Speaker 1: 0:05

What's changing in legal marketing this year. Welcome to Legal Marketing 101. I'm Toby Rosen. Today, we are talking about five things that are changing in legal marketing in 2025. It was really tough to pair this list down to just five items and I think we're still kind of going to go a little bit long for this episode.

Speaker 1: 0:23

So let's dive straight in with the topic that is on everyone's mind AI, ai and automation. Ai, particularly, is everywhere in marketing right now, not just in the lawyer world. It's just everywhere. You've seen the headlines Chad GPT writes your blog posts. You can build a custom model to infuse them with what you want. You can have AI-generated ads, ai-powered legal research, ai-powered briefs that you can screw up in front of the Supreme Court.

Speaker 1: 0:50

But when it comes to law firm marketing, the big question really is beyond all the nonsense that's getting thrown around. The big question is should lawyers actually use AI for content creation? We're going to be talking a lot about AI and automation and its uses in 2025, but the reality is right now, content creation is the low hanging fruit that most people are using this for. And look, there isn't a simple yes or no answer to this. Ai can absolutely streamline your marketing efforts, but there is a big catch it lacks the nuance, the legal expertise and, honestly, just the personal touch that clients expect from a law firm. Imagine a client reading a blog post on your site that just sounds generic or, worse, it's outdated, it's two or three years old and the regulations have changed. That is a really fast way for you to lose credibility.

Speaker 1: 1:39

So how do you balance the AI and the automation without sacrificing trust? It's this question we've been asking for close to a decade, and the key is to use the AI as an assistant. It is not the final decision maker. So let's look at a couple of examples of how to do this in practice. First, ai generated content always, always, always, needs to be reviewed and refined. And to prove my point, ai actually wrote that title for this section, as AI generated content should always be reviewed and refined. But if you say always three times, it makes it so much more powerful and just those little changes. Look, ai can help draft articles, but this human oversight this is what's critical. Think of AI as a first draft generator. That's all it really needs to be. It saves us time on research and structure and just putting the idea together, and then we come in to ensure accuracy and personalization.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Ai and automation are enhancements and really this is all we want to be using them for is to enhance but not replace. Human interaction is to enhance but not replace human interaction. Ai chatbots are fantastic for answering queries or things like what are your office hours, what's your phone number, how do I get to the office? But legal clients want this personal attention. That's part of what they're paying for. Smart firms are using AI for quick responses and to help beef up responses, but they're always offering an easy way to connect with a real attorney.

Speaker 1: 3:06

What we're doing is not replacing our attorneys or replacing our marketing or salespeople with AI. We are counting on our marketing and salespeople and our attorneys and our developers and anyone really to be using this AI effectively to enhance their capabilities. But the benefits that we're reaping from AI don't stop there. One we're already seeing is that AI-assisted ad campaigns can significantly improve targeting and efficiency. Platforms like Google and Facebook are already using AI-driven bidding strategies to help optimize our advertising in real time, and the result is better targeting, less wasted ad spend and stronger ROI. But it also can make things a little more competitive. These tools are always a double-edged sword If we use them effectively and efficiently, they can make us much better at what we do, but they could also damage trust, and the other reality is that everyone else has access to them as well. There's no edge by using these over any other firm that's actually going to be paying attention. The thing we're really counting on at this stage is that most firms just aren't. But anyways, let's move on to Google, because, while AI is still one of the big topics at Google and I am definitely going to be talking to you soon about how to get into those AI results you're seeing on the Google search results page but we need to talk about SEO and Google search changes, because now is the time to pay attention.

