An Interview With Kieran Powell
…Learn the difference between branded and direct-response marketing. Branded marketing builds awareness and name recognition, while direct response marketing generates trackable leads, like online ads. Understanding these strategies will help you make better decisions to support your business…
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Cohen.
Nick Cohen is the Chief Operating Officer at Matador Solutions, a hybrid marketing agency and consultancy that specializes in helping small — to mid-size law firms acquire new business online. The firm currently partners with over 150 law firms across the United States.
An expert in new client acquisition, digital marketing, and business strategy, Nick shares insights on topics such as marketing, graduate education, and the legal industry. A graduate of the University of Southern California Nick began his career as a growth marketing manager at a prominent Los Angeles-based eCommerce startup, where they managed an annual advertising budget exceeding $10,000,000 for campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google.
Having developed websites since the age of 10, Nick is a self-taught website developer and SEO expert. Together with a talented executive team, they lead in the highly competitive field of legal marketing. Demonstrating a commitment to professional growth, Nick is currently pursuing a Juris Doctorate at Loyola Law School on a merit-based scholarship and is expected to graduate in 2025.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Yes, definitely. When I was 12 years old, I had actually started helping my mom and dad, who have a personal injury law firm in Washington DC, https://cohenandcohen.net/, get more cases using the internet.
At the time, that look like helping build the website, optimizing the code, and other marketing activities.
A couple years later, people came around and said “Hey, you all are really good at this. Can you help me?” Matador was actually born out of that. Now, we work with over 160 law firms, a bunch of medical practices, and some other ancillary companies. This all happened very organically.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
So, I don’t know if I have one specific interesting story to tell, but one thing I will say that’s really interesting that is going on right now is that users are really starting to use AI-based search engines, so whether that’s ChatGPT, Perplexity, or even just Google AI Overviews, we’re starting to hear from potential clients of law firms and medical practices that they’re finding these firms based on AI search tools.
At a high-level, we match clients with lawyers/doctors that can help them, and the change in the connection pattern is very interesting.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We once sent a batch of outbound emails to potential clients, and every single email had the wrong name — every one. It was humiliating, so we had to send apology emails. The biggest lesson here was that you have to double, triple, and quadruple-check your work. And if you make a mistake, own it.
Marketing is always evolving. Is there a strategy you swore by five years ago that you’ve completely rethought today?
I approach everything through the lens of local, anything geographically specific, whether it’s for lawyers, doctors, plumbers, or roofing companies. These strategies are broadly applicable across industries.
Five years ago, I swore by PPC (pay-per-click) as a solid channel. Today, that perspective has shifted dramatically. For the majority of businesses, PPC isn’t highly profitable anymore. Even when it does work, there’s often another factor at play, like strong organic search presence, a well-established brand, or operating in a less competitive market. The 80–20 rule applies here: for most, PPC just doesn’t deliver the returns it used to.
Can you share a campaign or project that didn’t go as planned? What did you learn from that experience, and how did it shape your approach moving forward?
Happy to share a campaign or project that didn’t go as planned. One example is our use of AI videos, which allow us to scale and create video content extremely easily for our clients. This was one of those initiatives where you try something, and it’s either going to be a big success or completely flop. We started creating these AI videos to help with search, conversion, and operational support, such as resource videos.
The feedback we received was split. A certain subset of lawyers absolutely loved them. They were forward-thinking, saw the scalability and benefits, and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. On the other hand, another group of lawyers hated them. They said they would never use them, didn’t see the value, and even thought they were detrimental. Most of these lawyers dealt with subsets of clients they believed would be scared off by the use of AI in videos.
I think this project really highlights the divided perspective on AI right now. While the results were hit-or-miss, I believe these videos will be much more widely accepted very soon as attitudes toward AI continue to evolve.
Data is everywhere now, but it can be overwhelming. How do you decide which metrics to prioritize when shaping your strategies?
There is definitely such a thing as too much data, and the best way to approach it is by starting with an end goal. For example, if your goal is to gain 10 new clients in a month, you can work backward from there.
Say you’re a law firm aiming for 10 new clients. I usually assume you’ll convert about 10–15% of the people who call you. To hit that goal, you’d need around 100 calls in a month. That breaks down to about 25 calls per week. From there, you can dig deeper: how many website visits, referrals, or contact forms do you need to generate those calls?
