JACKSON & ASSOCIATES MARKET RESEARCH CASE STUDY: Molding A Successful Law Firm s New Website & Online Marketing Strategy

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1 JACKSON & ASSOCIATES MARKET RESEARCH CASE STUDY: Molding A Successful Law Firm s New Website & Online Marketing Strategy

2 Important Note: To protect the privacy of our client, we have replaced their actual firm s name with a fictional company name of Jackson & Associates. OVERVIEW + CLIENT CHALLENGES Though Jackson & Associates is one of the top five firms in the U.S. in their specialized area of personal injury practice, after 2010, they began noticing a steady decline in the number of potential clients contacting them. The traditional methods the firm had relied on for decades to generate leads (attending union meetings, television ads, billboards, etc.) were no longer giving them the ROI they had 15 years ago. Though they knew something had to be done about their failing marketing efforts, Jackson & Associates didn t want to take an uneducated Ready, Fire, Aim approach. They didn t want to devote time, energy, and money into creating a new website or investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) simply because their competition was doing so. And they didn t want to move forward with new marketing efforts while crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. Instead, Jackson & Associates opted to be strategic. The firm understood that investing in market research now to better understand their industry and client base would give them the peace of mind to make smart website and online marketing decisions. They understood that, in turn, they would save a substantial amount of time and money in the long run by reducing guesswork. For these reasons, the firm s managing partner asked our Colorado-based market research experts to help determine: 1. why their specialty practice area s caseload was declining so significantly, 2. how best to engage with the changing demographics of their industry, and 3. where their future marketing dollars should be invested (More TV ads? A new website? Something radically different for the firm, like Twitter?). - PAGE 2 of 5 -

3 OUR MARKET RESEARCH PLAN OF ATTACK To deliver the insights Jackson & Associates were hoping for, we prepared and followed a custom plan of action that included the following: Developing (then analyzing the results of) both an online and offline survey to collect data from Jackson & Associate s target market of potential clients. The surveys focused on collecting information about the target market s use of technology and the criteria used when choosing legal counsel in this particular specialty area. Collecting and analyzing data from the top employers in Jackson & Associate s target industry to determine how they saw the labor landscape and their future injury claim liabilities. Reviewing the key demographic, labor force, and legislative and safety trends in the industry, then analyzing how they would directly impact Jackson & Associate s future business. Researching and analyzing the online presences of Jackson & Associate s closest competitors and the leading firms in comparative practice areas along with the relative success of these efforts. Doing so enabled us to deliver a clear overview of how these firms engaged with their clients and marketed themselves online and whether these efforts were smart or wastes of money. THE FASCINATING FINDINGS Through our primary and secondary market research we discovered: The youth boom Jackson & Associate s insisted was happening in their target industry was actually still a few years away. Age was nothing but a number when it came to technology use among Jackson & Associate s potential clients. Everyone was online, and most of them via mobile devices. Jackson & Associate s competitors weren t taking full advantage of social media, even though that s exactly where their potential clients could be found. This was a key point of differentiation the firm could use to stand out in their crowded field. Changes in technology and an increasing emphasis on safety meant that caseloads in this area of practice would continue to decline in the future, and a shrinking prospect pool meant competition among firms was likely going to heat up regardless of what marketing strategies were implemented. - PAGE 3 of 5 -

4 THE TREMENDOUS IMPACT + BENEFITS OF THIS MARKET RESEARCH When Jackson & Associates came to us, they were wary of investing in a new website and online marketing. They were simply researching their options because their competitors were investing in them. The firm couldn t shake their fear they d see little to no ROI from moving forward in this arena. Most importantly, they were unclear as to what actions would help them experience the most bang for their marketing dollar bucks. The firm knew their target industry was changing, but didn t have a sense as to what these changes meant for their practice, nor how to respond to them in a proactive, cost-effective way. They hired us to conduct market research and provide clarity and concrete recommendations. The Data That (Finally) Made Everything Clear Our detailed market research findings allowed Jackson & Associates to once and for all feel clear about how their industry s trends, demographics, and competitor activities directly affected their current and future business. Additionally, Jackson & Associates also learned: 1. why their old marketing tactics were no longer yielding results, 2. how their clients were researching information about this area of law, 3. where their clients they spent their time online, and 4. how their clients evaluated firms when choosing legal counsel. The Specific Guidance They Were Looking For We armed the firm with a set of specific, actionable recommendations for their future marketing efforts, based on our findings in combination with their firm s budget and overall vision of success. These recommendations included data-backed guidance such as: Do NOT invest in a new website design or website rework from the ground up. Instead, update the existing website to make it easily usable on mobile devices. Do NOT continue to have new print brochures designed on a regular basis. DO develop original content and share that content on Facebook (where a large portion of their target clients were spending time and making purchasing decisions). In the end, the investment Jackson & Associates made in working with TimeForCake on their market research project paid off in the form of a clear blueprint explaining: 1. how to allocate future marketing resources to meet their business goals and 2. how to expand their market share in an increasingly competitive practice area. - PAGE 4 of 5 -

5 ABOUT TIMEFORCAKE: MAKING WEBSITES BETTER. MAKING BETTER WEBSITES. At an altitude of 9,100 feet, TimeforCake calls the mountains near Denver, Colorado its home. Don t let the thin air and mountains fool you, though. Our team is serious and experienced when it comes to online marketing strategies and effective websites that deliver results. Our team excels at problem solving with your specific online goals and big-picture vision of success in mind. Since 2002 we ve partnered with hundreds of companies across North America to skyrocket the effectiveness of their websites and online marketing efforts time and time again increasing their bottom lines. We don t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We don t believe in generic service packages. Rather, we craft the best solution for each client s individual needs. (Heck, we ll even tell you when we don t think you need a particular service or if we don t think we re a perfect match for you. How often does that happen?) Want to see the ROI for yourself? Here are a few examples of real-life results our clients have experienced: If you re curious how our skilled market research team can make a difference for your business, we encourage you to: Visit our website: Review our market research page: Write us: info@timeforcake.com Call us: (970) TimeForCake Creative Media, Inc All rights reserved worldwide. Reproduction and file sharing are prohibited without written permission from TimeForCake. This publication describes the author s opinion regarding the subject matter herein. The author is not rendering advice or services pertaining to specific businesses. If expert assistance is required, please contact us at info@timeforcake.com. - PAGE 5 of 5 -