As I’ve mentioned here before, this is on my “bucket list” to test. I think you have to be very careful about Billboard Advertising because, like the Yellow Pages (and unlike the Internet, radio and TV), once you put it up, you can’t change it for at least several months. Recently, as I was driving through Florida, I saw a number of lawyer billboards (I also caught a glimpse of MasterMind member Brent Adams’ s “foreclosure” billboard on 95 around Dunn, NC). In one case, the law firm name and phone number was impossible to read (and I saw the billboard in several different places and actually tried to read it!) because of an idiotic choice of font size and color.

I’m also not sure that it is outrageous enough. No one driving down the highway (except me and perhaps my Coaching and MM members) is thinking, “I hope I see a lawyer billboard.”

There are a few exceptions. Coaching member Michael Gibson is taking a really good shot with his new billboards in and around Oviedo, FL. It’s not “HIRE ME,” but, “come get this information.” The branding of “855Whatnext” may be part of a bigger branding campaign, so this is a good idea. I’m not sure that there wasn’t a more easy- to-remember URL to get for someone who is driving and will be unlikely to be able to punch it into a smartphone.

I think you have to shock. Attack other lawyer billboard ads head on. If you do that, then you may not even need to use the law firm logo/name on the billboard; that screams “lawyer ad.”

Any place your billboard points prospective clients to should “catch” them. I mean, if they took the effort to remember your contact information from a billboard, they need to be impressed by what they see as a result. You might want to have a great video on the landing page followed by a book offer, something to hook them, because if they heard about your firm from a billboard, they are solidly looking for representation.