Why Your Marketing Feels Like Whack-A-Mole (And What to Do Instead)
Let me guess...
You've tried:
A new website redesign
Some SEO work
A few social media posts
Maybe hired a marketing agency (that didn't really get it)
Ran some Google Ads
Went to networking events
And revenue is... still unpredictable.
You're working harder, spending more, and not seeing the growth you expected.
Here's why:
You're playing marketing whack-a-mole.
One month it's "we need better SEO." Next month it's "let's fix the website." Then it's "maybe we should be on LinkedIn more."
You're treating symptoms. Not solving the actual problem.
And the actual problem? You don't have a strategy. You have a collection of random tactics.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Marketing Graveyard
When I audit law firms, I always ask: "What marketing have you tried in the past?"
The answers sound like this:
"We tried Facebook ads but they didn't work."
"We had someone doing SEO for a while."
"We redesigned the website two years ago."
"We posted on social media for a few months but gave up."
You know what I call that?
The marketing graveyard.
A bunch of dead tactics that got started, never finished, and definitely never worked together.
Here's the thing though—
None of those tactics were actually wrong.
SEO? Good idea.
Website redesign? Probably needed.
Social media? Could work.
The problem wasn't the tactics. The problem was there was no strategy connecting them.
What I Learned Building My Own Firm (The Hard Way)
When I started my family law practice, I did the same thing.
I threw money at whatever seemed like it might work.
Paid for a fancy website. Tried some Google Ads. Joined every networking group in town. Posted on Facebook whenever I remembered.
None of it worked consistently.
Some months I'd get 10 consultations. Other months, 2.
I couldn't figure out what was actually driving results. Or how to get more of it.
Then I finally realized:
I didn't have a marketing problem. I had a strategy problem.
I was making it up as I went. Trying tactics without a plan. Hoping something would stick.
That's not marketing. That's chaos.
The Difference Between Tactics and Strategy
Here's the fastest way to understand it:
Tactics are what you do.
Strategy is WHY you're doing it, WHO you're doing it for, and HOW it all fits together.
Most law firms have tactics.
Very few have strategy.
They're posting on LinkedIn because "everyone says you should be on LinkedIn."
They're running Google Ads because "that's where people search for lawyers."
They updated their website because "it looked outdated."
But they have no idea:
Who their ideal client actually is
What makes them different from every other firm
Why someone would choose them over a competitor
How all their marketing activities connect to create momentum
So they keep trying new things. Getting inconsistent results. And wondering why growth feels so hard.
What Strategy Actually Looks Like
Real strategy answers these questions FIRST:
Who are we serving? (Not "anyone who needs a lawyer")
What problem do we solve better than anyone else?
Why would someone choose us over every other option?
What's our unique positioning in the market?
How do we want to be known?
Then—and only then—you choose tactics.
When you have strategy first:
✅ Your website messaging is clear and compelling (because you know WHO you're talking to)
✅ Your SEO targets the RIGHT searches (because you know WHAT problems you solve)
✅ Your intake converts better (because you can articulate WHY you're different)
✅ Your content marketing actually works (because you have a POINT OF VIEW)
✅ Everything builds on everything else (momentum instead of whack-a-mole)
Without strategy, you're just guessing.
With strategy, every dollar you spend works harder.
Why This Is So Hard for Attorneys
You're smart. Analytical. Strategic thinkers in your legal work.
So why is marketing strategy so hard?
Because you're too close to it.
You can't see what makes you different because it feels normal to you.
You don't know which problems are actually most painful to clients because you've been solving them for 15 years and they seem obvious.
You can't tell which parts of your story matter to prospects because you live it every day.
Plus—you don't have time to figure this out.
You're running a law practice. You've got clients, deadlines, court appearances, staff to manage.
Strategic marketing planning? That's the thing that gets pushed to "when I have time."
Which is never.
The Fractional CMO Solution
This is why I built Hey Visible the way I did.
Not as another marketing agency that executes tactics.
As a Fractional CMO who owns the strategy and makes everything work together.
Here's the difference:
Marketing agency: "Tell us what you want done and we'll do it"
Fractional CMO: "Let me figure out what actually needs to happen and lead the execution"
Marketing consultant: "Here's a strategy document. Good luck implementing it."
Fractional CMO: "I'm accountable for outcomes, not just advice."
When I work with a law firm as their Fractional CMO:
I'm not waiting for you to tell me what to do.
I'm the one running your marketing. Making decisions. Owning outcomes.
I audit where you are.
Develop the strategy (positioning, messaging, target client, differentiation).
Build the roadmap (what needs to happen, in what order, why).
Implement it (or lead your team/vendors to execute it properly).
Optimize continuously (because what works in month 1 evolves by month 6).
And I do it all with the context of being a former attorney who's actually built a law firm.
I'm not learning legal marketing on your dime.
I already know what works. What doesn't. What constraints you're dealing with. What attorneys actually respond to.
What Happens When You Have Real Strategic Leadership
Here's what changes:
Clarity: You finally know who you're for and what makes you different
Consistency: Your marketing actually happens (because someone owns it)
Confidence: You can explain why you're different without sounding like everyone else
Conversion: Everything from your website to your intake works together to convert
Compound growth: Marketing builds on itself instead of starting over every quarter
I worked with a personal injury firm doing about $800K in revenue.
They'd tried everything. Different agencies. SEO contractors. Ads. Networking.
Nothing created predictable growth.
We started with strategy:
Identified their actual ideal client (not "anyone in an accident")
Articulated what made them different (they spoke Spanish, had a nurse on staff, and specialized in rideshare accidents)
Rebuilt their positioning around THAT, not generic injury lawyer messaging
Fixed their intake to reflect the new positioning
Aligned all their marketing to tell one coherent story
Then we executed consistently for 12 months.
They're at $1.8M now.
Not because we found some magic tactic.
Because we finally gave them a strategy and someone to actually lead it.
The Question You Need to Ask
Here it is:
Are you trying to fit marketing into your practice?
Or are you ready to have someone actually run it for you?
If you're still in "I'll try this tactic and see what happens" mode, you're not ready for a Fractional CMO.
But if you're tired of:
Inconsistent results
Not knowing what's actually working
Feeling like you're always starting over
Watching competitors grow while you stay flat
Then you don't need another tactic.
You need strategic leadership.
Bottom Line (AKA The Tea ☕)
Random tactics without strategy = expensive guessing.
Strategy without execution = binder that sits on a shelf.
Strategy + leadership + execution = actual growth.
That's what a Fractional CMO does.
And if you're a law firm that's ready to stop playing whack-a-mole and start actually growing?
That's exactly what I do.
__________________________
Ready to stop guessing and start growing strategically?
Drop STRATEGY in the comments or DM me and let's talk about whether Fractional CMO partnership makes sense for your firm.
Fair warning: I only work with 8 firms at a time (because this is actual leadership, not just consulting). If you're ready for real strategic partnership, let's see if we're a fit.
__________________________
That's all the tea for now!
Tell me: What's your biggest marketing frustration right now? Is it knowing WHAT to do, or actually getting it DONE? 👇
I'm Pam—former attorney who learned that tactics without strategy is just expensive chaos. Now I serve as Fractional CMO for law firms ready to grow predictably instead of hoping something finally sticks.
