All About AI - Part 2 - Marketing & Data Driven Decision Making

[MUSIC PLAYING] Welcome to Legal Marketing 101. I'm Toby Rosen. Today, we are diving into episode two of our artificial intelligence series. In the fast-paced universe of legal marketing, the compass that's guiding successful strategies is data-driven decision making. Just as a skilled attorney meticulously constructs a case backed by evidence and legal precedent, Marketing campaigns should rest on the solid foundation of data-backed insights. In this episode, we'll delve into the paramount significance of adopting data-driven approaches and explore how the integration of AI can empower law firms in this pursuit. At the core of most marketing operations lies the meticulous collection, analysis, and interpretation of information. Data isn't merely a side note, it's the backbone of effective campaigns. Transitioning from instinct-based decisions well-informed strategies can transform the trajectory of a law firm's marketing success. So enter AI. This is the catalyst poised to revolutionize this landscape. Let's dive into an illustrative example. Consider an intellectual property law firm that's aiming to refine their online presence. By using AI-driven analytics tools, this firm can start to track the performance of its website, but it can start to gain some better insights than just how many visitors they have. They're going to start to look at which page received the most visits, how long visitors engage with each piece of content, and which elements of the site have the highest conversion rates. This is the type of information that's going to help us paint a more vivid picture of what potential clients are actually looking for. And as we dive deeper and deeper into this data, this will help guide us to curate the content and optimize our website so that we have the maximum impact possible. But AI's prowess really extends a lot further beyond data tracking. Yeah, it can help us unearth some things we might not normally see, but its true brilliance really lies in its ability to figure out patterns, correlations, and trends that human analysis usually overlooks. So let's start to expand our example a little bit. This intellectual property firm observes a really consistent surge in website traffic and engagement surrounding articles about patent law reform. in the aftermath of some legislative updates. AI-driven analysis can dive even deeper, uncovering that these surges in interest often coincide with periods of heightened public discourse on intellectual property rights. They can use a bigger set of data and more information to make correlations. This revelation is going to empower the firm to proactively align its content strategy with these predictable fluctuations in demand and start to position itself as a timely an informed voice within the industry. But AI doesn't merely settle for these conventional connections. It excels at discerning subtle interrelationships. Continuing with this example, the firm could, after doing all of that, employ AI to dissect user behavior across its website, its social media channels, and its search queries. This multi-dimensional analysis could unveil that a significant subset of visitors engrossed in patent law discussions also exhibit substantial interest in technology transfer agreements. This realization could spark a strategic shift to the firm, prompting them to craft content that bridges these related domains. This starts to cater to a discerning but brand new segment of their audience. In essence, AI starts to emerge as this transformative force that metamorphoses raw data into strategic gold mines. This transition signifies more than just a shift in methodology, though. It embodies a shift from conjecture to absolute precision, from uncertainties to calculated advantages. In your journey through the intricacies of legal marketing, you've got to remember that AI's role in data analysis transcends the quantitative, it transcends what people are doing. It's starting to encapsulate the essence of converting information into strategic mastery. In the ever-evolving landscape of legal marketing, where precision and adaptability are really at the top of our list, these AI-powered analytics tools are the game-changers for us. They don't just crunch numbers. They dissect data with an almost human-like intuition, but they can provide invaluable insights that steer marketing strategies to success. So let's talk about some specific examples of how we're going to do this. Picture a bustling personal injury law firm that's seeking to maximize the impact of its online presence. The firm embraces AI-powered analytics to comprehensively track their website performance and the performance of offsite properties. One such tool, Google Analytics, with its AI enhancements, which can't do the offsite, but it doesn't just present basic metrics telling us where the user is going. It's going to dissect that user's entire behavior, our entire interaction with them. It identifies which pages not only receive the most visits, but looks at how much they're captivating users, how long they're captivating these users. And through built-in AI analysis, the firm can discover maybe that blog post covering recent changes in personal injury are attracting the highest engagement. With this, the firm can then cross-reference that information with how much money they're they're making from personal injury and decide whether or not to amplify the content, because we know it's resonating with the audience, but whether or not it's a good business decision is something we have to make. But let's take a look at the world of audience engagement. We're going to talk about MailChimp, one of the most popular email marketing platforms, and they've taken a pretty big leap with