almost ten years ago). It’s changing how we think, communicate, and consume. This has inevitably lead to a change in marketing for every business, including law firms. Television was the most sought after media for promotion to get in front of prospective clients, but this came with several restrictions. To name just a few, you need a long-term commitment, a significant budget, extensive collaborations with production and media-buying companies, and you don’t get immediate calls to action (you rely on watchers remembering your law firm’s phone number). Digital marketing, and especially Google Ads and social media ads, don’t require a long-term investment. You can turn them on and off according to your needs (though, of course, long-term strategies equal long-term success). You get to decide on your starting budget, and you can get in front of your desired audiences with immediate calls to action, allowing you to attribute each conversion.

  • The “million-dollar” question at this point is if attorneys should consider TV an obsolete media for their marketing strategy, or if they can still use it to enhance their brand image and eventually ROI. 

One of TV advertising’s most significant advantages is the credibility and brand awareness it can create for a law firm. It allows viewers to recognize your law firm and get familiar with your brand name. This, subsequently, increases the chances they’ll recall you whenever they are likely to need your services, meaning they could opt for looking up your law firm instead of making a more general query. Another potential benefit is that whenever prospective clients are in their research phase online, they will be more likely to click on and interact with an ad (or organic listing) familiar with the brand name. And here comes the value of combining your TV ads with social media.

Social networks, like Facebook and Instagram, have been booming recently, and their usage and importance have grown even further amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As you can see in the graphs below, Facebook is the most popular social platform, YouTube is second, and Instagram is in the top five. In the second chart, you’ll notice the yearly growth and predictions/expectations for the next five years.

Another particularly interesting and crucial contributing factor is the increased usage of Smart TVs and virtual assistants. These create a connected environment, where viewers can watch their favorite TV shows, while simultaneously, connecting to the internet and potentially checking their friends’ profiles on social media or even chatting with them.

But what do all these numbers and facts mean for your marketing campaigns? They’re all indicators that TV is no longer a standalone strategy but rather a complementary tool towards specific goals. The first and most prominent is credibility. Every law firm, and any business in general showing ads on TV, can claim to be more credible and authoritative.

Once you’ve got your TV ads ready and on-air, you can start repurposing them.     

  1. YouTube is the first and most obvious choice, and your TV ads can be ideal for organic content and YouTube ads for your law firm. You can use them and mark them “as seen on TV” to further build up your brand image and credibility, becoming more of a go-to choice for people in the research phase. The video-sharing platform can drastically help you nurture potential prospective clients and stay top of mind in the long run.
  2. Facebook should be your next step. Organically sharing and promoting your TV spots on the social platform should the first option you look into. After that, you can create targeted ads for specific audiences that will allow you to get in front of the most suitable prospects. As we mentioned above, making it evident that you’ve been on TV will enhance your credibility and increase your chances of getting more leads your way.
  3. LinkedIn can be another valuable asset in your marketing efforts when combined with TV and social media. Almost every attorney welcomes referrals and wants a respectable and robust network. Promoting your presence on TV can put you on the radar of other peers in the legal vertical, allowing you to grow your connections and, subsequently, a trusted network of professionals.
  4. Instagram can be another alternative for your digital marketing efforts, combining it with the assets you already have from your TV campaigns. Our main tips would be to create carousel posts with your spots’ most critical moments and use Instagram stories. And don’t forget to create highlights that stay on your profile as these can help you attract the interest of users who might be interested in your services while browsing the social network.

Time for our key takeaways:

  • Television used to be the most prominent option for attorneys who wanted to sign new clients through marketing.
  • Its importance has been dropping in the digital ages, as internet marketing is taking over. But this doesn’t mean that it’s dead and not worthy.
  • Careful and targeted investment in TV ads, combined with the right social media strategy (both organic and paid), can drastically push your brand awareness, raise your credibility and help you sign new cases.