There was a time when lawyers weren’t allowed to advertise their services, as it was considered unethical. However, attorney TV advertising in the United States has become the norm today. This is now leading to questions on the effectiveness of this advertisement method. Join us in this article as we look at the benefits, rules, and alternatives of attorney TY advertisements.
Who Can Benefit From Attorney TV Advertising?
Some of the attorneys who can benefit from putting their ads on TV include:
- Personal injury lawyers
- Divorce and family lawyers
- Bankruptcy attorneys
- Social Security disability attorney
- Workmen compensation attorney
Understanding Attorney TV Advertising Cost
One of the reasons why attorneys shy away from TV advertising is the cost. When considering the cost of attorney TV advertising, there are two essential costs to consider:
- The cost of making the ad
- Cost of airing the ad
The cost of making an attorney TV ad should be in the region of around $500. The second cost will depend on several factors, such as the number of viewers to be reached by the TV station and whether you are advertising during peak or off-peak hours.
Lawyer Advertising Rules To Know
When creating a TV ad for a law firm, here are a few rules you need to know:
Avoid using the word expert
There are chances that you are proud of your legal firm’s achievement. However, only make such claims unless you have the certifications to back up our claims. According to the American Bar Association(ABA), you should avoid creating the impression that you are a specialist in a field.
Avoid misleading statements
When creating an attorney TV advertising, you should avoid using language that can be deemed misleading. Such kind of information can include:
- Creating an ad for an area that you do not have a speciality on.
- Guaranteeing success to your clients.
- Insinuating that you have special connections to a judge.
- Using blanket and nonverifiable claims such as you are the leading law firm in Utah.
- Using nonverifiable information, such as comparing your law firm with others and claiming to be better.
Get permission to use the client’s testimonials.
Using testimonials can help you build social proof and trust. However, in most states, there are limitations on how you can use them. These include:
- If the testimonials are from a person who isn’t a lawyer, they shouldn’t speak about your skills.
- You shouldn’t draft, alter, or edit client testimonials. It’s also not an excellent ethic to provide clients with a template to follow.
- You should include a disclaimer in the testimonials that past results don’t guarantee the same results in the future.
- You shouldn’t offer any value in exchange for receiving the client’s testimonials.
While it’s not illegal to use a client’s testimonials, you should only use them after getting permission from the client.
Avoid directly soliciting legal services.
The American Bar Association(ABA), in rule 7.3, also prohibits the solicitation of clients. A lawyer should seek work through ads or one-on-one communication if they have a significant financial interest. However, this changes if the person in question has already expressed a desire to be represented by an attorney.
Maintain your Ad copies.
In some jurisdictions, lawyers are supposed to maintain their ad copies. When they make major changes to their site, they should maintain the site content at least once every three months. Therefore, preserving attorney ads in this digital age is a good practice.
Use disclaimers for non-attorney actors.
If you are using actors who are not attorneys in your advertising, many states require that you include a disclaimer. Some jurisdictions prohibit entirely the use of paid actors, so it’s advisable to submit your attorney TV ad to your local bar association for clarification.
Understand when to use trade name and address.
Many jurisdictions have different rules on including the law firm name and address in your attorney TV or radio ad. Therefore, you must seek clarification if you will be transparent and conform to the legal standards.
Avoid directly mentioning your competition.
This cuts across different fields and not only the attorney television advertisement. The reason is that using a competitor’s name will likely get you in trouble. While you can mention the competing landscape in general, mentioning trade names may put you in legal and ethical problems.
How Effective Is Attorney TV Advertising In 2024?
Before you spend your money on television advertisements for attorneys, you need to understand the pros and cons. This will help you know whether it’s a viable marketing strategy or whether you should consider other creative advertising tips for small businesses.
This is especially the case because, in the last decade, people are no longer binge-watching on TV like they used to. Instead, some TV audiences have shifted to streaming platforms where they can binge-watch their favorite TV episodes.
That said, the effectiveness of attorney TV commercials hasn’t changed. Here are some of the benefits:
- Exposure. TV remains one of the most effective methods of communicating your brand messages to your audience. You can, therefore, use TV to reach new audiences and increase your traffic.
- Increase revenue and ROI. Advertising is a great way of increasing your revenues and ROI.
- Tracking and measuring results. By advertising, lawyers can easily track and measure the results of their campaigns. This can help them decide where to focus their advertising revenue for maximum results.
Alternative Attorney Advertising Methods
On top of TV advertising for lawyers, here are other methods that legal professionals should consider. These are:
- Attorney PPC advertising. This involves paying per click for ads or search engine ads.
- Facebook ads. This is an excellent way of reaching your target audience and generating leads.
- Linkedin ads. It is an excellent platform for attorney advertisement and should be part of your social media advertising budget.
- Legal directory attorney advertisement. You can use platforms such as Avvo to reach clients looking for lawyers.
- SEO. Use local SEO to reach personal law clients in your area.
Final Thoughts
Attorney TV commercials can be a great way of reaching your target audience. However, with the high cost of TV ads, attorneys should consider the cost-benefit of using a legal. Legal firms that may be unable to use TV advertisements can consider the other advertising methods we have listed.
