The scary part is many personal injury law firms don’t know.  Maybe even more alarming, neither do their advertising agencies.  Time after time, Brantley Davis takes over the marketing of a personal injury law firm and finds they’re unable to tell us:

  1. How many new case calls they receive every month.  No historical data.

  2. How many cases they’re generating each month.  No historical data.

  3. Average case revenue by case type (BTW-we see $8,000/case around the country.)

  4. Advertising cost per case.  (Depends on the market but $500-$2,000/PI case, you’re ok.)

  5. Ad source (Always difficult because we’re relying on client to self analyze motivation.)

Putting aside the fact that as marketers, at Brantley Davis Ad Agency we’re naturally curious about cause and effect, and not only want to know why a marketing tactic worked but also if it’s profitably driving cases, how can a law firm maximize profits without any solid metrics?  It’s akin to driving blind. Worse, how can the ad agency charged with marketing a personal injury law firm know whether their tactics are effective? The answer is, the ad agency can’t know without the data. And they’re betraying their client’s trust by not holding themselves and their results accountable.

So, the next time you meet with your law firm ad agency, look them straight in the eye, and ask them if they’re making you money.  If an awkward silence follows, or your account executive begins stammering and can’t quite form complete sentences, you’ll have your answer.  And you should chat with a few other ad agencies, preferably ones that are renowned for making their clients money. After all, you work hard to generate money for your personal injury clients.  Shouldn’t your ad agency do the same for you?