Show Notes
In this episode of the Managing Partners Podcast, Kevin Daisey interviews Andrew, the founder of Meanpug.com and a former director of paid advertising at Morgan and Morgan. Andrew has been in the marketing space for a long time, beginning with ecommerce and then transitioning to legal advertising. During his time at Morgan and Morgan, he was able to gain insight on which campaigns worked and didn't work. Andrew and his partner then went on to form their own agency, Meanpug.
The conversation focuses on the importance of having a strategy for marketing a law firm. Andrew explains that the feedback loops in legal marketing are slower than in ecommerce, and the advice out there is not necessarily the best. He emphasizes the need to have a good strategy up front and to be constantly updating it, and he encourages viewers to check out Meanpug.com.
Don Morgan's book, Can't Teach Hungry, is a great resource for any law firm, or any business owner, to learn how to run a successful business. Andrew and the team at their agency focus on strategy first when working with clients. They take the time to audit and analyze the unique situation of the client, their market, and what will be effective before beginning work. He believes that attorneys are bombarded with different tactics and services they can use, but they need to figure out what is right for them and their practice. The importance of strategy for different attorneys, practice areas, and cases is discussed.
This conversation is about the different strategies that law firms may take when it comes to marketing their services. It is important to take into account the type of cases the firm takes, their budget, the temperament of their managing partners, and the criteria of the cases that they want to take. For well-known case types, such as motor vehicle accidents and divorce, a branded funnel and search strategy can be effective. For newer case types, such as first-party insurance disputes, it might be best to focus on creating demand for the case type before investing in a search strategy. Additionally, it is important to build up the foundation of the law firm before attempting to rank number one on Google, as this will help to build trust and recognition.
The conversation discussed the two different approaches that attorneys take when it comes to marketing and advertising. The first approach is the direct response campaign, where attorneys put in money today and expect to see results within 30-90 days. They can back into an average fee income per case and calculate the ROI. The second approach is the medium term, where attorneys invest today to build their referral network. They attend events, build their reputation, and expect to receive referrals back from firms. Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks, but attorneys should consider which approach fits their needs best before making a decision.