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Video marketing for lawyers is all the rage. It’s … sexy. Everyone wants to be a TV star, right? We all want to have our name in lights. And these days, every online marketing consultant is pushing the fact that this is the next big thing.
Truth be known, they’re right – video is the next big thing in online marketing. We’ve all read the stats that YouTube is the second-largest search engine. Google owns YouTube. Google search results show YouTube videos. And chances are excellent that things are going to be more heavily involved in this medium as the years roll by.
Visuals are compelling, entertaining, and for many people easier than text or audio. You can humanize yourself and your practice, show you care, and present your marketing story. Some of my colleagues swear it’s magical, and I don’t disagree.
Video done right is awesome. When it’s done badly, that’s just sad.
But there’s the rub: it needs to be done right in order to be good. And it’s not easy to do it right. It takes money, time, and effort.
There are people who will take care of the time and effort problem. And as to the money part of things … well, that’s all relative.
The final thing that this medium requires is something that nobody can (or should) do for you. You’ve got to be relaxed, smart, funny, and just as ease in front of the camera.
I lied – someone could help you with that. But the process won’t be cheap or easy.
If you hate being in front of the camera and can’t remember what you wanted to say, forget it. Go elsewhere. Stick to blogging or podcasting. Getting in front of a camera is going to do you more harm than good.
Will more people look to video in the coming years? Yes. Because video done right is extremely powerful. But that power can just as easily be turned against you.
So if it isn’t right, it isn’t right. Leave it to the other lawyers in your town, and concentrate your efforts on what you enjoy. That enjoyment will show in the results.
Photo courtesy of “Big Daddy” Nelson.
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Jay – nice article! As you know, we have almost 100 videos on our site. I'm not sure all of them are professional quality, in fact, I know they aren't. I do agree though, they can't look too amateurish or people won't make it past the first five seconds and it could diminish the view of your firm.
However, I have clients come in every week who explain that one of the biggest reasons they have decided to use us is because of the videos we have on our site. The best videos aren't the “intro” videos just telling people about your firm. Instead, the best videos are the video FAQs. When people can get answers to their questions via video they love it. They get a sense of who our law firm is and get information that they want and need in deciding to go the route of bankruptcy.
Again, great article just wanted to add my two cents! If interested, here is our video FAQ page: http://www.duncanlawonline.com/bankruptcy-infor...
Keep up the great work!
I recently read an article on marketing which simply stated that if you can't do multimedia right then don't do it at all. And often multimedia marketing is expensive. So if you're not willing to put the money into it that is needed, don't do it at all.
The logic is that a client will not know what is wrong with your multimedia but they will know that something is not right. And that bad impression is not what you are going for. In addition, there are serious costs to continually updating your videos.
If you do want to go with video, get a good production company and put together a nice general clip just introducing your firm. Then let your blogs have the updates.
Victor Palmeiro
Maryland Bankruptcy Lawyer
http://www.marylandbankruptcyattorneys.org
Marketing your firm with video is the best ROI anywhere. As Victor mentioned in a comment, you must find a video production company that has experience producing attorney video, and not some wedding video guy who in his spare time does attorney video.
Being a seasoned trial lawyer and an experienced video producer, I have the unique ability to understand what viewers look for when searching for an attorney. Your first video will be your worst one. The second video; the second worst. Nobody starts out by being “great” with their first few videos.
I created the Lawyers' Video Studio to help other attorneys get onto video. A good video producer can coax the shy or reluctant attorney out of their shell to create not just good video, but great video that viewers will watch and convert them to callers.
Gerry
The Lawyers' Video Studio
http://lawyersvideostudio.com
The worst part is that it's often the videos done bad that go viral. People pass them on to their friends as examples of what not to do. While this may result in a lot of views, it certainly doesn't result in more clients.
The key to videos is to be relaxed and friendly, to know what you're going to say but not have a script (which will make you sound stilted), and to make sure that it illustrates your brand. Don't speak to the camera; instead, speak directly to your clients. Your viewers should feel like you're talking to them, not at them.
I will say that I did once take my television commercial (produced by the television station) and put it on youtube. I did this because I was tired of paying the ridiculous costs of advertising on tv. I think linked that video to my facebook and twitter account. It is AMAZING how many people I knew that saw that video and commented on it – and all of that exposure for free. The video was a very basic general intro to my firm. I was amazed at it's exposure.
Victor Palmeiro
http://www.marylandbankruptcyattorneys.org
Victor- now just think what would happen if you create an educational video message that helps explain things to an online viewer who is looking for an attorney. It works.
Gerry, you know I respect you and think you're terrific at what you do. But you're also photogenic, relaxed in front of the camera, and a seasoned trial attorney. In other words, you do good video. But if you take someone who's wooden, nervous and can't get his or her act together you've got a train wreck and a legal marketing disaster.
Jay,
I agree with you 100%. There are clearly some attorneys who simply do not belong on video. In that instance I highly recommend finding somebody else in the office who could create video; even if that means using a staff member to do it.
Another alternative for law marketing or legal advertising, thanks for sharing it.
As we all know youtube had been a source of the most talented singers now a days and one of the famous one is Charice Pempengco and Justin Bieber