AI. MailChimp is dynamically analyzing email engagement patterns. They can identify the optimal time to deliver content, not just for a particular campaign or for one email, but for each recipient individually. For this personal injury law firm we're talking about, this means we can deliver case updates and legal news when their audience is most receptive. This goes way beyond marketing. It's not just, hey, when will we get someone to open or click through and how can we build a connection, but when can we actually engage with this person even after they're a client so that the experience is the best possible experience it can be for that client. Campaign effectiveness, which is the cornerstone of every marketing strategy though, this is where the AI power tools shine the brightest. Beyond connection, beyond personalization, AI can do all of these things simultaneously. And we're seeing products like HubSpot, a really versatile marketing automation platform that is building in a ton of AI capability. We're seeing these platforms do all of these things simultaneously. HubSpot can start to evaluate the impact of various campaigns across multiple channels, from social media to email outreach to Facebook to SMS. It'll track your conversions, the lead generation rates, user interactions across all of these channels, and then provide an intricate understanding of what strategies are actually yielding the highest returns, what touch points the user is taking before they actually arrive in your office. For our personal injury law firm that's leveraging HubSpot, they realized that targeted social media campaigns that were focused on client testimonials were outperforming their broader content initiatives on TikTok and other platforms. Armed with this knowledge, the firm stepped back from some of their other campaigns and honed in on the social media strategy to drive more engagement and ultimately more conversions. But AI's power doesn't just stop at this surface level, where we just make a decision and it helps us here. The firm that we're talking about here, let's say they implement the advanced analytics tool Tableau, which is going to dive deep into the campaign data ocean. It'll generate interactive data visualizations that allow the firm's marketing team to explore data from a bunch of different angles. They'll integrate their HubSpot sources, their data source, everything they can integrate, and Tableau can then look at all of these data points together to infer what the firm should do. could reveal that social media testimonials, when combined with blog posts on insurance claim processes, suddenly lead to an unparalleled spike in consultation requests. With these multidimensional insights, the firm can develop what is really a holistic campaign that synergizes these two approaches. The results from this type of analysis and this type of marketing is remarkable. And in a landscape where competition is fierce and marketing strategies require surgical precision, AI powered analytics tools are our navigational comp, they're our GPS. They empower law firms and marketers to not only track performance and engagement, but to figure out what the hidden gems are, what the data patterns really look like. From Google Analytics's new AI stuff to Mailchimp stuff to HubSpot stuff to Tableau, there's a million products out there. The synergy of AI and analytics empowers us as legal and marketing professionals to navigate the labyrinth of marketing with absolute confidence. In our practices, these clients aren't just cases. They're individuals who are seeking guidance and resolution for their problems. The evolution of legal marketing brings forth a pivotal focus on personalized client experiences. Not only do we just want to hit clients at the right time, but we want to make them feel special. So imagine a scenario where legal services are tailored to each client's unique needs, communicated through whatever channel they prefer, and they only have their problems addressed. Enter AI-driven personalization. This is an avenue where technology and client-centricity converge to redefine the way law firms connect with clients. So let's dive into a more concrete example. Consider a corporate law firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions in M&A. Traditionally, the potential clients would just go to the firm's website and sift through a generic set of legal service descriptions or content and bios. But with AI, we can really transform that experience dramatically. Enter the AI content recommendation systems. These systems will analyze a visitor's browsing history, their interactions, their demographic data even, and start to deliver more relevant content. It's going to use dynamic sections of the website and display content that that user would be interested in. For our corporate law firm who's leveraging this technology, this presents visitors with case studies and white papers and blog posts. Depending on what area of M&A they're actually interested in, if it's healthcare, if it's in finance or whatever type of business it is, this will start to deliver them content that's specifically tailored to their interest. This personal touch really resonates with clients, and big companies have been doing this for years. This shows that the firm not only understands the needs of the client, but we anticipate them. But beyond content, AI-driven personalization also now extends to client communication, and we're starting to see it in our CRM products. But let's talk about chatbots, which is something that I think a lot of lawyers are on the fence on. These are really a prime example of AI's prowess when it comes to client interaction. Imagine a potential client visits your law firm's website and initiates a chat to inquire about services. Instead of