Marketing legal services is different than any marketing any other product or service. Even though legal marketing is different, the overall marketing strategies for marketing legal services are the same. This article looks at the product, market share, and competition marketing strategies.

Product Marketing

Most successful attorneys and law firms employ some type of product marketing strategy. Product marketing strategies relate to a specific product. The strategy is to highlight or emphasize one or more characteristics of the product.

As applied to services, legal services in particular, this strategy is often reflected in marketing efforts that emphasize either:

• Price - either high or low, depending on whether the attorney is looking for a volume practice or a high-end practice,
• Quality - again, high or low depending on the amount of work desired, or
• Niche or specialty -

Market Share Marketing

Some successful attorneys and law firms also adopt a market share marketing strategy. This is more common in mid-sized to larger law firms.

The market share strategy involves determining what the needs in any one market and trying to provide only the services that are needed in that market. Thus, a law firm might allocate resources to expand the number of intellectual property attorneys in local areas where developing technology projects are underway. A solo attorney might even employ this strategy by relocating his practice to a different geographic area.

Competition Marketing

A few successful attorneys and law firms also try a competition marketing strategy. To some extent, all successful law firms employ some type of competition marketing.

Competition marketing involves analyzing the competing lawyers and law firms in each legal market. This may be done on a lawyer by lawyer, firm by firm, or even legal market by legal market approach.

Competition marketing often involves raising or lowering legal billing rates and fees in relation to the rates and fees of competitors. Lawyers and firms may use lower fees to acquire clients in a down economy. This may even involve targeted price discounts to clients who might otherwise be served by the competition. Solo and small law firms have traditionally taken advantage of this opportunity to build significant books of business.

On the other hand, higher fees can send a positive message to clients and prospective clients. Clients often want the best legal representation possible. High prices are often equated with quality work. Thus, raising billing rates may draw in wealthier clients and more sophisticated legal work. This is often used by larger law firms and small firms with niche or specalized legal practices.

Whether you are a solo attorney or working for a large law firm, what legal marketing strategy defines your practice? Maybe a better question is what legal marketing strategy should define your legal practice? What has worked? What hasn’t? Leave a comment to share your experience.