It’s 3 weeks of Magical Hoop Heaven- It’s 68 Tenacious Teams taking it to the limit for the ultimate prize- the NCAA Championship. Many of us are getting excited about the upcoming March Madness-
If you are a law firm owner, you don’t want to sit this game out- Not if you are serious about smoking your competition and scoring big when it comes to your firm’s brand awareness.
March Madness is an excellent opportunity for you to cash in on the national and local love affair- At least 10.7 million people will be watching these big games- and the NCAA will be streaming on multiple platforms. If past statistics are any indication, you can anticipate that 88% of people will use their mobile device to access March Madness info. 69% use their mobile phones while watching the games. 26% use a mobile device as their go to source for watching the games and 48% will use their mobile device to check the scores. * What does this mean to YOU?
You don’t have to sit on the bench while the big corporations capitalize on all the March Madness crazy for marketing opportunities. There are many ways that you can get in on the local action- and drum up some new firm fans-
- Create an Online Bracket– According to the American Gaming Association in 2019 a whopping 40 million Americans filled out 70 million brackets and waged 9.2 billion on March Madness through office pools, Nevada sports books, offshore sites and bookmakers.
There’s no reason you can’t create an online bracket contest and promote it on your social media platforms. Create incentives for fan sharing- and leverage the event with blasts across all your firm’s social media platforms. Make sure and use the popular hashtags to maximize firm visibility. And don’t forget prizes- people LOVE to win stuff, wo why not invest in a few cool prizes to get folks excited about your firm’s contest?
- Basketball Swag- Now is a great opportunity to purchase some basketball swag to promote your firm. Little foam or inflatable Basketballs with your firm’s logo are always a hit- Many vendors offer other great basketball themed options- Mini basketball games, (for just a few dollars each,) sports rubber ducks, sports A-sling Backpacks, Basketball stress balls, sneaker or basketball key chains, basketball topped ink pens, and the list goes on-
You can give them out at community events, put them in your firm’s shock and awe packages to clients and prospects, or even offer them as lead magnets online to capture new prospects email addresses-
- Videos/ FB Live/ TWEETS- Almost everyone wants to talk basketball during the March Madness season- Just because you are a lawyer doesn’t mean you aren’t a regular person, too. You don’t have to be a professional player or a sports announcer to have some fun weighing in on the basketball frenzy. If you are a fan yourself, why not push out some videos speculating about- or anticipating the upcoming games- or playing armchair-Center after the fact?
Consider real time tweeting about the games- Why not gather a few lawyers in your firm that love basketball and host a FB live- at various benchmarks throughout the tournament?
Don’t be shy about getting in on the March Madness Dialogue- Remember, clients hire the lawyer or law firm they “know, like and trust.” Your commentary about this much-loved American pastime makes you real- it makes you likable. It doesn’t diminish your position in your community or make you seem less credible; To the contrary, it helps you resonate with your community in real ways- ways that can translate into sign ups down the road!
- Cut, Paste and Share Hot Social Media videos and stories. As you already know, you don’t have to stick strictly with original organic content when it comes to Social Media- SO if you see stories of players, past shining moment clips, interesting interview clips and so forth that other sources are pushing out on social media, share them on your personal and firm social media platforms- It’s all about creating interest and generation engagement and followers. March Madness creates lots of opportunity for you to take advantage of the public’s heightened appetite for all thing’s basketball.
- Don’t forget email: Email drip campaigns are great ways to nurture your existing and prior clients so that your firm is on the top of their mind whenever they or others they know need a lawyer. If you aren’t taking full advantage of email in this way, then make it your business to obtain all your clients and past client’s emails and start leveraging this platform. You should already be blasting out short reports- like the top 10 things to do if you are in an Accident- or What to do if you are stopped for a possible DUI- or 5 Secrets about Workplace Injures, etc.
Now is a great time to send out Basketball themed emails- Let them know if you are hosting a Bracket Contest Online- Share great sports moments videos from prior NCAA Championships- or other interesting sports trivia. Remember- all your marketing tactics and strategies, from social media to community events- from grass roots to online- It’s never really about giving legal content; it’s about creating and building relationships. Simply stated; Relationships lead to sign-ups. Period.
- Maximize FB and TWITTER NOW! Some recent social media user habits are definitely worth noting, when it comes to maximizing March Madness opportunities. Approximately 58% of those engaging on social media for March Madness info are using Facebook to do so, and 43% are using Twitter *- SO make sure you take full advantage of this increased usage to put out FB Posts and Tweets of your own. (Hijacking is ok, too- so you really are without excuse here.)
March Madness offers law firm owners a host of opportunities for scoring slam dunks when it comes to increased brand awareness and engagement.
Start now planning how you will leverage these marketing opportunities to attract new prospects to your firm!
*Statistics from 3Sixty Interactive, March Madness and Digital Marketing(Infographic) Online, 1/16/021
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