Brand recognition is crucial for personal injury law firms. You want potential clients to remember your law firm when they need an attorney. Injured victims may be more likely to call the law firm they remember, especially if your law firm is easy for them to find online.
One proven strategy for increasing brand recognition is outdoor advertising, such as billboards. Despite the ever-changing advertising landscape, outdoor advertising continues to be effective, which is why law firms are still doing it.
If you have questions about outdoor advertising or other elements of law firm marketing, contact PMP to discuss how we can help. For more than 15 years, we have been helping law firms across the nation get more cases and grow their firms.
What Is Outdoor/Out-of-Home Advertising?
Outdoor advertising is often referred to as out-of-home (OOH) advertising. OOH advertising is anything that happens outside of consumers’ homes.
Examples of OOH advertising include:
- Billboards
- Posters
- Flyers
- Digital billboards and screens
These ads can be found on roadsides and:
- Public transportation, such as buses
- Malls
- Benches
- Bus stations
- Festivals
- Entertainment venues
- Office buildings
- Airports
- Train stations
- City centers
What Are the Benefits of Outdoor Advertising?
There are numerous advantages to OOH advertising, which explains why law firms continue to use it to market themselves to potential clients:
Reaching Potential Clients in Your Local Area
Most of your potential clients work and live near your law office, so your law firm needs effective local advertising to help build your brand. One of the best ways to do this is through outdoor advertising.
Billboards in high-traffic areas provide continuous exposure for your firm. People who regularly take the same route to school, work or social activities will see your ad repeatedly. They may even encounter other outdoor advertising, such as on a public bus, which means they may see your ads numerous times in one day.
Market research allows you to determine where your potential clients are likely to be, which allows you to pick the best locations for OOH ads.
Low Cost To Get Started
OOH has a low cost per thousand impressions, which means it does not cost as much to get started as other forms of marketing. Unlike a television commercial or radio advertisement that people will only see at certain times, outdoor advertising is there 24/7 for the duration of your campaign.
Static Image That Does Not Change
Some outdoor advertising is digital, which means you can change the images and text in your ads. However, many OOH ads are statics, which means the image does not change. Potential clients are going to see the same image and text over and over. This helps to build brand recognition in the minds of people who may one day need a lawyer.
Supporting Your Other Advertising
OOH advertising is a great way to support other advertising you are doing, including TV commercials, over the top ads and digital advertising. In fact, there is research showing outdoor advertising can increase the effectiveness of direct response advertising.
What Are the Disadvantages of Outdoor Advertising?
There are some cons to billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising. For example, this is not direct response advertising. Outdoor advertising should only be used to support other advertising, such as TV or radio ads.
Another problem with outdoor advertising is that weather can cause damage. For example, extreme weather or too much sunshine can cause billboards or poster to degrade.
Most outdoor advertising is static, which is an advantage and disadvantage. For example, it takes longer to change outdoor ads.
One of the most significant disadvantages of outdoor advertising is that your message must be conveyed in just a few seconds, especially on billboards on the roadside.
Best Practices For Success With Billboards and Other Outdoor Advertising
Advertising needs to target the types of clients you want and stick with them after they see or hear it. This is particularly true with outdoor advertising, as one of the benefits is that people will see the ads many times.
There are many building blocks for success with outdoor advertising, which is why it is important to consider hiring an outside agency to handle this for you. At PMP, we manage law firms’ marketing efforts, both on and offline. Our skilled marketing professionals have many years of experience building comprehensive strategies to help law firms reach their marketing goals.
These are some best practices for OOH advertising:
- Purchase advertising in high traffic areas where they are more likely to be seen.
- Run outdoor ads in conjunction with a multimedia advertising campaign, including TV, connected TV and pay-per-click ads.
- When possible, negotiate to get the best deal.
- Try to make billboards memorable. You often only have a few seconds to get a potential client’s attention.
- Make sure to purchase enough advertising to make an impact.
- Consider graphics that go beyond the dimensions of the billboard. This looks different and grabs peoples’ attention. If you also have a compelling message, the advertisement is likely to stick in the minds of potential clients.
What Messages Should Your Outdoor Advertising Convey?
It is hard for people to take in a lot of information at one time. That is why marketing messages in outdoor advertising are often short and to the point. Too much clutter on a billboard or bus makes it harder to get your point across. You should have one message you are trying to convey, and people should get the message right away.
You should base your messages on what your potential clients want to know. This should be based on market research for your local area, which is something PMP has been doing for more than 15 years.
If you are looking to grow your firm and attract more of the clients you want, PMP is here to help. Contact us to learn more.
