There’s a generation of people that are simply a Video Generation. This is who your Law Firm is marketing to. They want to view, on video—everything. They grew up in a television era or they can’t remember a time when you didn’t just go online for everything you wanted to know.
From how to install the water line on their refrigerator to which law firm to retain for their representation in litigation over their personal injury. (I cite, for example, the extensive audience of YouTube vs. reading a book or a manual… YouTube is in their pocket, the book may not be.)
Structuring an advertising strategy for your personal injury law firm built around a video strategy was once almost cost prohibitive. It meant lights, cameras, scripts and directors. Now, there’s a high-definition video camera in your pocket, now. Your Law Firm should never miss a video opportunity to promote itself and its attorneys.
This charge needs to come from the top, and be a non-negotiable with every lawyer, every support person, every clerical person… EVERYONE on the payroll at your firm. It’s that important to the marketing and advertising program for your law firm.
Are you donating to a cause? Get some casual, candid cell phone video the event. Get names and post the event both to social media and onto your Law Firm’s website. These snapshot videos are great “qualifiers” —they show your Video Generation audience of possible client prospects that you’re here, you care, you give back… while showing them the tone and tenor of who YOU, the local attorney are. What you look like, sound like, act like… to the desired end: that you are approachable as a law firm and as an attorney they should not have any reserve reason in calling your law firm as an advocate for their situation.
Still not convinced? Ask yourself—how many people make up their minds about which political candidate they will support while they’re watching them in a debate venue? Then ask how many people make their decisions after they read their positions on an issue in the newspaper? Video evokes a right-brained response…powerful and emotive. Print? More of a left-brained response… analytical reasoning. I submit (sounds like political debate language, my apologies…) that someone that’s injured in a car wreck, or is dealing with a nursing home abuse issue wants to feel good about the attorney and the law firm they call. They’re won’t likely be analyzing your firm’s capabilities on a spreadsheet.
Videos generate good leads for the law firm. They display your competency as a personal injury, bankruptcy or social security disability attorney. The prospect gets more settled in their “right brain” — the side of the brain that actually makes the prospect feel good about you, pick up the phone and call you. Video advertising, used in a public relations vein generates law firm prospect client leads. And usually when our advertising agency tracks those leads, they prove to generate more high-value law firm clients.
Videos have that all important viral impact that you want as a law firm advertiser. Your video advertising can benefit from an exponentially powerful, expansive impact with videos. Example? Shoot a satisfied client testimonial:
- People — your prospects can identify demographically with the person in the testimonial… they build an affinity for the person who has gone through the struggles of a big truck wreck, or a bankruptcy. Right-brained stuff that bridges the gap between the message and the telephone call to the law firm.
- Your law firm will harvest the benefit of your client on the video’s social network. And they’ve got one… don’t underestimate the impact of this! All those likes, all that precious content gets spread, and spread fast, far and wide.
- The social and public relations benefits that your law firm will gain doesn’t stop when the video stops.
- Unlike television when the advertising media placements for your law firm stops—you know it. The phones slow down, your lawyers start working on their golf handicap. There’s going to be a very measurable lag in telephone calls, web chats, and web forms filled out.
- The social impact of the video continues. The PR benefits for your Law Firm continues. The web content builds and builds… your search engine rankings keep on improving. All long-lasting, great cumulative impact for the firm.
- Video keeps building marketing momentum for your firm, continuously building registry with your clients, and with search engines.
So, how much video should you deploy with your firm’s advertising? You can hardly overdo it. Again, we’re talking to the “Video Generation.” If you’re properly categorizing the videos on your website or YouTube channel to let the viewer make/find selections that they’re truly interested in. You should shoot video for your bankruptcy attorneys, shoot video of bankruptcy area client testimonials for your firm and label/categorize them as such on your website and YouTube Channels. Your “Video Generation” client prospect may then search and select germane video content of interest for your attorneys and capabilities within Personal Injury, Social Security Disability, Criminal, Product Liability or other practice areas.
You really need to displace those boring “mug shots” of the attorneys in your obligatory “about us” section of your website with short video biographies. Again, these don’t have to be really high production value videos. Just get a tripod, get a cell phone or an iPad and capture the videos. You don’t REALLY think that your personal injury, car wreck, big truck wreck firm prospect is going to want to know where you went to undergraduate school do you? Video opens an inner sanctum door for the prospect — the “Video Generation” prospect is able to look and listen to the attorney they want to call. They get a right-brained look and feel for the person (notice I didn’t say Attorney… they’re looking for a person) that they’re mustering the courage — at that moment — to pick up the phone and call. Video can get them comfortable with calling you. It can bridge the gap.
Again, all this needs to be tested and measured by you. You should set up a fixed procedure to interview, in the form of a few short questions, every new phone call and every new client. ASK about video? You need this intel and you need it in a manageable database from which you can refine and make marketing decisions for your law firm. Make this video process measure-out for you — then you can manage the process.
At our advertising agency, this is what we do. Yes, we’re great at advertising, marketing and public relations for law firms… but it’s based upon database-driven analytics of the advertising we deploy. We love the depth of the marketing insight we get for our law firm clients on every marketing tool and every advertising tool we deploy. We know video works, because we’ve tested it. We’ve compared the numbers by seining them through our software. We’ve seen it in the database process and have built hyper effective marketing plans and efficient marketing budgets for our law firm advertisers by it. Yes. Information IS Power.
Your law firm should commit to this process. You need marketing information and analytics on your advertising. You should roll up your sleeves—go on a “diet” —and calendar/schedule to get this measurement process in place for your firm’s advertising. It’s a big commitment. And if this need is believable for you, but daunting in consideration of the time constraints for your calendar, and/or you’re tired of going to “yet another lawyer marketing conference full of great how-to tips” that you just can’t seem to get organized, we can help. This is what we do. We speak law firm advertising. Not just building and maintaining websites… full service, multi-media advertising. Our product is effective because it’s targeted through our database process — and is probably the most efficient way for you to spend your time. Managing your firm’s case load.
Like you guys say… “the call is free, call me.” We can get you going with the most efficient, productive law firm advertising capability available for your firm.