The key to not getting lost in the data is, first, to establish your end goal, and second, to identify the KPIs that lead to it. Once you know the KPIs that drive the result, focus on optimizing those. If you optimize for a few leading KPIs, you will hit your end goal.
What’s one unconventional or bold marketing move you’ve made that turned out to be a game-changer for your company?
The biggest game-changer for our company was our decision to be highly selective. Most law firm and medical practice marketing companies will work with anyone who approaches them, but we took a different path. We’re extremely selective about who we partner with and offer exclusivity in specific markets.
By intentionally limiting ourselves, which might seem like it would cap our growth, we’ve built a healthier, stronger company. This approach ensures we’re working with clients who are the right fit for us, just as much as we are for them. The bold move was embracing this level of focus and niching ourselves, and it’s paid off in ways we didn’t initially expect.
Based on your opinion and experience, what are your “Top Five Marketing Strategies” and why?
Here are my top five marketing strategies tailored for local businesses:
- Generate written reviews
Google, Yelp, and other platform reviews are crucial. This isn’t just about attracting new clients; even referrals will almost always look you up. Reviews build trust and credibility, making them the single most impactful thing to grow your business. - Talk to your clients
Ask your clients what they liked, what they didn’t, and why they chose you in a competitive market. Their feedback will provide invaluable insight into your messaging and help shape a unique, authentic brand. - Have a fast, well-designed website
A fast-loading, visually appealing website with a prominent phone number can make all the difference. You don’t need to spend $100,000 on a site, but some thoughtful improvements can significantly impact your business. - Create video testimonials
Video testimonials are powerful tools for conversion. Post them on your website, social media, and anywhere else online. They help turn website visitors into clients by showcasing real, relatable experiences. - Learn the difference between branded and direct-response marketing
Branded marketing builds awareness and name recognition, while direct response marketing generates trackable leads, like online ads. Understanding these strategies will help you make better decisions to support your business.
With so many platforms and trends popping up constantly, how do you strike the right balance between trying new things and sticking with what you know works?
This is a great question because it’s so easy to get caught up in the constant flow of new platforms and trends. Here’s how I approach it: when you find a marketing platform or strategy that works, 10x your effort on it. Put your energy into the strategy that delivers the biggest returns.
At the same time, set aside about 15% of your marketing budget or time to explore new ideas and platforms.
This approach helps you stay current with emerging trends while continuing to capitalize on what’s already driving results. By dedicating that 15%, you leave room to adapt as the landscape changes without losing sight of what’s delivering results now.
Looking ahead, what’s a major shift or trend in marketing that you think CMOs need to prepare for in the next five years?
In the next five years, CMOs must prepare for a significant shift from traditional search engines like Google to AI-driven search platforms. Tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity are rapidly gaining user bases, offering more conversational and personalized search experiences.
This evolution is reshaping how consumers find information, products, and services. To stay ahead, it’s crucial to test these AI platforms, understand how your brand appears in AI-generated responses, and adapt your strategies accordingly. Engaging with AI search tools will help you anticipate changes in consumer behavior and maintain your brand’s visibility in this emerging landscape.
And if you’re working with a vendor, you should be asking them what they’re doing for the same.
Because of the role you play, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement to bring the most good to the most people, it would be about reconnecting with the real world by getting outside and stepping away from technology. In a time where we’re more connected to screens than to nature or each other, this movement would encourage people to look up, unplug, and participate in life beyond their devices.
The focus would be on simple, accessible actions like going for a walk, joining a local sports team, exploring a nearby park, or simply sitting outside and observing the world around you. It’s about rediscovering the joy of human connection, the grounding power of nature, and the mental clarity that comes from stepping away from the digital noise.
This movement would inspire communities to create more opportunities for outdoor activities, social gatherings, and shared experiences that don’t rely on screens. The benefits would be immense, including improved mental and physical health, stronger relationships, and a greater sense of presence and fulfillment.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About The Interviewer: Kieran Powell is the EVP of Channel V Media a New York City Public Relations agency with a global network of agency partners in over 30 countries. Kieran has advised more than 150 companies in the Technology, B2B, Retail and Financial sectors. Prior to taking over business operations at Channel V Media, Kieran held roles at Merrill Lynch, PwC and Ernst & Young. Get in touch with Kieran to discuss how marketing and public relations can be leveraged to achieve concrete business goals.
Marketing Strategies From Top CMOs: Five Marketing Strategies From Nick Cohen Of Matador Solutions was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.