Small Firm Marketing Strategies Targeting East Carolina University Students

Abstract

The traditional view of marketing in the legal sector has historically been described as an inappropriate, unprofessional, and overall disliked practice (Hodges, 2013.) Law firms initially used Yellow Pages as an advertising avenue, but the legal sector has undergone a transformation over the past three decades, which has caused such traditional techniques to no longer be sufficient in ensuring a firm’s success (Hodges, 2013). There is more marketing than ever in the legal sector, but some firms are not using the most effective strategies or are resisting marketing as an essential business function (Taylor, 2014). Unfortunately, marketing is an underdeveloped and under researched practice within the legal sector (Ellis & Watterson, 2001). The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of marketing strategies targeting college students implemented by small law firms in Greenville, North Carolina, based on survey responses of East Carolina University undergraduate students. This research should allow attorneys to successfully target students and achieve name awareness, generating new clients through the demonstration of attorneys’ qualifications via digital methods.