Traditional SEO is dying. Pay-per-click is getting gamed. And most law firms are losing clients before marketing ever gets the blame.

This week we flip the script. My fractional CEO, Mandi Ellefson of Hands-Off CEO, puts me in the hot seat and interviews me on the biggest shift I've seen in 30 years of marketing law firms.

We get into why keyword-stuffed content and AdWords no longer deliver, how AI search now recommends just three or four names instead of a long list, why authenticity beats polish, and why most firms lose clients at intake instead of marketing. We also cover why niching down beats casting a wide net, and why marketing is an investment, not a cost.

If you're looking for practical growth advice, this is an episode worth witnessing.

Listen now, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Most marketing advice tells you to spend more. Tyson Franklin says the smarter move is to be first. Whoever markets a service or a piece of equipment first owns that space.

Tyson is one of the sharpest marketing minds I know. He is a business coach, best-selling author of It's No Secret There's Money in Podiatry, and host of the Podiatry Legends podcast. Over 30 years, he built, scaled, and sold more than 20 podiatry practices across Australia before moving into coaching and podcasting full time.

If you're looking for practical growth advice, this is an episode worth witnessing.

Listen now, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

He's a podiatric surgeon, an Army veteran, and a private pilot who flies his own airplane across the country, and he's built Sunshein Podiatry one of Ohio's most trusted foot-and-ankle practices without ever chasing the biggest patient numbers.

Dr. Sunshein has stood out for over 30 years: he treats marketing the same way he treats patients: comprehensively, personally, and always looking for the "why."

In this episode, he shares how a refreshed website, patient reviews, video content, and serious investment in treatment technology have kept his practice thriving, and why he actually decided to see fewer patients per day.

If you're looking for practical growth advice for an independent practice, this is an episode worth witnessing.

Listen now, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Bob Clark and his partner Alan Steinhorn of Clark & Steinhorn are finally retiring after almost 46 years, and we sat down to talk about what actually built their practice… and what happens next.

Here's the part every business owner should hear: Bob never paid a dime for ads. No PPC, no SEO, no AdWords. Instead, he built one of the most respected personal injury and malpractice firms in his community the durable way: caring deeply about clients, earning referrals, writing nearly all his own content, and recording 125+ podcast episodes over the last decade. The result is a body of work that keeps bringing the right people to his door.

The result is a genuine Google magnet.

If you're building something you want to last, this one's worth your time.

Listen now, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

He's not an attorney, he's never worked inside a law firm, and yet he walked in and took their close rate from 50% to 84% in 90 days.

I don't know exactly how long I've known Michael Patrick Strauch but every time we talk, he challenges the way I think about sales and growth.

In this episode of Tom's World of Marketing, Michael - co-architect of Your Practice Mastered and leader of "The Closing Room" - and I sit down as he shares how he's helped law firms go from a 50% close rate to 84% in just 90 days, and how he and his team have generated north of $20 million in additional revenue for firms without adding a single new lead.

His message is simple:

You don't always need more leads. You need a better process for the leads you already have.

If you're looking for practical growth advice, this is an episode worth witnessing.

Listen now, and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

I don't know how long I've known Michael, but every time we talk, he challenges the way I think about growth.

In this episode of Tom's World of Marketing, Michael and I sit down as he shares how he's helped a law firm go from a 50% close rate to 84% in just 90 days.

His message is simple:

You don't always need more leads. Sometimes you need a better process.

We talked about sales, leadership, scaling a firm, and why the best business owners learn to stop doing everything themselves.

If you're looking for practical growth advice, this is an episode worth witnessing.

"For 30 years… I was guessing what a case was worth."

That's how Dirk Derrick describes his experience before he had data.

On this episode of The World of Marketing, Tom Foster sits down with Dirk Derrick, founder of Derrick Law Firm - who went from a one room practice to a 35 attorney powerhouse. But the real story? How he flipped the legal system on its head.

After decades of relying on "what insurance companies might pay", Dirk built something radically different:

• Real jury focus groups

• 26,000+ jurors worth of data

• AI-powered case analysis

• Predictable outcomes (instead of guesswork)

The result?

• Average case value up 150%

• Revenue up 800%

• More leverage. More truth. Better outcomes for clients.

"We use truth to flip leverage."

If you're still making decisions based on assumptions…

this one will challenge how you think about value, positioning, and leverage.

Listen to the full episode of The World of Marketing

Featuring Dirk Derrick, Derrick Law Firm

"The information discussed in this podcast is provided to the general public and does not in any manner constitute an attorney‐client relationship between Derrick Law Firm Injury Lawyers and the listener. While the information in this podcast is about legal issues, it is not intended as legal advice or as a substitute for the particularized advice of your own counsel in your state. Anyone seeking specific legal advice or assistance should retain an attorney."

In the latest episode of Tom's World of Marketing, I sat down with Dawn Apuan, founder of Copy Queens, who went from ministry work and nonprofit leadership to becoming a powerhouse copywriter helping businesses generate sales—sometimes within 24 hours.

Her journey started with one powerful moment.

After being told she had to put her daughter in daycare and questioning her future, Dawn made a decision: "I will figure this out." That decision led her into digital marketing… and eventually to mastering the psychology behind persuasive copy.

Insights she shared:

Great marketing triggers five key neurochemicals in the brain:

• Cortisol – grabs attention by identifying the problem

• Dopamine – gives the audience hope and aspiration

• Oxytocin – builds trust and authority

• Serotonin – creates empathy and connection

• Endorphins – delivers relief and the feeling of resolution

When your message follows that sequence, your audience naturally moves toward action. We also talk about:

1. How small copy changes can dramatically increase conversions

2. Why most marketers miss the most important emotional trigger

3. The surprising connection between faith, neuroscience, and storytelling

And one wild example:

A client changed just two elements on a sales page and increased revenue from $45K to $450K.

Listen to the full episode of Tom's World of Marketing to discover how better messaging can transform your marketing results.