Marketing vs Advertising: What's The Difference?
A critical distinction that must be made before we dive into the details is the difference between marketing and advertising. Many of our clients come to us believing the two are one and the same. Not true… to a degree. Allow me to explain…
Marketing is a fairly comprehensive term. Generally, when someone refers to marketing, they are referring to any effort made, or action taken, to promote a product or service. In the case of law firm marketing, this comes to life as an effort or action taken to promote the services of the firm.
Advertising, on the other hand is more specifically focused on a particular product or service, and in all of its forms you will find a "pay-to-play" model which is why it is important to use an expert.
Personal Injury Advertising - Which Is Right With You
Now that we understand the distinction between marketing and advertising, there are several channels to consider when it comes to personal injury advertising. The most popular channel for personal injury advertising? Google Search Ads. However, there are many options beyond this popular pick.
Google Search Ads
These are by far the most popular choice for personal injury marketing as they tend to be high intent. After all, if you were hurt in a car accident, for example, and didn’t know who to call for help, where would you go? Google, of course. The challenge is that Google knows this and not surprisingly they charge a premium top-of-the-page ad placements, sometimes in excess of $300 per click.
How do you get found instead of your competitors?
Search Advertising is an iterative science. It is a daily effort guided by data. Sticking with our accident example, you may think your ideal client is searching Google for “car accident attorney in Metropolis” whereas in reality, they may be searching “accident lawyer near me.” Two distinctly different searches. If you’re not bidding on the right keywords (the terms a searcher is using), this is where your competition will get ahead.
This is where daily analysis of your keywords and search terms by a trained expert in the space comes into play. Working with personal injury law firms across the country, our team at Practice Alchemy knows what it takes to edge out your competition.
Social Media Advertising
Another popular option for personal injury advertising is the use of social media advertising platforms. Social media is not going away and their sophistication is constantly on the rise as they gather more data on their users. That’s where personal injury firms can capitalize.
Are you targeting a particular industry or employer for on-the-job injuries? Social advertising on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn can direct your advertising dollars to the exact demographic you’re looking for. While they can’t (yet) predict when an injury will occur, through proper use of the channel and your advertising dollars, they can be sure that when it does, your firm is found first.
So, What Makes Personal Injury Advertising Difficult & Expensive?
The methods described above can be used in any practice area, and in fact, in any field, not just the law. So, what makes personal injury advertising so different than other areas of law and why is it so darn expensive?
The age-old economics concept of supply and demand. Google knows the average hourly rate of a personal injury attorney. They also know the value their search ads bring to law firms. For example, if I told you I could bring you a $100,000.00 case to your door for $1,000.00, you’d sign the check right now, wouldn’t you? Exactly. Google knows it, and now you do too. The most important part is what you do with that information.
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Don’t let your advertising dollars go to waste. FullFunnel's team of paid advertising experts knows exactly what it takes to bring business to your door. How to hone your advertising campaigns into client acquisition, money-making-machines. Sound too good to be true? Set time to speak with us today and we'll share how we can do the same for you.
