Internet Marketing 101 – for Lawyers
I mentioned on the “Internet Marketing for Lawyers” page that attorneys are hard pressed to devote the amount of time necessary to marketing their firm or practice. Between continuing education, professional training and client service it can be very difficult for attorneys to find the time necessary for a non-traditional marketing push. But any lawyer who is interested in growing his or her practice simply must consider internet marketing as a source for new clients these days.
Especially sole practitioners who do everything themselves, and who are already knee deep in other important business operations, learning new online marketing options is a challenge. Luckily, though, there is a well established internet marketing space that is as effective for lawyers as it has been for other service professionals. And it offers much more trackability and accountability on the part of the agency or publisher that manages or runs the ad.
Online advertising can be priced a few different ways: Cost Per Thousand (CPM), Cost Per Click (CPC) or Cost Per Action (CPA) are the most common. CPM charges are based on how many times (in thousands) your ad is displayed to viewers. CPC means you pay each time someone clicks on your internet ad – causing them to be directed to your website (The CPC method is commonly used to price traditional media ads (in magazines, for example)). CPA means that charges are accrued each time a desired action is taken by a prospect (i.e.: filling out a contact form or placing a call to your firm). Each of these methods offers its own advantages – and can even be used together in ‘hybrid’ campaigns. CPM and CPC can often be less expensive when advertising on a highly targeted website (ie: Family Lawyers advertising on MyFamilyLaw.com), and CPA, while generally a little more expensive, can yield great results by putting you right in touch with new prospects, including phone call trackability and recording.
