Law firms serve local markets. CTV targeting must match your service area precisely to avoid wasting impressions on households you can’t serve.
Geographic Targeting Options
DMA (Designated Market Area)
What it is: Nielsen-defined TV market regions (210 total in US) Best for: Full market coverage, larger firms Precision: Broad (entire metro area)
Zip Code Targeting
What it is: Selection of specific zip codes Best for: Precise coverage, avoiding certain areas Precision: High (neighborhood-level)
Radius Targeting
What it is: Circle around a point (office location) Best for: Single-office firms, defined service area Precision: Moderate (may cross boundaries)
County Targeting
What it is: Selection of specific counties Best for: Multi-county service areas, state-specific cases Precision: Moderate
Matching Targeting to Service Area
Single-Office Firm
Service area: 30-mile radius from office
Approach:
- Start with radius targeting
- Refine with zip codes to exclude irrelevant areas
- Focus impressions where you actually serve
Multi-Office Firm
Service area: Multiple metro areas or counties
Approach:
- DMA targeting for each metro
- Or zip code aggregation across areas
- Separate campaigns per market for optimization
State-Wide Firm
Service area: Entire state or region
Approach:
- Multiple DMA targeting
- State-level targeting (if platform supports)
- Higher budget required for coverage
Local CTV Market Opportunity
Law firms are ideally positioned: local service, local targeting, local relevance.
Targeting Strategy by Market Size
Small Market (DMA 100+)
Population under 500K
Strategy:
- Full DMA coverage often appropriate
- Limited need for exclusions
- Entire market is your market
Budget: $12-25K/month
Mid-Size Market (DMA 50-100)
Population 500K-1.5M
Strategy:
- DMA or curated zip codes
- May exclude distant suburbs
- Focus on population centers
Budget: $25-50K/month
Major Market (DMA 25-50)
Population 1.5M-3M
Strategy:
- Zip code targeting often preferred
- Exclude areas outside service radius
- Multiple zones possible
Budget: $50-80K/month
Top Market (DMA 1-25)
Population 3M+
Strategy:
- Zip code essential (DMA too broad)
- Hyper-local targeting
- May need multiple campaigns by region
Budget: $75K-150K+/month
Layering Geography with Behavior
Geographic targeting alone is just “where.” Adding behavior improves relevance:
Geographic + Behavioral
| Layer | Example |
|---|---|
| Geography | 50 zip codes in your market |
| + Behavior | Auto loan holders |
| + Behavior | Motorcycle owners |
| + Behavior | Workers’ comp researchers |
| = Audience | Local households with injury risk signals |
This reaches relevant households in your service area, not just any household.
The Combination Effect
- Geography only: 500,000 households
- Geography + behavioral: 75,000 households
- Relevance improves dramatically
See Why Demographic Targeting Wastes Budget for targeting strategy.
Avoiding Geographic Waste
Common Waste Patterns
Overly broad DMA:
- Full DMA when you serve half
- Paying for unreachable households
Ignoring natural boundaries:
- Different states (different bar admission)
- Rivers, mountains (travel barriers)
- Traffic patterns (actual service area)
Uniform distribution:
- Equal impressions everywhere
- When some areas are higher priority
Efficiency Tactics
Prioritize high-value areas:
- Areas with higher case values
- Areas with historical case concentration
- Areas with competitive advantage
Exclude low-value areas:
- Too far from office
- Wrong jurisdiction
- Historical low performance
Weight by population:
- More impressions in dense areas
- Proportional coverage
Multi-Location Strategies
Firms with multiple offices:
Separate Campaigns
- Campaign per market/office
- Independent budgets
- Market-specific creative
- Clear performance comparison
Single Campaign, Multiple Targets
- One campaign, multiple geo targets
- Unified budget
- Consistent creative
- Simpler management
Hybrid Approach
- Major markets get dedicated campaigns
- Smaller markets grouped
- Balance control with efficiency
Local Creative Considerations
Local targeting deserves local messaging:
Localization Elements
- City/region name mentions
- Local landmarks or references
- “Serving [City] for X years”
- Local office address
What Not to Over-Localize
- Core brand message stays consistent
- Quality shouldn’t vary by market
- Major creative investment amortized across markets
Competitive Local Analysis
Before targeting, understand local competition:
Research Questions
- Who else is advertising CTV locally?
- What’s their apparent targeting?
- What messaging are they using?
- Where are the gaps?
Competitive Responses
- Target areas competitors miss
- Differentiate messaging
- Consider exclusive audiences
- Time campaigns strategically
For competitive advantage, see Exclusive CTV Audiences.
Local Measurement
Market-Specific Metrics
- Verified visits by geographic segment
- Conversion rate by area
- Branded search volume by market
- Lead quality by geography
Performance Optimization
- Shift budget to better-performing areas
- Reduce spend in underperforming zones
- Test new geographic segments
- Refine boundaries based on data
References
- Marketron Aspire. (2025). Local CTV advertising spend 2025. https://aspire.marketron.com/what-to-expect-in-local-ctv-advertising-spend-for-the-back-half-of-2025/
- BIA Advisory. (2025). Traditional and digital media forecasts. https://bia.com/forecasts/traditional-digital-media/