Speaker 1: 4:28

Google is always tweaking its algorithm and the legal industry is becoming increasingly sensitive to these shifts, because a lot of these websites the legal websites we're talking about fall under Google's your money or your life category. This means the content needs to be especially accurate, trustworthy or useful. We are on a higher standard than a lot of the internet. One of the biggest things to keep in mind this year as you're working on SEO is Google's continued emphasis on EEAT experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. This acronym means Google is favoring content written by subject matter experts, particularly like attorneys, that are backed by real world experience. And what this means for law firms, first, is that generic content isn't going to cut it. So the basic, ai generated legal blogs that are just regurgitating Black's Law Dictionary or whatever common knowledge these are going to continue to rank poorly and get worse. Google wants to see original insights, case examples, real expertise. The next thing is author bylines and credentials. These are going to matter a lot more. If an attorney writes an article, we want to make sure we're including their bio, their credentials, a link to a specific profile for them. All of this being done to boost credibility to Google and ultimately help us increase our rankings.

Speaker 1: 5:49

And finally, video content. I know your attorneys don't like doing this, my attorneys don't like doing it either, but video content is becoming a really significant ranking factor. This has been really blown up in the last few weeks by some blog posts from Google, but Google has often prioritized video and search results. This is something we've always sort of known, but it's really really starting to be a major factor when it comes to visibility and the short informative videos even the 30-second, 60-second, that kind of stuff. It can really help us when we're trying to gain visibility in a crowded search market.

Speaker 1: 6:26

And let's talk a little bit about Google's AI-driven SGE, the search generative experience. This is something we're going to get a lot deeper into and the reality is it's still just rolling out in a few different markets. So sometimes you're going to see the AI summary, sometimes you're going to see traditional results, but here's what this really means If you're not optimizing for this, you could lose your website traffic overnight. So how do we stay ahead of this? First is we keep our content updated. So outdated pages we need to keep refreshing them. It's not just about creating new content. It's about making sure that all the old stuff is current or, if it's not current, it's linked to the current version and it's updated to acknowledge that.

Speaker 1: 7:04

And we really want to focus on prioritizing local SEO. This is something I've mentioned over and, over and over again and I can't stress this enough. It's the thing for AI, google, my Business listings, local backlinks, citations, and then geographic-specific content, local pages on your website. These are all going to rise to the top of the list of most important SEO strategies. And finally, we need to make sure our site is technically sound. If it doesn't load fast, if it's not mobile friendly, google's AI is not interested. So make sure you have the clear navigation and make sure your user experience is doing well on Google's page.

Speaker 1: 7:40

Speed insights All of these are going to be absolutely critical for websites that want to stay on the search engine results page, because the AI is not going to put up with crappy design. There are a lot of sort of hidden things that AI is doing and arenas and industries that it's evolving, and SEO is definitely definitely one of them. But there is one rule that has remained the same Law firms that provide real value to potential clients will always have an edge. So this all brings us to an important question If you're going to get taken over by AI and you're not going to be able to push your website, how should we be rethinking our paid advertising strategies in response to these changes? And if you've noticed your Google ads budget disappearing faster than ever, you are not alone. The cost per clicks for legal keywords yes, they've been rising for like two decades since this came online essentially Google ads and this trend is not going to slow down. Some of the most competitive practice areas personal injury, criminal defense, even family law, we're seeing CPCs over $100 in major markets. So the question we are all faced with, especially when we're working in firms with fewer than 10 attorneys, is is paid advertising still worth it for us? And the answer in a lot of cases is still yes, but that's only if you're really smart about it. Dumping money into Google ads without a solid strategy, without a good campaign manager, is probably one of the top ways to burn cash without getting any return other than literally lighting money on fire in front of your office.

Speaker 1: 9:14

Now we are going to talk a lot about best practices for Google Ads this year. Trust me, this is something we're going to get into. But today we are going to talk about something that Google is pushing really hard. That is not great, and that's performance max. If you've run into Google Ads recently and you talked to one of their representatives you've gone into your account you've probably seen this pop up as a recommendation. You talk to one of their representatives, you've gone into your account you've probably seen this pop up as a recommendation.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Google claims it's using AI to optimize your ads across search, display, youtube and even Gmail. It sounds great in theory, but for law firms, performance max usually is a bad idea. It may be a good idea one day, but right now, today, it's just not great. And why? Because law firms, we need high intent traffic. We don't just want ads showing up randomly on YouTube videos or irrelevant website. We don't need brand saturation. Performance Max takes control away from us, meaning Google decides where to show our ads. So if we're not careful, our budget can go towards low quality placements instead of high converting search traffic.

