Providing top-notch professional and competent legal service is essential for the success of every law firm, but to get the word out and increase your client base, you’ve got to do some marketing as well. There are many law firms out there, and the goal is to get current and potential clients to notice and feel good about your company.  That way, when the need for legal services arises, there’s a strong chance they’ll recognize your brand and turn to you for help.

Law firm giveaways are a popular marketing tool.  They’re a fun and easy way to get your firm’s name out in the community and attract positive publicity.  They build trust in your brand name, generate leads, and reach potential clientele. In addition, giveaways can benefit a worthy cause and create positive feelings about your firm not only in the community, but among the employees who work for you.

Many giveaways coincide with the winter holidays, though they can be done anytime throughout the year. The end of the school year, the start of summer, and 4th of July celebrations are other popular times.  All opportunities to sponsor a giveaway can energize your staff and boost morale.  For now, let’s focus on a year-end law firm giveaway.

How Law Firms Should Plan for Giveaways

Whether you’ve already established your firm’s online presence or are just starting a new marketing campaign, a giveaway requires careful planning. Here are some steps you can take to help make your giveaway a success:

1. Identify your firm’s goals

Besides getting your firm’s name out there and increasing brand recognition, is there a particular charity or cause your law firm wants to support or develop an association with?  Do you want to help your community schools, support research for a particular disease, or sponsor an event for handicapped children, such as Special Olympics? Is there something that is especially meaningful to you, such as benefiting the national Juvenile Diabetes Foundation if you have a child with this disease, or helping the local Humane Society if you love animals?

Look around your local area and make inquiries to find out where the needs are and find out which causes are under-funded and which ones speak to your heart.

In addition, think about how you want the event to benefit your firm.  Will it bring out potential clients to participate, and can you set up the event so you will have the opportunity to interact with and speak to them at the event? Will you be able to engage with past clients and promote the chance to get client testimonials or let people know about an expanded service you are launching? Will you be able to advertise the event in a way that increases traffic flow to your website?  Your specific goals will help you design and steer the direction of your giveaway.

2. Establish a Budget, then Choose the Rewards

Giveaways should be customized based on your budget and targeted outcomes.  It’s wonderful to be able to give away an all-expenses-paid cruise around the world, but not at all necessary. You can build goodwill by choosing more budget-friendly items, such as branded items – T-shirts, baseball caps, pen or marker sets, etc. — or items that anyone can use, such as gift cards to local restaurants or tickets to entertainment or sporting events. You can use holiday-themed items, such as Christmas trees, winter coats, or passes to the local ice-skating rink. Having several less expensive items (rather than one expensive prize) makes it possible to reach more people, as long as the items are attractive enough to potential participants. You may want to offer a raffle for a few more expensive items, such as a new TV. And don’t forget prizes that are directly connected with your firm and don’t cost anything but time, such as a free one-on-one consultation with a partner in the practice area of the winner’s choice.

Some giveaways by Gladiator Law Marketing clients that have helped build goodwill in their communities include:

• Awarding scholarships to college students in the company’s name
• Sponsoring a local food giveaway for Christmas dinner
• Giving away branded pencils to teachers and students to prepare for the next school semester
• Providing turkeys in November before Thanksgiving.

Analyze your individual situation and your community’s needs, plan a budget, determine the attractiveness of various items to your participants, and choose your giveaway accordingly.

3. Plan Marketing Steps Ahead of Time

Your event should not only serve to benefit a charity or your community, but it should obviously provide opportunities to market your firm. For example:

• Take great photographs. Designate a staff member or hire a professional to be in charge of taking photographs for use in social media, on your website and brochures or other advertising materials.
• Put out a press release. Plan ahead and send out an advance press release announcing your giveaway and a follow-up release announcing the results, outcome, and benefits of your giveaway.
• Get coverage from local media. Local newspapers or radio stations may be amenable to featuring your event and providing coverage of it before and after, especially if the giveaway benefits a good cause.
• Promote the event through social media. Focus on the types of social media that work best for your firm and your area of legal expertise. For example, if you have a big following on Facebook but not Twitter, focus on where you get the most bang for your buck and where you can increase SEO flow to your website.

  One caveat:  Aside from identifying the platform most appropriate for reaching your audience, be mindful of the specific promotional guidelines set by social media sites. Some platforms allow you to ask participants to like, comment, and share your content, but others enforce stricter standards. Be aware that some social media platforms have strict guidelines for promotions, so be sure to check them here:

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter.
• Write a blog for your website if the event is to benefit a specific practice area for your firm, such brain or spinal cord injuries. This can increase SEO flow as well.
• Write a feature story about the event for your firm’s email marketing with information on how to participate and links to the blog, press release, or giveaway page.
• Reach out to established contacts and clients and invite them to attend.
• Strike the right balance between your cause and your firm. Make sure you have a genuine desire to do good, raise awareness, and benefit your cause, so your event doesn’t come off as just self-promotion.

4. Use the Promotion to Benefit Your Staff

Your giveaway is a great opportunity for team building, bonding, and promoting your brand values in your firm.  Encourage participation from every level of your legal team and support personnel. Some things you can do are:

• Share photos via email with staff and post them on bulletin boards.
• Put the event on staff calendars and post countdowns to the event to build anticipation.
• Show appreciation for event participation, such as providing snacks and small gifts, recognizing staff who were particularly helpful, and posting articles about the event and staff efforts in firm newsletters and emails.

5. Evaluate Your Results

Once your giveaway concludes, evaluate whether your outcome was worth the cost and effort. Consider your initial goals and recognize that it may take time for the goodwill you build to show up in your client base and your bottom line. Identify successes and failures and track progress toward future goals.

Some of the benefits of giveaways include:

• Higher visibility and positive publicity in the community
• Increased website traffic (particularly if registration for events is located on your site) and building stronger local SEO
• Word-of-mouth buzz about your firm’s contribution and activities
• Television, newspaper or radio coverage of your events and your firm
• A deep sense of personal satisfaction among your staff
• Developing employee involvement, cooperation, and empowerment
• Growing your professional network and connections with other firms
• Increasing business and your bottom line.

Stick With It

Results don’t happen overnight. They’re cumulative over time. Be consistent in your efforts, even if you think your giveaway did not produce great results the first time.  Consider tweaking your methods and try again to increase participation, name recognition, and awareness over time. Let your giveaway be a learning experience that can set your law firm up for future giveaways or other promotions as you gain goodwill from your community and build morale and camaraderie by having your team members work together for a good cause.

With these recommendations in mind and a willingness to experiment, you’ll be enjoying the hard-earned fruits of your giveaway labor soon. Remember, people like doing business with people who care.

Gladiator Law Marketing Can Help

Need some help with your law firm branding, online marketing, and SEO performance?  Gladiator Law Marketing can help.  Our award-winning team can create a customized marketing strategy for you that helps increase your online presence and attract new clients.  Call us for a free consultation at 859-203-5850.