Attorneys,
Choosing a marketing agency is a significant business decision. Agencies can be expensive, and law firms like yours risk yielding a bad ROI on their marketing by choosing a bad one. What’s more, choosing a bad agency can actually hurt your firm’s reputation; it’s imperative that your firm avoids the following 5 red flags when hiring a marketing agency.
Red Flag 1: The agency lacks a reputable online presence.
According to Vitally, agencies that have a reputable online presence deliver their clients an average 91% ROI over a three-year period. On the other hand, agencies that don’t have a reputable online presence deliver an average ROI of less than 25%. And the return can be even worse: Agencies that lack a reputable online presence sometimes deliver their customers a negative ROI.
Look for agencies based in the US whose owners have established profiles on platforms like LinkedIn. Also, make sure the agency has registered their business with their secretary of state. Otherwise, you may expose your firm to predatory low-price agencies that produce low-quality work and low ROIs.
Red Flag 2: The agency has a bad website.
According to Sweor, 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business that has a poorly designed website, and It takes a mere 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about an firm’s website.
Look for agencies that publish high-quality content, and take note of any poorly-presented content or broken links. A poorly-maintained website raises doubts about the agency’s ability to deliver quality work.
Red Flag 3: The agency has a poor social media presence or poor-quality content on their social media channels.
According to Right On Interactive, 2/3 of Americans that use social networks have never followed a brand…it’s hard enough to gain new clients by way of a good social media presence. If an agency can’t produce compelling social media content in order to fight the uphill battle of attracting new customers for themselves, how are they going to successfully bring your firm new clients through social media?
Seek out agencies that have an engaging social media presence. Look for agencies that regularly post high-quality content.
Red Flag 4: The agency is ambiguous about the services it offers.
According to numerous studies, including a seminal one published in the Journal of Mathematical Economics, consumers are up to 50% less likely to choose a service provider that doesn’t clearly describe the services it offers, even if those services perfectly align with what the potential customer is looking for. If an agency can’t articulate its own services, then it’s likely to fail at articulating yours. That’s a recipe for lost business.
Always choose an agency that clearly communicates the services it offers, one that prioritizes data and analytics and ensures transparency and performance-based business relationships.
Red Flag 5: The agency focuses on branding only.
According to G2 Learning Hub, while consistent brand presentation across platforms can increase revenue by up to 20%, nearly all of the gains are negated if branding is a firm’s sole marketing strategy. It’s worth noting that G2 reports that nearly all consumers would feel more confident about making a purchasing decision if more branded content were available. It’s also worth noting that 91% of consumers want to see more videos from brands.
An agency that brings your firm a good ROI will create a results-driven marketing strategy for which branding is just one component. While branding can be an important part of an effective marketing strategy for your firm, an effective strategy will likely require other components such as video production and social media management.
