In the highly competitive world of Personal Injury Law, where law firms shell out massive amounts on advertising, the battle for visibility is constantly evolving. Traditional TV advertisements may have been the go-to strategy once, but the advent of online marketing has changed the game entirely. But in this landscape, where every click costs and every second of airtime matters, which avenue offers the best return on investment — TV or online ads?
When we spoke to Gordon McKernan of Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys on Personal Injury Mastermind (PIM), he explained how he was constantly reassessing his marketing campaigns, even when they were successful!
Like many attorneys, Gordon honed in on TV ads but has also worked to round out his advertising platform with online ads. That got us thinking: what do these two channels look like side by side?
In the saturated Personal Injury Lawyer market, competition is extremely tough. Law firms spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars per year on advertising expenses alone. When TV was the main mode of advertising, you needed big bucks to make an impact. Online marketing has changed the game, but PPC for lawyers can burn a hole in your pocket pretty quickly. Considering the amount of money that flows into the personal injury law services market, some might assume that the ad spend is justified. But not all lawyers and law firms can afford to spend this much, and even if they could, the question remains — is it worth it?
We crunched some figures for TV and online ads to see how the two channels compare on a basic level!
The Cost Of Being Competitive — Online Advertising Costs for Lawyers
The average cost per click for keywords related to lawyers on Google Ads is now over $6, ranking among the most expensive search terms on Google and other search engines. This means that for every person who searches for a “personal injury lawyer” or related terms and clicks on your company’s website via the search result, you will pay over $6. If you had 10,000 clicks, this would have cost you over $60,000). Although this figure might initially seem steep, when compared to the expenditures on TV advertising, it pales in comparison.
How Much Do TV Ads Cost?
The annual spending on TV advertising within the US reached approximately $60.6 billion in 2024. The decline in these numbers suggests an array of reasons, with the main one likely being the prohibitive cost associated with advertising on these platforms.
TV advertising campaigns are a lot pricier than any other traditional advertising platforms such as radio, magazines, or yellow pages. The production cost for a 30-second TV ad can range from $5,000 to $50,000. The airtime can run from $100 to more than $5,000 for a prime-time spot. This estimate is only for local TV stations; national TV networks could charge more. According to some estimates, it could go up to as much as $342,000 for 30 seconds of airtime on national TV.
Don't Overlook The Maintenance Cost
Advertising campaigns are generally not a one-time event. They are a series of campaigns to increase brand awareness and turn prospects into paying customers. This is true for both TV and online advertising campaigns.
Changes in the professional fees and services offered, or even something as simple as a change of telephone numbers, can be costly, especially for TV campaigns. This is because of the nature of the advertising materials. Setting the new advertising material can cost up to $63,000 to $8 million, depending on the length and complexity of the ad.
In the case of online advertising, the cost-per-click will be more or less the same all the way through. The rate may change, but this method doesn’t require much maintenance.
For ads that use banners or videos, such as those used on Facebook, YouTube, and other websites, the cost for a 30-second promotional video can still range between $1,500 to $5,000. However, it's important to note that other expenses are associated with maintenance, such as professional fees for voice-overs, graphics design, actors (if any), directors, etc.
TV Commercial Cost Depends on Your Audience
Independent organizations survey rank television networks based on the overall number of viewers. These surveys can also estimate the number of viewers at any given time. For companies that are using TV ads to reach clients, this is their basis for deciding which time of day their advertisement should be aired. Similarly, this is also the basis for TV networks to set the cost to air ads on their networks.
The more people are assumed to be watching, the higher the ad cost. This is, however, a little problematic for advertisers as there is no way for TV advertisements to reach specific demographics. Everything is generally based on assumptions that these groups of people, age and gender, for example, are watching at this hour of the day.
Online Advertising Boosts Your Targeting
Online advertising, on the other hand, offers specific and targeted advertising capabilities. On platforms like Meta Ads (formerly known as Facebook ads), advertisers can set rules as to whom (age, gender, location, profession, etc.) the adverts will be shown.
Good news for Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook’s revenue in 2024 is estimated to reach $170.82 billion USD. On platforms like Meta ads, advertisers can set rules as to whom (age, gender, location, profession, etc.) the adverts will be shown. This goes for most social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
With a good understanding of advertising, you'll find that another advantage of online advertising over traditional TV ads is the tracking and analytics. This feature allows advertisers to evaluate the effectiveness of their advertisement campaigns by looking into conversion rate, the number of visits to their websites via a specific advert link, or the number of views their advertisement reached.
Online Ads Are Outperforming TV
Online advertising outperforms TV in specified reach, tracking and analytics, and cost. However, TV advertising is still one of the most effective methods to raise brand awareness, as it is still best for reaching millions of people at any given time.
Additionally, studies show that almost 9% of U.S. households still lack internet access. In this case, TV advertisements might be the best method to raise brand awareness among this group.
Personal injury lawyers and law firms can use TV and online advertising simultaneously as part of their brand awareness campaigns. For instance, TV advertising on a local station could be best in smaller towns. If the goal is to reach as many people at any given time as possible, TV will certainly do the trick. It's free from the noise and competition online, so it would reach millions who are watching. Still, online advertisements are a surefire win if you want to target discriminately.
The Future of Advertising for Personal Injury Law Firms
As we look forward to the future, there are several trends and shifts to which personal injury law firms should pay close attention. AI and machine learning will continue to advance, offering even more sophisticated automation, predictive analysis, and audience understanding. Additionally, while voice search will necessitate an evolution in keyword strategy, it will also make location-based search and local SEO techniques crucial for brick-and-mortar law firms.
However, perhaps the most defining change will come from the audiences themselves. We’re already seeing the full swing of Gen Zers entering the workforce and becoming potential clients, making it necessary for law firms to grasp and adapt to their preferences. That may involve engaging advertisements on TikTok, no-nonsense transparency about data usage, or socially responsible branding.
To stay ahead, personal injury law firms should adopt a continuous learning strategy—staying up-to-date with the latest digital marketing practices, observing changes in target audiences, and remaining flexible enough to adapt on the fly. Remember, the future doesn't reward those who arrive the latest or fastest, but those who adapt the best.
