Creating effective videos for attorney websites
Did you know:
- Video will account for 80% of internet traffic by 2015
- Websites with video capture audiences 5 times longer than those without
- Websites with video are 53 times more likely to have a front-page Google result
- YouTube is the #2 search engine, with 200 million views daily
Online video has rapidly risen to be an important marketing tool for attorneys. Video promotes thought leadership, peer-to-peer referrals, consumer education, brand awareness, and reputation management. For legal websites, it’s a driving factor behind communicating the personality and qualifications of an attorney — customers are more than twice as likely to contact attorneys with video on their profiles than those without.
Below is a summary of our recent presentation at the Orlando Legal Marketing Association. (Interested in educational seminars for your business? We can help! Contact us online or call 407-246-0092 7#.)
For law firm websites looking to boost their online presence, we’ve identified 5 key steps to a strong video strategy:
1. Define your target audience.
Peers, the general public, and policy stakeholders — who you choose to present to determines how you write and film your video. When deciding on your audience, have the following questions in mind:
- What topics appeal to your audience the most?
- How do you need to approach use of legal jargon?
- And most important of all, what action do you want your viewers to take after watching your video?
2. Develop compelling, well-branded content.
Many attorneys are already prolific authors and presenters; there is a wealth of existing information that can be used to create a good legal video. Depending on your audience, it may be necessary to re-work a script and visuals; speak to the needs of your audience, first, and new business will naturally follow (as will improved organic SEO).
Storytelling, tone, imagery, music, location, and video length all work together to communicate both your personal and corporate brand. An hour-long webinar (complete with PowerPoint slides) that appeals to attorneys has a very different format and feel compared to the two minute “question of the week” video blog that’s focused on top consumer concerns.
3. Choose technology that best supports your message.
Video production and editing can influence your customers’ perception of your brand just as strongly as your content. While the cliché of the loud and obnoxious lawyer video has ingrained itself strongly in the public consciousness, the far more common flaws in many legal videos are technical in nature: poor lighting, inadequate audio, busy or unkempt backgrounds, and unreadable, overly-complex charts.
It can be intimidating to think about a professional video shoot, but a good videographer can maximize a day’s (or even half-day’s) shoot with a variety of footage, including multiple speakers and b-roll. A video editor can then use this content to create several web-ready videos that can be rolled out over a period of time.
4. Implement an integrated campaign.
Video doesn’t have to be stand-alone; integrate it into your website, email campaigns, and social networks to drive conversion. Design key landing pages of your website with video in mind – does the video naturally lead to a call to action, such as calling the law firm, or filling out a contact form?
Video also strongly complements email campaigns. Video screenshots in email can result in a 175% increase in click-throughs based on data from Smart Market Movie. In the same report, Constant Contact, one of the leading mailing list applications, reported that screen grabs of video received 5 times more clicks than text links.
5. Set-up analytics.
While Google analytics can tell you a lot about your website visitors, it’s only part of the picture. Be sure to also install video analytics to track audience engagement. It’s important to track statistics such as:
- Which videos are being watched?
- How long videos are being watched?
- What actions are viewers taking after a video is watched?
Now is the Time
This is what good web video does for your practice: acknowledges your expertise, helps your search engine optimization, adds life to your brand and creates interactive conversations.
New technology has elevated online videos, turning them into the most searched of all online elements.
As brand experts, web programmers and the only advertising agency in Orlando with an in-house video department, Appleton Creative works with you to make sure your video represents you, your message and brand in a positive way.
Call Appleton Creative at 407-246-0092 x7# or contact us online.
Tags: online video, attorney website, law firm websites, law websites, legal websites, website design, web design, website