Looking Ahead with Google AI
Heading into 2024, people have a huge number of choices for consuming content. Gone are the days of limited TV channels or a handful of newspapers—now, it’s a digital feast where options seem limitless.
This surge in content platforms and mediums has transformed the landscape of consumer engagement. With social media, streaming services, podcasts, newsletters, and more, the avenues for content consumption have expanded exponentially. While this means exciting new opportunities for businesses to connect with their audiences, it also poses unique challenges.
The once linear path to signing a case has become much more complex in the digital realm. The traditional journey—where potential clients predictably progress from discovering their legal service options to making a decision on who to hire—has become much more unpredictable and often involves multiple branching paths.
In this blog post, we’ll dissect this shift in consumer behavior and explore the implications for law firms who advertise on the web. We’ll delve into the complexities arising from the vast number of choices available to consumers and how this change has disrupted the conventional marketing trajectory.
Today’s Consumers Are Smarter and More Unpredictable
Today, consumers have transformed into savvy explorers, charting their course through a diverse landscape of touchpoints before even considering filling out a lead form. They’re no longer passive recipients of marketing messages; instead, they’re proactive seekers who conduct extensive research and engage with brands across multiple platforms.
It’s no longer a one-stop-shop scenario. Recent studies reveal that consumers engage with over five unique touchpoints on average before they even contemplate submitting a lead form. For example, the average journey may start with a web search, transition to watching a video and reading YouTube comments, switch to Google Reviews, and finally head back to a website to interact with a form.
Firms Must Be Present at Every Touchpoint on Google
It’s no longer enough for firms to focus solely on the bottom of the marketing funnel where conversion-ready leads await. The game has shifted—now, being present across every touchpoint on Google, including the mid and upper funnel—is imperative for sustained success.
People who use Google in 2024 won’t just hop from point A (awareness) to point B (conversion). Instead, they will meander through points C, D, E, and more while exploring, seeking information, and comparing options across mid- and upper-funnel touchpoints.
As search experts, our role has expanded beyond securing top spots for transactional keywords. It’s about being omnipresent throughout the consumer’s journey. From creating initial curiosity to guiding informed consideration and leading to eventual conversion, firms must establish a robust and compelling presence at each funnel stage.
AI Helps Your Firm “Be Everywhere”
The sheer volume of data at our fingertips is staggering. Yet, amidst this data deluge, there’s an undeniable truth—humans alone cannot harness all the information Google obtains. Enter AI—the game-changer that is key to unlocking predictive insights and understanding consumer needs before they even surface.
This predictive power is nothing short of revolutionary for marketers. AI doesn’t just analyze historical data, but it also anticipates future needs. Recognizing subtle cues and patterns in consumer behavior enables us to forecast preferences, trends, and demands before they’re apparent.
AI takes data in real time and makes decisions based on that data. AI for ads is like cruise control—humans are still in the driver’s seat: AI is your engine, and advertisers are the drivers.
How Can Law Firms Harness AI to Maximize Leads?
As digital marketers, our game plan has evolved into a more nuanced and comprehensive approach that’s all about seizing leads across every marketing funnel stage. We’re not solely focusing on those ready-to-commit clients anymore; we’re casting our net wide, reeling in leads at every level.
Here’s how it works:
- First, each lead gets an assigned value based on its conversion potential. This step is crucial because it helps us understand which leads are hot prospects and which might need more nurturing.
- Next, we take this treasure trove of lead data and plug it into Google.
It’s like handing over a detailed map of our leads to Google’s AI. We’re telling it where these leads are in the funnel and how valuable they are to us. This sets the stage for some serious optimization.
- Google’s AI then sifts through this data, hunting for the best signals to fine-tune our campaigns.
It identifies which leads show the most promise and where we should direct our efforts for maximum impact. The more high-quality data it crunches, the smarter it gets. It’s a continuous learning process where it refines its strategies based on the amount and quality of the data it receives.
- Finally, once we’ve armed Google’s AI with this goldmine of information, it’s time to activate our campaigns.
We let the AI take the reins, optimizing our ads and strategies based on the insights gathered. It’s like having another expert at the helm who can help us constantly adjust and refine campaigns to drive better results.
The best part of this approach is that It’s a cycle of improvement. The more Google’s AI operates, the better it becomes. It’s a dynamic process where our campaigns evolve and grow stronger, driven by the insights we receive from all the data we collect.
AI Means New Challenges and New Opportunities
There’s no denying that things are changing rapidly in the search space, especially with AI becoming such an important part of Google’s search strategy moving forward. However, the new challenges it poses for firms looking to grow and maximize leads are surpassed only by the new opportunities it provides them for capturing potential clients’ interest throughout every stage of their search journeys.
