Yes, marketing is expensive. Buying pay-per-click advertising, hiring a copywriter to create compelling content, sending out print mailers — all of these things cost money. That said, the cost of marketing isn’t what frustrates most lawyers. What they hate is worrying they’re spending thousands on the wrong marketing. 

It’s an understandable concern, but really, you only need to do one thing to ensure you’re not pouring your marketing budget down the drain: Measure your own success. 

When you employ a third-party vendor to do your marketing, it can be tempting to “set it and forget it.” In other words, you might just expect the vendor to keep track of your ROI (and most of them do provide data to show the results they’re getting you).

Don’t give in to that temptation! No one has a better understanding of your goals and the full scope of your firm’s marketing efforts than you. If you’re ready to take charge of your own marketing destiny and stop wasting your money, take these three steps today. 

STEP 1: UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS 

Not all data points are created equal. Despite what some marketers will tell you, an increase in Instagram followers doesn’t translate to more revenue. The first step to measuring your marketing success is deciding what’s worth measuring. Focus on statistics that move the needle like the number of referrals, new clients, and returning clients that your marketing efforts generate. 

STEP 2: DEFINE SUCCESS 

What does the word “success” mean to you? Consider what your goals are and what achieving them would look like. Do you need to get a certain number of referrals or new clients per month to feel like your marketing is working? Figure out what matters to you. Then communicate your goals to your vendor. 

STEP 3: ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY 

Whether you’re a business owner, marketing manager, or project lead, you need to accept responsibility for tracking your marketing success. Start making spreadsheets — then use them! This doesn’t mean you have to do all of the marketing yourself, but tracking your own results is empowering and gives your firm independence, letting you see for yourself whether your investments are paying off.