Speaker 1: 10:13

And because of the limitations to essentially, you know, under the guise of making it easier for us, we're not able to really control some of these things. So I stick with the manually created search campaigns. Everything is manually controlled. We use exact and phrase match keywords to make sure we're targeting our high intent searchers. We're using location targeting to avoid wasting money on clicks that are outside of our geographic area and we're using negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches like free legal help or pro bono assuming we don't offer pro bono services. The thing is, performance max can work for some industries, but for law firms the risk is high a lot of the time. Like with everything, if you want to test it, I do recommend testing it. But here's the thing If it doesn't work. You need to set some KPIs to say this is working or it's not working, and you need to have tracking in place to make sure you actually are getting good data. You want to keep control of your budget and focus on what actually converts, and Performance Max isn't going to tell us a whole lot, so our systems have to be pretty robust.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Now let's move on to an area that is getting a lot of attention lately, and that's social media. Social media advertising for law firms is not really dead, but it's changing Facebook once the go-to platform for attorneys has seen increasing ad costs, lower engagement and people just migrating away over the last couple of years. At the same time, linkedin has become actually kind of a strong option, especially for firms that are doing B2B sales, corporate lawyers, estate planning, even and here's how to approach these LinkedIn if you're targeting businesses or high net worth clients, who sometimes spend some time on LinkedIn, it can be a pretty serious goldmine. The targeting is really precise. That's one of the biggest advantages of the platform, and this allows us to specifically reach CEOs, executives, in-house counsel or just whatever type of decision maker we're trying to reach. But LinkedIn ads are not cheap, so they work really the best for these high value cases, long-term branding, something where either the ROI is going to be so significant that it kind of doesn't matter what our cost is, or if we're really comfortable setting aside a certain amount of cash for branding. That's really where LinkedIn is going to serve you well.

Speaker 1: 12:26

Facebook ads, though it can still be somewhat effective for consumer facing law firms thinking about things like personal injury, family law, estate planning but the key here is retargeting and that's why family law is one of the good options here. Planning, but the key here is retargeting, and that's why family law is one of the good options here. Running these cold ads to new audiences it's expensive and a lot of the time we can't figure out the targeting to actually get the right people, especially when we're talking about something like divorce or family law, where it's really difficult to classify those people. But retargeting people who have already visited our website is very cost effective and particularly in the family law lane, where we can't use Google ads for retargeting, it's an awesome option. At the end of the day, google ads does remain the best paid channel overall for law firms. But social media ads on Facebook, on LinkedIn, even starting to look at things like TikTok. These can be really effective if we use them strategically.

Speaker 1: 13:22

So where should your dollars go? It depends, it's entirely dependent, on your practice area, your audience, your competition, but what we know for sure is that blindly spending money on ads is not going to work. Every dollar in 2025 needs to be measured, optimized and then backed up by data. If we don't have that as a fundamental infrastructure for our system, we are going to waste some money somewhere. And before I forget about TikTok, let's talk about video marketing and short form content, because for a long time, law firms viewed video marketing as something extra, something a little bit extravagant, something that only the big firms with the big budgets could really afford to do. And that's just not the case anymore. Youtube shorts, tiktok, instagram and the iPhone you're holding in your hand or listening to this podcast on, have made video one of the most effective ways to connect with potential clients, and the firms that embrace it are seeing real results. Short-form content works because it meets people where they are. The days of clients sitting down reading lengthy legal blog posts they're not over, but they're fading quickly.

