The Magic and Mystery of Legal Tech Marketing

So, you're going to market in legal tech selling to law firms…

Legal tech marketing is a unique blend of mystery and magic. The mystery lies in navigating the nuanced landscape of the legal industry - a world with its own conventions, decision-making processes, and buying behaviors. The magic? It's in the excitement of working in a dynamic field where innovation meets tradition and where your marketing efforts can drive significant change.

Within the “mystery” described above, there is a learning curve that applies to a legal tech go-to-market. Whether you are new to legal tech, new to marketing, or both, here are a few basics that you should understand about marketing in legal tech:

Decision-making is decentralized and complex

Law firms often have multiple stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions. Your marketing strategy needs to address the concerns of IT departments, managing partners, and practice group leaders simultaneously.

This means that your users are not necessarily your buyers. 

When startups begin a sales process, they often don’t understand this and can find themselves in a situation where they are spending a lot of time with a very enthusiastic end-user who is thrilled about the product but lacks decision-making authority and influence, resulting in a stalled deal.

Conversely, you might engage with the decision-maker, but if they don't see value in your product distinct from the end-user's perspective, they might not purchase it. This issue frequently arises when a product significantly benefits attorneys or staff professionals, yet the startup hasn't effectively communicated its value to the economic buyer, such as the CFO or other key stakeholders, like senior partners.

In order to successfully win a deal, it is important to create several touchpoints for each participant in the sales process, emphasizing the value that your product brings based on each individual role and the firm overall. This starts with marketing and carries through the entire sales cycle and beyond.

💡 Tip: Unlike other industries, most law firms (medium and large) make decisions by committee. Identify each of the personas involved in the buying process and tailor your message to their specific needs and the perceived value of each role. Understand who is on the buying committee so you can craft your messaging accordingly.

The buyer's journey is long and cyclical

​​The sales cycle in legal tech can be lengthy, often spanning 6-18 months. Before the sales cycle even starts, prospects embark on their own buyer's journey, which typically lasts 9-24 months in legal tech for large law firms. Mid-size law firm cycles may or may not be faster and can range from 3 to 9 months, depending on the solution.

To build a strong pipeline and move deals steadily down the funnel, establish multiple touchpoints at each stage of the buyer's journey and focus on nurturing contacts to move from one stage to the next. Use touchpoints like blog posts, emails, social media updates, premium content (ebooks, guides, etc.), free trials, or consultations to guide buyers from understanding their problems to being ready for a serious conversation with the sales team.

💡 Tip: Patience, multiple touchpoints, and persistent nurturing, combined with a realistic understanding of where your prospects are in the buyer’s journey, are critical to building a pipeline.

Buyers purchase on their timeline, not yours

Law firm buyers will make decisions when they're ready—most likely when the committee has approved. That's why it's important to have realistic expectations about the time it takes to close a deal and to continue nurturing leads throughout the process.

Your job is to be present and valuable throughout the process and to approach marketing and sales with realistic expectations.

💡 Tip: No matter how much desperation energy you throw at buyers when trying to hit your numbers, they aren’t going to move until they are ready.

Slow to adopt, tech-averse is true, but it is changing.

While the legal industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, this is changing. Your marketing messaging should highlight how your solution eases the transition to new tech, enables "quick wins," and brings value to the firm that they can't live without.

💡 Tip: Understand the barriers to tech adoption that exist in the minds of your buyers and proactively address those objections in your marketing and sales efforts.

Industry-specific trade shows and publications are powerful ways to connect with and influence buyers.

Trade shows, industry events, and publications are important for networking, exposure, and lead generation. Legal tech buyers often look to these sources to identify potential solutions when pursuing new technologies. Industry organizations have an audience of your buyers and have earned their trust.

💡 Tip: Sponsor content or industry events to build brand awareness and generate leads by tapping into the audience that industry organizations have already built. Prioritize content and speaking opportunities that allow you to educate the audience and build trust.

Marketing to law firms is about building relationships and trust over time. It's not just about selling a product; it's about becoming a trusted partner in the legal industry's technological evolution. By understanding the unique aspects of marketing to law firms and applying universal marketing principles, you can create a strategy that resonates with your target audience and drives growth for your startup. If you are effective at building trust, leads and sales will follow.

Now that we’ve explored the basics of legal tech marketing be sure to subscribe to BUILD LEGAL TECH so that you don’t miss future posts where we dive into these topics and more.