It’s like chocolate and peanut butter—you don’t have to pick, and they’re better together! Your offline and online ads can work better if you combine them into a mutually supportive campaign. Invest in both to enjoy the biggest returns on your investment. 

You don’t have to redesign your website every time you throw up a new billboard. But you do want to consider how your online presence can enrich your out-of-home (OOH) campaigns, and vice versa. 

Here’s how to marry online and offline advertising into a delicious and rewarding marketing strategy for your firm that will yield much better results than a one-prong approach.

Attorney Advertising Is More Than Just Billboards and Cliche Ads...

If you ask someone on the street what they think of when they think of attorney advertising, they may conjure up visions of towering billboards and aggressive television spots a la Better Call Saul. 

In part, that’s because of the proliferation of legal ads following 1977’s ruling on restrictions on attorney advertising. But on the other hand, billboards work! And although TV ads can be expensive, they are appropriate for some law firms.

Traditional billboards and TV ads can be highly effective—but firms must steer away from cliches and take a nuanced approach that combines offline and online strategies.

If someone’s first impression of your firm is offline, their second impression will be online. The opposite is true, too—if someone sees a digital ad for your firm online, they might recognize some of your OOH ads, too. Conversion tracking can help you keep it all straight so you’re making good investments.

However, totally ignoring your digital presence in favor of OOH campaigns is a recipe for disaster. You can’t compete in spaces where you don’t appear, and you can bet that your competitors are working hard to earn business online.

... But You Also Need to Go Beyond Digital Campaigns

It’s true that your digital reputation is a key differentiator when growing your firm. 

However, while online campaigns undeniably deliver significant impact, law firms actually exist in the tangible, real world. As online advertising is surging in popularity (for good reason), offline advertising is still very much a mainstay of attorney marketing. 

Offline advertising remains a cornerstone of attorney marketing strategies, even in the digital age. 

Offline avenues like community events, sponsorships and even strategically placed billboards contribute a personal touch that resonates with potential clients. Face-to-face interactions at local gatherings or industry conferences build trust and credibility. 

A thoughtful mix of both online and offline advertising helps create a comprehensive narrative for your firm. 

It’s not just about being seen; it’s about being present in the spaces where clients seek assurance, fostering a holistic approach that transcends the digital confines of contemporary legal advertising.

Offline Advertising Should Be Supported by Your Online Presence

As with most things, our solution is nuanced and holistic. Lawyers should unite offline and online advertising, deploying campaigns in harmony to maximize their marketing power. 

Sounds nifty, but let’s see a few examples of how this could work in real life.

1. Create a targeted online landing page for the offline campaign. Let’s say you have a billboard off I-96 talking about car accident recovery.
2. Ensure that your online viewers will see something on your site that resembles your billboard.
3. In this situation, you don’t want viewers of your billboard campaign to arrive at a home page that highlights your generalized personal injury expertise and work in criminal defense.
4. Instead, work with your web designer to develop a specific landing page for this campaign. You could consider using the same CTA and carrying over design elements from the offline ad (like slogans, colors, etc.).
5. We also recommend a simple vanity URL that is easy to remember. This can just be set up as a redirect to the landing page on your firm’s main domain URL.
   
   
6. Try PPC ads to accompany the offline ad. Let’s go back to our billboard example. The most memorable aspect of this billboard may be a phone number or slogan.
7. If your offline ad uses a slogan, consider a PPC campaign using those keywords. This strategy ensures that, if folks search for your slogan online after viewing your billboard, your site shows up front and center.
8. If your offline ad uses a vanity phone number, make sure it’s properly configured to tie inbound calls back to this specific campaign. Ask your digital marketing agency to configure tracking in Google Analytics so you can easily pull reports on visitor behavior on this page.
   
   
9. Don’t skimp on your web presence when you invest big offline. It’s true that some people will just call your number immediately after seeing your billboard. But for many others, a billboard is just one piece of the attorney selection process. Your website still plays a critical role in convincing and converting potential clients, even after viewing your billboard. If you neglect your web presence in favor of splashing out on a big offline ad, you may be wasting your money.
   
   
10. Use social media to amplify your offline tactics. Don’t forget social media! Social channels can be a great way to serve up more timely advertising messages that can extend the reach of your billboards.
11. Think of it this way: Leveraging social media is like turning up the volume on your offline tactics. 
12. It’s not just about visibility; it’s about creating engagement. While billboards and events set the stage, social media platforms allow your audience to tune in, share and participate in a dynamic conversation. This can transform a static OOH strategy into a vibrant, interactive campaign, ensuring your legal presence resonates not just as a visual but as a compelling and participatory experience.

Review and Next Steps

Here’s the winning formula for reaching, resonating with, and converting diverse clientele: Combine both offline and online strategies. Whenever you invest in one, invest in the other to complement it.