Why do companies like Chick-fil-A, Apple, and Coca Cola spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on billboard ads?
As a business owner, have you ever thought about it? Is anybody really buying stuff because they saw a billboard ad?
Well, we happen to believe that they actually serve a purpose. However, there is a problem.
They are oftentimes not relevant because they aren’t targeted. Throwing mud at the wall and hoping it sticks is not an approach we recommend to our law firm clients.
There is one reason those companies spend money on billboard ads: it puts their brand in front of you.
So, by default, there is a likelihood of it being shown to you at a moment when you need that thing the billboard presents.
There's actually a fancy marketing concept behind this called "effective frequency.”
Effective frequency is the idea that your potential client needs to see your message a certain number of times before they will even remember it, let alone act on it.
It is a really important piece of making yourself relevant to your potential clients.
While we aren’t suggesting you go plaster yourself on a billboard, you do need to put your name and firm in front of your audience as often as you can.
We recommend a multi-pronged approach that includes:
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Regular blogging
- A good, functional website that is optimized to show in search results
Don’t blast your prospects with sales pitches – everyone hates those. Be helpful and provide useful information, guidance, and education. Then, when the time comes and they need your services, you’re the one they think about.
But I don’t have many social media followers or a newsletter list…
This is where a paid ad campaign can be extremely effective.
If you don’t already have an audience, you can pay to show up in your potential client’s newsfeed.
Ad campaigns can do all of the following, based on your firm’s goals and needs:
- Generate webinar or live workshop registrations
- Build a list of leads by offering a downloadable resource or e-book
- Invite people to book a consultation
But beware – not all paid ad campaigns are the same.
To get the best bang for your buck, these ads need to be highly targeted, optimized for conversion, and shown only to qualified people in your local area.
The goal is to obtain the contact information from these prospects, so you build a list and continue marketing to those people on the list.
Regardless if your targeted audience ends up being only 200 local people, or thousands, you have the power to create a “digital billboard” to get more clients in your practice.
This way, you can be like the Apple, Coca Cola, and Chick-fil-A’s of the world, to your unique audience in your community… and for 1/100th of the cost!