a traditional chat experience where canned responses are just set out and then a user selects a button, we now have AI. These bots can be trained to engage in natural conversation so that they don't get tripped up and run into the wall over and over again like a character who's glitching in a video game. These bots can offer information tailored specifically to the client's queries and their legal needs, but we still have control over building them. So for instance, if a client is interested in business contracts, the chat bot can start to provide instant information about the firm's expertise in drafting, negotiating contracts, and maybe even answer a question for this user about what contract they need. This type of personalized interaction is not only going to save you time, but it's also going to start to cultivate a sense of direct engagement with the client. If they get their question answered, they're going to be happier. But there's another dimension to these chatbots. They're virtual assistants, really. A client, let's say, has signed on with this M&A-focused law firm and needs regular updates on the progress of their case, or they have questions specifically about their case. Rather than inundating the firm with emails and phone calls, or maybe they even still do and a date them with emails, the firm can introduce an AI powered virtual assistant. This assistant, which could be accessible through messaging apps or through email even, it can provide real time updates based on information from the CRM and backend data that we provide to the bot. And it can answer queries and even offer suggestions for next steps based on the specific case developments for that user. We can read that person's client file through the chat bot and when the client asks, they'll get answers. The assistant can adapt to the client's communication preferences as well, whether they want really concise updates with the bullet points, or they want comprehensive explanations of every single step. This ensures a personalized experience that caters to every single client's individual communication style. Essentially, AI-powered personalization acts as a bridge between the legal realm and your client's unique journey. It makes what is often very formulaic become very specific. By employing these content recommendation systems, these chatbots, virtual assistants, law firms are creating an environment where clients continue to feel heard, understood, and supported, but we're also cutting down on back office tasks. The corporate law firm in our example that provides the tailored content recommendations and the chatbot and the virtual assistant, all these elements are really converging to just completely redefine the client interaction that that firm has. They forge a stronger bond between the clients and the lawyers and ultimately get more done. In this era of innovation, this convergence of AI and client experience is really going to take the legal marketing stuff that we're doing here to new heights. By embracing AI's ability to understand and cater to individual needs, law firms will stand out as true partners in their clients' legal journeys. But the AI revolution doesn't stop at off-the-shelf chatbots. custom AI models trained on your law firm's unique dataset are unlocking this unparalleled personalization. We can develop custom AI models and custom programs that not only understand legal nuance, case law, but can dig into client-specific preferences and remember them. As the client continues to interact with the AI, they're going to receive guidance akin to consulting a senior attorney, precise, knowledgeable, and specifically aligned with their needs. AI automatically has good bedside manner. This level of interaction starts to blur the lines between human consultation and AI-driven insights. But it's essential to recognize that the AI landscape is akin to a swiftly evolving frontier. It is the wild, wild west. What was groundbreaking yesterday might be completely refined and almost dated tomorrow. Custom AI models, while really promising, demand ongoing calibration right now so that they can remain accurate and so that they remain ethical. The robustness of these chatbots and assistants really does hinge on consistent refinement based on real-world interactions. As an AI learns from the diverse interactions and encounters, it's going to start to adapt to user preferences and the needs of the users and things like that. But as the ecosystem of AI in legal marketing evolves, the potential becomes increasingly promising. Conversational AI is becoming more natural, more personalized, and more attuned to client requirements. AI models are becoming more adept at emulating nuanced legal expertise, and they're becoming easier to build. But the caveat remains. AI's potential is boundless, but its true potential is hinged upon how well we adapt and refine its applications in the real world. Chatbots and custom AI models mark an inflection point in legal-client interaction. The rapid evolution of AI technology, while really exciting, is also emphasizing the need for continuous adaptation and refinement. As law firms embrace these tools to enhance their client relationships, their marketing, and their data analysis, you need to be prepared to stay attuned to the ever-changing AI landscape. It will be different tomorrow than it was today. The transformational journey that began with chatbots, chatfuel, and custom AI models is just the beginning of a much broader AI revolution that holds a massive amount of potential to redefine not only the marketing landscape, but the legal landscape and most of our lives as a whole. That's it for Legal Marketing 101. We'll be back next week with episode three in the AI series. Check out rosenadvertising.com for more. Thanks.[MUSIC]