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Crushing Big Spenders with a
Local Strategy

So many smaller market law firms attempt to compete head-to-head with the huge advertisers. Why?

You can’t beat someone who outspends you 20 to 1 at their own game. It’s foolish to try… especially when you have options to dominate them with another proven strategy. And that’s what this page is about.

One of the things Proven Law Marketing has done very well over many years is deploy a local marketing strategy that creates a dominant presence in your community.

Below are specific examples of those strategies in motion. This is how our clients win against large advertisers, connect with high-value prospective clients, and maximize their marketing budgets.

Invest In Your Community.

There are dozens of ways to invest in your community each year, and most are inexpensive and take very little time. For example, the large photo shows a PLM client participating in the local Adopt-a-Road program. In this case, we strategically chose a street with a low-speed limit, high foot traffic, and proximity to a growing downtown area in Georgia. The signs we placed are seen by hundreds of community members each day. The inset photo shows a PLM client’s team volunteering on a Saturday morning at a local food bank, illustrating how small acts of service can make a big impact.

Show Pride And Support.

Big advertisers don’t know when great things happen in your community—and they don’t really care. But you do. And that gives you a unique opportunity to show local pride while celebrating meaningful community accomplishments. These photos show a PLM client’s billboards congratulating two local high school state championship baseball teams. Not only did the billboard vendor provide an extra month of display at no additional cost, but images of the boards were widely shared across social media by players, coaches, parents, school staff, and city leaders.

Take Advantage Of Unique Opportunities.

This is especially true when it comes to attracting attention to your firm and its mission. The first photo shows a weekly ad in the local newspaper sponsoring county high school football scores—because everyone loves Friday Night Lights! The second photo shows a themed billboard for the same PLM client, placed right in the parking lot of one of the largest haunted houses in the U.S. Click here to see a video of what that parking lot looks like on weekend nights near Halloween—it’s wild.

Connect With Prospective Client In Personal Ways.

Nothing beats face-to-face interaction—and it’s a clear advantage local firms have over big, non-local competitors. The first photo shows a PLM client’s welcome sign to a free presentation for Veterans at one of the largest churches in the Southeast. The second shows the firm’s owner engaging with a proud Marine at an event benefiting Veteran suicide prevention. These experiences build real connections with potential clients—and taking part in them is extremely rewarding.

Sponsor Events And Participate.

Don’t treat event sponsorships like a line item—be strategic. Select a limited number of high-impact events each year. Build real relationships with the organizers. Offer to volunteer on event day. Then negotiate a distinctive presence that actually puts your team in front of people. The large photo shows a PLM client’s team engaging directly with prospective clients at a well-attended event. The second photo highlights the firm’s banner at the water station for the Travis Manion 9/11 Ruck, where the team interacted with dozens of Veterans, expressed gratitude for their service, and offered meaningful support with tough legal issues.

Address Important Local Issues.

As a trusted member of the community, you have the ability—and responsibility—to stay ahead of issues that impact your prospective clients. By leading on those issues, you show that you’re invested in their futures, not just their legal matters. The large photo shows a community leader being interviewed for a video explaining how proposed state legislation could affect Veterans and military families. To date, that video has over 115,000 views on YouTube alone.

Put Your Firm Where Locals Go.

This is where creativity and strategy intersect. The first two photos feature a community bus that operates throughout a PLM client’s city five days a week. By working directly with the local transportation department, we secured wraps on multiple buses that serve residents daily. The added upside: when the local newspaper covered the bus service, they consistently used our photo—an earned-media benefit of maintaining strong local partnerships. The second photo highlights a PLM client advertisement placed in the sink area of a local restaurant bathroom, which was part of a broader campaign of more than 100 ads placed in restaurants, bars, gyms, and other high-traffic community locations.

Volunteer At Worthwhile Organizations.

Most of the volunteer projects we help clients organize take less than four hours. They’re not only effective ways to meet and connect with prospective clients, but they also create outstanding team-building opportunities for our clients’ staff, families, and friends. The first photo shows our clients packing medical supplies for international distribution as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service project. The second photo features a Facebook post highlighting a PLM client’s office staff assembling care packages for troops deployed overseas.

Take Advantage Of What The Big Spenders Can’t.

Most non-local law firms won’t take the time to learn the landscape, negotiate smart partnerships, and execute strategies that actually stand out. That’s where local firms like you have a real advantage. The large photo highlights a PLM client’s building banner on the side of the busiest fitness center on a large U.S. military installation. The second photo shows one of 12 banners secured through a strategic agreement with the local county parks and recreation department, exposure seen by tens of thousands of community members annually.

Present To Audiences.

Talking to community members builds a unique bond while also establishing you as an expert in an important field – the law. Take advantage of at least two opportunities per year, and then leverage your speaking engagement across many platforms. These example photos show a PLM client presenting at a local high school regarding the dangers of impaired driving. What was great, however, is that local first responders came and did an accident victim extraction demonstration for the entire student body. And then we arranged for the local news channel to cover the event, published a press release, etc. It was a phenomenal event at every level.

Meet Important People.

Networking only works when it’s strategic. Firm-led events—ribbon cuttings, milestone celebrations, award receptions, and community service initiatives—create high-impact opportunities to connect with community leaders and strengthen long-term relationships. The large photo shows a PLM client receiving an award for its support of soldiers at a large military installation. The inset photo shows a ribbon cutting for a long-time PLM attended by the city’s mayor and other local leaders.

Support Local Causes.

And be sure to leverage the goodwill that follows. The large photo shows walkers participating in a mini three-day Walk for the Cure. Since our client’s office was on the route, we coordinated a stop to grab a great photo in front of the firm’s sponsorship sign—one that now lives on a thank-you plaque in the office lobby. The second photo shows a PLM client delivering Christmas gifts to a local school for families in need. These are easy investments to make, but they carry exceptional meaning for the people they touch.

Can You Do This Yourself?

Yes. With enough time, any attorney capable of earning their J.D. and passing the bar exam can learn the strategies we implement. However… just because you can do it yourself doesn’t make it financially smart to do so. The knowledge PLM brings is the result of 20 years in the legal industry, hundreds of marketing campaign implementations, and a deep understanding of the BIG and small things that make law firm marketing strategies work. In almost all cases, it is better for an attorney to spend their time focusing on what they do best: Practicing Law

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Crushing Big Spenders with a Local Strategy

Crushing Big Spenders with a
Local Strategy