Speaker 1: 14:28

A lot of people really prefer the quick, engaging video that answers their specific question in 30 seconds or less, and this makes the challenge for law firms not should we create video content? It's how do we do it in a way that feels natural and actually answers the questions that users have and doesn't take up all of their time. The key here is just to keep it simple. Lawyers who succeed with video marketing. They're not doing anything flashy. I mean, look at the top lawyers. They're all just sitting in a room with books behind them. They're answering the same questions they already get from clients or from friends or family members, but in this more accessible format that you know doesn't involve the awkwardness of meeting with an attorney A quick video that explains a legal myth, breaks down a recent case whether you were involved or not or offers just some practical advice.

Speaker 1: 15:14

I'm sure you've seen the don't talk to police videos. This advice can go a long way. People really like it and it's incredibly shareable. It's not about making a viral hit, though. It's just about building trust. One video at a time, and then the viral hit will happen.

Speaker 1: 15:29

And for those who think, oh, legal content, it's not going to work in this format, go and look at the attorneys who are building massive audiences by doing exactly this. Some are focusing on real-world case breakdowns. They're going through things that have happened, they're in the news. Others are educating on everyday legal rights Don't talk to police, or here's what to do in a traffic stop, or it's mostly police-related stuff. And then some are just explaining more complex legal concepts in a way anyone can understand. How does this tax concept work? How does universal taxation work? And even some non-lawyers are doing this and being featured on lawyer channels, or vice versa.

Speaker 1: 16:06

There is a clear, clear demand for the legal content, but the firms are not showing up yet. You could be the one to do it, and for lawyers who are still hesitant about all of this, the best way to start is just put the phone up in front of your face and hit record. A basic setup, just a phone, decent lighting and clear audio. It's plenty to get started. This podcast is recorded on an $89 microphone that I used a credit card credit to get for free, and I've been doing it for three years like this. The important thing about all of it is not the production value, it's the clarity, the authenticity and the consistency. But here's the thing At the end of the day, all this marketing stuff, it's not just about bringing in leads.

Speaker 1: 16:49

At least for you it's not. For me it is. This is all about building relationships. A client's experience with your firm doesn't start when they walk through the door. It starts the moment they hear about you or the moment they Google your name, and that's why your online reputation is more important than ever in 2025.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Most lawyers, you guys, already know that reviews matter, but what many of you don't realize is just how much they influence decisions, whether the people understand that or not. When potential clients search for legal help, they are not just looking at your credentials. In fact, it's one of the last things they look at. They are looking at what other people like them have said. A strong reputation can be the most powerful marketing tool you have, and a neglected online presence will be the final nail in your coffin. This is where you need to be proactive. It's easy to think of reviews as something that just happens naturally, but that is not the case. And even when you get a review or two on your Google my Business wow, it was organic the firms that maintain their strong reputations the ones that are beating you are the ones that are actively engaging with client feedback. That means making sure satisfied clients know how to leave reviews, responding to feedback in a way that shows you care, and keeping an eye on what's being said about your firm online, even on other profiles and beyond reviews.

Speaker 1: 18:07

Another really commonly overlooked piece of reputation management something that is a fantastic moat in a bad situation is the way that firms share their clients' success stories. Sure, there are ethical considerations that come into play with case studies and testimonials, but when we do this the right way, these are incredibly effective at showing what a firm can do instead of just saying it or hearing about it. It gives specific details. When potential clients see real examples of how a firm has helped others, it reinforces trust in a way that no ad campaign ever can. Because, at its core, reputation management isn't about damage control. It's something we want to be doing proactively because, again, it's about relationship building.

Speaker 1: 18:52

A strong reputation does not happen by accident. It's built over time, through consistent client experience, through thoughtful engagement and a commitment to the transparency of the business. The firms that prioritize this will always have an edge over the competition, no matter how marketing trends evolve. 2025 is certainly going to be a year of change, but if there's one thing that you take away from this episode. It's this Legal marketing isn't just about visibility or clients through the door. It's about connection. The firms that understand this this year will thrive, no matter how things change and how crazy things get. That's it for Legal Marketing 101. Check out RosenAdvertisingcom for more Thanks.