Marketing advice for law firms often sounds good but doesn’t work. “Be authentic.” “Provide value.” “Build relationships.” These aren’t strategies. They’re platitudes.
Here’s what actually generates cases for PI law firms.
Strategy 1: Create Demand, Don’t Just Capture It
Most law firms compete only for existing demand. People already searching for lawyers. This is expensive and limited.
The capture-only approach:
- Bid on “car accident lawyer” keywords
- Compete with every other firm
- Pay $200-500+ per click
- Fight for limited search volume
The creation + capture approach:
- Build awareness through CTV
- Generate branded searches
- Capture at low cost ($5-15 per branded click)
- Grow the pie instead of fighting for slices
62% of consumers discover new brands through TV advertising. CTV campaigns deliver 23% higher ROI than traditional TV because they create demand you can capture.
See CTV Creates Demand, Search Captures It.
Strategy 2: Protect Your Branded Searches
When you build awareness, you generate branded searches. 75% of consumers search after seeing TV ads. If competitors capture those searches, they benefit from your investment.
The leakage problem:
- You run TV ads
- People search your name
- Competitor ads appear above your listing
- They click competitor
- You paid, competitor converts
The protection solution:
- Bid on your own firm name
- Cover variations and misspellings
- Monitor competitor conquesting
- Coordinate search timing with TV flights
Branded search protection isn’t optional. It’s essential for any awareness advertising.
See Stop Competitors Bidding on Your Firm Name.
Strategy 3: Integrate Channels (Don’t Silo Them)
Channels work better together than apart:
Siloed approach:
- CTV agency runs TV
- Search agency runs PPC
- SEO agency handles organic
- No coordination
- No shared attribution
- Budget competition instead of optimization
Integrated approach:
- CTV timing coordinates with search budgets
- Attribution tracks multi-touch paths
- Unified reporting shows system performance
- Optimization across channels
Viewers exposed to CTV campaigns are 40% more likely to visit an advertiser’s website. That lift only becomes ROI when channels work together.
See CTV and Search Coordination.
Strategy 4: Measure to Cases, Not Leads
Leads are nice. Cases pay bills. Many firms optimize for lead volume without tracking what matters.
Lead-focused measurement:
- “We got 100 leads this month”
- CPL of $350
- No idea how many became cases
- No idea of actual cost per case
Case-focused measurement:
- 100 leads generated
- 20 became cases
- $17,500 cost per case
- $25,000 average case value
- 7x ROI
Track from impression through signed case. CRM integration makes this possible.
See Calculating CTV ROI.
Strategy 5: Invest in Creative
Creative quality multiplies media efficiency. The same budget with better creative generates 2-3x more leads.
Underinvestment signs:
- Same creative for 2+ years
- Generic “we fight for you” messaging
- Production values that scream cheap
- No testing or variation
Proper investment:
- Fresh creative annually (at minimum)
- Professional production
- Message differentiation
- A/B testing variations
Testing shows 2-3x performance differences between creative variations. $30K in great creative can save hundreds of thousands in media efficiency.
Strategy 6: Be Present When People Need You
Awareness today influences choice tomorrow. The firm they remember when an accident happens is the firm they call.
The timing reality:
- You run ads now
- Someone sees them
- No current need, no action
- 3 months later: car accident
- They remember your firm
- They search and call
This delayed response means:
- Consistent presence matters
- Short campaigns underperform
- 90+ day commitment required
- Attribution windows must be long enough
ROAS improves 24% after 90 days of consistent CTV investment.
Strategy 7: Speed Wins Intake
Marketing generates interest. Intake converts it. Slow intake loses cases.
The speed reality:
- 35-50% of legal consumers hire the first attorney who responds
- 50%+ hire within 3 days
- 39% of firms take 2+ hours to respond to leads
Speed as strategy:
- Live answering during business hours
- 5-minute response goal for web leads
- Multiple contact attempts
- After-hours coverage
A marketing system that generates 100 leads loses to a system generating 70 leads with faster intake. If the slower system only converts 15 and the faster converts 25, faster wins.
Strategy 8: Own Your Market
Sustainable growth comes from market position, not just marketing tactics.
Tactical approach:
- Run campaigns
- Generate leads
- Pause when busy
- Start again when slow
- Never build position
Position-building approach:
- Consistent presence
- Increasing share of voice
- Brand recognition compounds
- Exclusive targeting advantages
- Defensible market position
Exclusive CTV audiences create competitive moats. Competitors can’t access targeting you’ve locked.
What Doesn’t Work
Tactics That Sound Good But Don’t Scale
“Just get more referrals”: Referrals are valuable but not scalable or predictable.
“Be active on social media”: Organic social builds brand but rarely generates PI leads directly.
“Content marketing”: Valuable for SEO but long timeline to results.
“Networking”: Important for relationships but not for case volume.
Common Mistakes
Chasing cheap leads: Low-quality leads waste intake time and hurt morale.
Cutting during slow periods: Awareness advertising effects are delayed. Cutting when slow makes the next slow period worse.
Copying competitor tactics: Their tactics without their resources, position, or integration often fail.
Optimizing for the wrong metrics: Leads that don’t become cases aren’t success.
The Working Strategy Stack
For most PI firms seeking growth:
| Priority | Strategy | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CTV for awareness | 35-45% of budget |
| 2 | Branded search protection | 10-15% of budget |
| 3 | Generic search capture | 15-20% of budget |
| 4 | SEO foundation | 15-20% of budget |
| 5 | Intake speed | Operational investment |
| 6 | Creative quality | 10-15% annual |
This creates a system: awareness → search protection → capture → conversion.
For detailed budget allocation, see PI Marketing Budget Allocation.
References
- MNTN Research. (2025). 62% of consumers discover new brands through TV. https://research.mountain.com/insights/62-of-consumers-discover-new-brands-or-products-through-tv/
- Southern California News Group. (2025). Connected TV marketing stats 2025. https://www.socalnewsgroup.com/2025/05/06/connected-tv-marketing-stats-2025/
- MNTN Research. (2025). Second screen use by TV viewers. https://research.mountain.com/insights/an-exploration-of-second-screen-use-by-tv-viewers/
- JamLoop. (2025). CTV attribution modeling and ROI measurement. https://jamloop.com/ctv-attribution-modeling-roi-measurement/
- IAB & Innovid. (2022). CTV takes center stage: 2022 video benchmarks. https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Innovid_CTV-Takes-Center-Stage.pdf
- MNTN Research. (2023). Increased investment in CTV leads to better performance. https://research.mountain.com/trends/data-reveals-increased-investment-in-ctv-leads-to-better-performance/
- Above the Law. (2025). The quiet crisis of law firm lead conversion. https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/the-quiet-crisis-of-law-firm-lead-conversion/
- Scorpion. (2025). Digital marketing trends for personal injury law firms. https://www.scorpion.co/personal-injury/insights/blog/verticals/personal-injury/digital-marketing-trends-for-personal-injury-law-firms/
- Hennessey Digital. (2025). 2025 lead form response time study. https://hennessey.com/2025-lead-form-response-time-study/