Over 20 years ago, the concept of a ‘buyer persona’ was developed in the marketing world, and it has become a driving principle behind most marketing campaigns. However, as professional services have traditionally lagged behind many other sectors in terms of marketing, it is still a relatively new concept in the legal sector.
Essentially, buyer personas are representations of who buyers (potential clients) are, what they are trying to accomplish, what goals drive their behaviour, how they think, how they buy, where they buy, why and when they make buying decisions.
Trust me, somewhere, there will be a buyer persona of you – modelled on your past and future buying behaviour.
Why is this important? Well, if you don’t understand your buyers, then it’s unlikely that your marketing will even find them, let alone resonate with them. You’ll probably end up taking a “scatter-gun” approach and waste a lot of time and money in the process.
For example, Joan, 77, who is considering setting up a Trust for her grandchildren, will have a different approach to buying legal services from Elliott, 27, who is about to get on the property ladder for the first time. Both might end up instructing the same law firm, but how they found that firm and engaged with them up to the point of purchasing their legal services will be vastly different.
Elliot is more likely to be influenced by social media posts and videos, which will lead him to check out your website, have a chat online and then ask for a quote to be emailed to him. Joan, on the other hand, would probably prefer to be invited to an in-person event about wealth management; take some hard copy information home on Trusts to read before calling your office to make an appointment.
Both will hopefully become clients, but both will have found you in very different ways. It is important to note that whilst it would appear to be similar, try to avoid stereotyping your clients. Give Joan the option of receiving your e-shots and attending an online webinar. You should keep your marketing agile and tailored to the needs of your clients once you get to know them so that you add value.
It’s worth segmenting, targeting and positioning your would-be clients if you want an efficient and effective marketing campaign. Focus on your most valuable prospective clients (both for the initial instruction and their long-term value) and then develop a marketing mix and positioning strategy for each group. Do some research rather than basing everything on preconceived assumptions – look where your existing work is coming from and ask your current clients and new enquiries how they heard about you. Are there any channels you are missing?
That doesn’t mean you have to do hundreds of different marketing activities with lots of different marketing messages (you shouldn’t). Just when planning your marketing activity, take some time to ensure you are sending the right messages at the right time, in the right place. Know your buyers so they can get to know you. That knowledge can help you select the right marketing channels, craft communications that resonate, and compel your target buyers to take action, so you get the type of work that you want.
If you would like to discuss how we can help you with your legal marketing, ring us on 0118 380 5980, email us at enquiries@orionlegalmarketing.co.uk or fill in our CONTACT FORM to see how we can make sure your branding, website, e-marketing, social media and collateral, attract, engage and retain more of your ideal clients.
