DATA AND DIGITAL ADVERTISING
crammed with reasons for
people to choose your ads
instead of your competitor’s.
You also need multiple
versions of ads: You may
need to appeal to different
geographic areas, and to
people who use different
search
terms.
Further,
beyond the ads themselves,
make sure your agency
is writing compelling ad
extensions. Ad extensions
are additional sections that
may appear below your
regular ad text.
Performing a thorough analysis
of digital advertising takes energy
and time. And as lawyers know,
time is not cheap. But this type
of analysis can help you reach
people. And analysis can give
you the information you need to
calculate a more accurate return
on your investment. It can help you
identify which parts of your digital
advertising are performing the most
successfully, so you can dedicate
your resources appropriately. So,
it’s worth finding an agency that will
put in this type of effort for you.
How do you know if your digital
advertising agency is performing a
thorough analysis? Here are some
questions to ask.
1. Is your agency analyzing
the right metrics? What
is your agency giving you
statistics about? If they’re
measuring
conversions,
is a conversion really a
conversion? Or are they
keeping track of actions
that don’t have a real value,
such as how many times
visitors view a certain web
page? If they’re keeping
track of calls, do you know
how many of the calls were
potential clients? If they’re
measuring clicks … are
clicks really something of
value to you?
2. Do you have a dedicated
analyst? Ask, who will be
monitoring your account? Is
there a dedicated person you
can speak with about your
campaigns? If so, is your
analyst certified in Google
AdWords? Has your analyst
worked with bankruptcy law
firms before?
3. Was a human involved in
preparing your report?
The reports you receive
about your campaign results
should help you separate
the wheat from the chaff.
You want more than simple
printouts showing clicks and
impressions. Your report
should give you a clear view
of your campaign’s return
on investment. Someone
should have had to think
when preparing your report.
4. Does your agency have
experience with your
particular subject area?
Bankruptcy law is an intense
field with its own vocabulary.
It has clients who tend
to have some needs and
interests
in
common.
You’re smart to ask if an
ad agency has experience
working with law firms and,
in particular, bankruptcy
firms. That can help you
ascertain if an agency will
need to start at square one
figuring out a bankruptcy
ad campaign, or if they
have an advanced frame
of reference to start their
analysis from. As you would
expect, digital advertising
in different areas of the law
can yield different results.
For example, personal
injury firms may receive
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
Spring 2018
more calls from people
wondering if they have a
claim. When an analyst is
familiar with advertising for
a certain practice area, he
or she may be able to better
explain what is “normal” or to
be expected in a campaign.
The kind of advertising analysis
you’re looking for is not fast
or easy. It takes quiet thought.
It requires meticulous, time-
consuming work when no one
is around to see it. It takes
questioning an approach and trying
new strategies. Sometimes your
agency may need to try an idea,
see what happens, and try again.
Optimizing a digital ad strategy
requires patience and time. Not
a cookie cutter approach. You
need your agency to be efficient
and use smart processes, by all
means. You want your analysts
to use advanced tools to launch
ads swiftly and manage projects
productively. But your advertising
agency should never lose the
head-scratching: the sitting at the
desk, pouring over numbers and
trying a new approach. And they
should never lose the patience: the
sifting through of data and phone
calls to see which results were
high-quality and which were not.
This may sound old-fashioned,
but it is actually an advance: It’s
seeing a report showing just calls
and clicks and knowing better
reporting must be possible. So, if
you receive a report that doesn’t
show you what your advertising is
truly producing, keep looking. Find
an agency that will provide more
thorough analysis. It could help
your campaign – and your firm –
be more successful.
_______________
To discuss digital advertising
further, contact Rob Hoglund at
612.791.1382 or robhoglund@
hoglundlaw.com.
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