Inbound 2023: Rethinking Marketing Strategies in the Age of AI Generation

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is not just a choice; it’s a necessity. This year, I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the epicenter of marketing innovation at Inbound 2023, presented by Hubspot. I was able to hear from industry leaders like Neil Patel, Nancy Harhut, and Andrew Warden to name just a few. Similar to David Davis’ experience at MozCon, Inbound had a heavy focus on artificial intelligence (AI). While I’ll definitely touch on AI, I want to share my other big takeaways from Inbound 2023 that will most apply to your law firm.

AI is Here to Stay and It Will Impact Your Law Firm

While AI has been around longer than most realize, it really didn’t take the world by storm until last year. Since then new AIs have been popping up left and right and many businesses and CRMs have adopted their own AI that is native to their sites. Now that we live in this world, it would be extremely hard to revert back to a world without AI. This being said, if your law firm isn’t utilizing AI you need to start. One of my favorite quotes from Inbound 2023, and sadly I don’t remember which speaker said this, was “AI won’t replace your job. A human using AI will replace your job.” This couldn’t be more true. When utilized properly AI can help you be more efficient and get through tasks much quicker and that is how it should be used.

Additionally, with AI, the way people search for information is changing. Many people, especially younger generations, are relying heavily on AI to answer their questions rather than searching through different sites. What this means for you is two things. First, you need to utilize AI to understand how it works and how you can get the most out of it. Second, you don’t need to just create content that will rank on search engines like Google and Bing, but you need to create content that AI platforms will be able to pick up. Eventually, AI’s will be able to access information in real time, not just up until 2021. When this happens (which probably will be sooner than later), having content that is optimized for both search engines and AI platforms is going to be extremely important.

B2B and B2C are Dead, But B2H is Very Much Alive

Another common theme I noticed throughout the conference is business-to-business (B2B) marketing is dead. Not really, but the way we have always thought about and approached B2B and business-to-consumer B2C marketing isn’t working any longer. With AI so heavily influencing our world and the way the digital landscape is, the human touch is missing, creating a lust for business-to-human marketing (B2H). Your marketing can’t be completely centered around capturing a lead anymore. It needs to be able to connect with your audience in an authentic way. Whenever you’re working on a new piece of content, whether it is a web page, blog, video, ad campaign, etc. it’s even more essential to add the human touch. Things don’t need to be staged or even done professionally, infact sometimes it is better if it isn’t. I am a firm believer in “people love people.” Add a personal touch to every piece of marketing you create.

Some things you could easily implement in your own firm could be sitting down with an attorney to film a quick reel for social media or creating a blog about firm highlights. People like to connect and doing these things will humanize your firm and make potential new clients feel more comfortable.

Rethinking Omnichannel Marketing for Law Firms

The last takeaway I want to share honestly caught me off guard. For so long a marketing best practice was to create content on every platform, whether that specific platform was truly relevant to you or not. The more exposure the better was always the rule of thumb and many times I felt myself questioning how impactful this method actually was. To my surprise, many speakers, including Neil Patel, argued that omnichannel marketing needs to be rethought and that having a presence on every platform isn’t necessary for every business. Furthermore, advertising on every platform isn’t necessary. Where you should focus instead is on the channel that performs the best for you. Create content optimized for that platform specifically then repurpose it. For law firms, we’d recommend focusing on Meta for both paid and organic content. Then repurpose your content for other channels like TikTok. If you are a small firm with limited bandwidth then focus solely on Meta to start.

Final Thoughts

Inbound 2023 shed valuable insights on the way marketing has changed and will continue to change with the fast-paced digital world we live in. The pervasive influence of AI is undeniable, reminding us to not resist its integration but rather embrace it as a tool for enhanced efficiency. The shift from traditional B2B and B2C marketing to a more empathetic B2H approach underscores the importance of injecting a human touch into our marketing endeavors, fostering deeper connections with our audience. Moreover, the reevaluation of omnichannel marketing emphasizes prioritizing quality over quantity, focusing on platforms like Meta that truly matter for law firms. These insights from Inbound 2023 illuminate our path towards a more effective, human-centric, and efficient future in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing. Let’s embrace change, seize opportunities, and stay at the forefront of our dynamic industry. We do our best to stay up to date with industry trends at Cardinal Concepts so we can keep our clients informed and ahead of their competitors. Contact us today if you’re interested in learning how you can help your law firm succeed for the long haul.