Local CTV Targeting Strategies for Law Firms

Local CTV growing 29% YoY. Zip codes for precision, DMA for reach. Layer behavioral signals on geography. Auto loan holders in 50 zips beats everyone.

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

Local CTV Growth
29% Local CTV year-over-year growth Source: Marketron 2025
$2.8B Projected local CTV/OTT spend Source: BIA Advisory
#1 Fastest-growing local digital tactic Source: Industry data

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

LayerExample
Geography50 zip codes in your market
+ BehaviorAuto loan holders
+ BehaviorMotorcycle owners
+ BehaviorWorkers’ comp researchers
= AudienceLocal 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