Advertising vs. Public Relations for Law Firms

Very often, advertising and public relations are confused. Yes, it is true that the two practices have something in common. They both have the ultimate goal of getting the brand or firm’s name out to the public in a positive way. However Law Firm public relations seems to be a lot more credible than advertising. Advertising people have complete control over what is said about the company and can creatively show the audience and potential clients what to think of the clients. Through social and traditional media they can display as many advertisements as they wish in order to build a brand image to their desired customers. Public relations is a little more difficult however the success if more promising. In public relations you cannot snap your fingers to come up with a full page paper in the New York Times that displays pictures and slogans of your title. Instead, you need to communicate and network with journalists who can get your story into a well-renowned publications. Although there is more work and less control over what ends up in the paper, consumers are more likely to be affected by a full page story by a writer that they trust, rather than mindlessly flipping through an ad that the company put out them. Law Firm public relations shows which Law Firms actually have great services rather than which have the most money to create the best advertisement. Law Firm public relations is essential for your company because bad PR can really ruin the outcome of a case or the reputation of your company. It is important to forge good relationships with reporters so that when you do want your law firm to appear in a Newspaper, you have the resources and networks to do so. Law Firm public relations can help you achieve this goal.