Is Lawyer Advertising on Radio a Waste of Money?

Will this driver remember the attorney’s phone number after hearing a personal injury lawyer advertising on the radio? Not without a vanity phone number!

Driver listening to lawyer advertising on radio in her car

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON RADIO ADVERTISING FOR LAWYERS WITHOUT A VANITY PHONE NUMBER!

Which can you remember after a 15 or 30-second radio ad?

1-800-487-8911
or
1-800-HURT-911


Motorcycle – “$Million Umbrella Insurance”
with 1-800 Numeric #

Motorcycle – “$Million Umbrella Insurance”

with 1-800-HURT-911
  

Motorcycle – “Safeguard Your Settlement Money”

with 1-800 Numeric #

Motorcycle – “Safeguard Your Settlement Money”

with 1-800-HURT-911

Is Memorability Important for Lawyers Advertising on Radio?

I’ve written extensively that the importance of a vanity phone number is its ability to create instantaneous branding, not memorability.

Also important is that vanity numbers attract or restrict callers for specific areas of law by the word in the vanity number. For instance, 1-800-HURT-911 is broad enough for all personal injury, while a number like 1-800-LAWYERS is too broad, causing you to receive many other calls for evictions, etc.

However, the memorability of a vanity number is crucial for lawyer advertising on radio commercials and billboards.

Why an 800 Vanity Number Is Crucial to the Success of Radio Commercials

It’s obvious that an 800 vanity number is better than a numeric 800 number in radio commercials. But how much better is an 800 vanity number for radio advertising?

A study made to determine the difference between using a numeric 800 number vs. an 800 vanity number in radio commercials found that an 800 vanity number is crucial to success.

The results of the study show that a radio commercial using a toll-free vanity number yields 14 times more phone calls than a radio advertisement using a toll-free numeric number.

Toll-free Numbers in Radio Advertising ran 66 radio ads on equal rotation, 1/2 with a numeric 800 number (800-465-7643) and 1/2 with the number 800-NEW-WHEELS. 

The radio commercials were each 60 seconds and rotated equally throughout all dayparts. Calls were tracked and recorded electronically on 105.5 FM, Cedar Knolls, NJ, for Denville Nissan.

800-NEW-WHEELS received 93% of the phone calls
800-465-7643 received 7% of the phone calls

Why Is an 800 Vanity Number Better for Radio Advertising?

Personal injury lawyers need two things from radio commercials to make the phone ring.

  1. Listeners must want to call you rather than another lawyer
  2. Listeners must remember your phone number

Obviously, it’s hard to remember a series of numbers you hear in a radio commercial, and a memorable vanity phone number makes it easy to remember.

But the part that most attorneys don’t realize is that a memorable vanity phone number becomes your brand. This is what makes someone injured in an accident want to call you.

Is a Memorable Website Name as Good as a Vanity Phone Number?

No. A memorable website name is much better than advertising a website name with the law firm’s name in a radio commercial.

There are several problems with advertising a website name:

  1. A website name or domain name is more difficult to remember than a vanity phone number when hearing it advertised in a radio commercial.
  2. Listeners can call a vanity phone number within a minute or two from anywhere, but listeners must remember your website name longer until they can have the time to view your website.
  3. Listeners must go to your website and then take the extra step to call you.
  4. Listeners that go to your website may get lost on your website and never call you. This is why you should use a landing page and not your website.

1-800-HURT-911® Can Get 14 times More Calls Than 1-800-487-8911

Lawyers advertising on the radio for personal injury with a vanity phone number in my market have been advertising continuously for years, while lawyers without a vanity phone number don’t last more than a few months.

If you’re a personal injury lawyer advertising on the radio, make sure you use a vanity phone number. The best one is 1-800-HURT-911.

Audio can be rerecorded with your law firm name, and additional customized radio spots can be produced for you, usually for only a couple of hundred dollars.

Continue reading below this section divider line - article continues below this section Attorney Rob Plevy

Change Your Future!
With 1-800-HURT-911®

Find out how Phil and Rob changed their lives and if your state is still available!

Call Phil Franckel, Esq. Now! 7 days / 8 am to 10 pm EST
>> 516-621-9399 ext. 5 Call Phil 7 days/nights

or send an email

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Radio Advertising to Niche Markets for Personal Injury Lawyers

Radio advertising is ideal for personal injury lawyers advertising to niche markets such as motorcyclists and motorcycle accidents.

An added benefit of marketing to niche groups is that it is much less expensive than advertising to the general population for general personal injury cases. 

Our radio spots advertising for motorcycle accidents will bring you the most valuable personal injury cases. Our average settlement value has been $302,500.

Motorcycle cases also have the fastest cash flow of any personal injury case. With six-figure injuries and limited policies, personal injury lawyers can settle motorcycle cases sometimes as soon as the hospital records are obtained.

When you license 1-800-HURT-911, I will tell you how to find the radio stations you need for motorcycle cases. I will also let you know how to get more personal injury cases from motorcycle accidents with our niche personal injury marketing for motorcycle accident cases. You’ll be able to enter this lucrative niche market and compete against lawyers who thought they had it locked up.

How to Increase the Effectiveness of Radio Advertising for Lawyers

The best way to increase your ROI from radio advertising is with billboards.

Look at these Billboards for lawyers that provide a substantial branding punch which will substantially increase the ROI of radio advertising.

A great way to increase the effectiveness of radio advertising for your law firm is with gas station pump mini billboards and free gas giveaway events at a gas station with the radio station. Gas station pump signs work extremely well for motorcyclists with our motorcycle awareness slogan.

Cross-brand your radio advertising for motorcycle accidents with a motorcycle magazine ad.

Learn how to get free billboards.

Read about the 5 Advantages of Radio for Personal Injury Lawyer Advertising

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Radio Has Further Reach Than Ever Thanks to the Internet

Radio is not only listened to by people at work or in their cars, but now radio is streamed with live video and recorded for future listening on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms where people view programming on smartphones and even on the car radio.

Radio Is Often Seen on Streaming Video Online

Streaming Radio From Instagram

Streaming Radio From Youtube

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Radio Stations Stream Advertising to the Car’s Dashboard

Hundreds of photos in online ads selling cars show 1-800-HURT-911 on the car radio screen.

1-800-HURT-911 on the radio in a car for sale ad

1-800-HURT-911 on the radio in a car for sale ad

1-800-HURT-911 on the radio in another car for sale ad

1-800-HURT-911 on the radio in another car for sale ad


Philip L. Franckel, Esq., is the author of this article.

Phil Franckel is the owner of 1-800-HURT-911® and over 1,100 domain names. He is a personal injury lawyer and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association. He is an expert in branding, advertising, marketing, and SEO. He has been doing SEO since 1994.

Phil Franckel has written and produced TV commercials for lawyers and other industries and has been a consultant to businesses, including several using vanity phone numbers. Phil writes a blog about lawyer advertising at LawyerAdvertisingBlog.com.

Phil Franckel began a mail order business in 8th grade, bought and sold coin-operated amusement games in 10th grade, and a used car business in 12th grade through college. After law school, he worked in the wholesale diamond business and part-time for a TV production company. Later, while a lawyer at a large personal injury law firm, he worked part-time for ABC Wide World of Sports and ABC Monday Night Baseball.

Phil Franckel then started a personal injury law practice and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association.

In his spare time, Phil Franckel became an Aux. Police Cadet in 12th grade and is the Commanding Officer of the Communications Bureau, NCPD Aux. Police Section.


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