Content has been in the spotlight for Law Firms, for SEO and engagement purposes, for years. But content is so much more than just practice area pages and blog posts. One of the most vital components is video, which has been attracting the lights, as it’s an effective and efficient way to get in front of your prospective clients.
We’ve talked about content strategies in previous articles, and we’ve explained how you shouldn’t limit your Law Firm to just one type of content. The importance of videos is continuously rising. Today, we’ll look into what makes video content indispensable, exploring the steps you need to take to create a successful video marketing strategy.
If you’re following our blog, you already know that we value video marketing for Law Firms. We’ve talked about the value of YouTube Ads and how the Google Video Builder tool can assist you, and we’ve explained the reasons why your Law Firm needs a video strategy. So now it’s time to look into what you need to consider once you’ve made up your mind and you want to invest in Attorney video marketing. These are the steps you need to take and the elements you need to consider for success.
- Similar to what we discussed in other articles, both for PPC and SEO, the first step is to know your audience. How can you achieve that? You need to look into your data, demographics, and local stats to create your buyer performance. Your Law Firm’s buyer persona will let you know the main characteristics of your prospective client, you’ll identify your ideal client, and you’ll learn how to target and attract them. What does this mean for your video strategy? First, put yourself in the client’s shoes. That way, you’ll get an overview of what you’d expect from a Law Firm, and as a consequence, you’ll be able to deliver. Then, find the drive to your services. If, for example, you are an attorney handling car accident cases, the pain point is an injury or severe damage. If you are a chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer, the drive is financial issues and needs. A clear understanding of these will help you deliver the right message to the right audience, using the proper tone to answer the questions while creating the needed emotional bonds. Moving forward, you’ll have to research, identify, and understand the interaction and engagement habits. What platforms do your ideal clients use? How do they search? What’s their preferred device? When are they online? All these will give you a complete overview of your buyer persona and subsequently allow you to create a client profile with maximized conversion chances.
Tip: If you haven’t revised your buyer persona lately, go on, and research it. You might be surprised by the information you’ll gather, and this might change your perspective on digital marketing and growth.
- What’s next now that you know your audience and your ideal client? Setting clear goals. After identifying your buyer persona (and assuming you’ve decided to invest in a video marketing campaign for your Law Firm), the next step is to set clear, achievable goals. If you overlook this step, you might end up investing money in a strategy that might be great for another attorney but doesn’t necessarily fulfill your needs. What’s the main focus? Are you looking for brand awareness? Do you want to educate prospective clients who might not be aware of your services? Encourage leads to proceed with their claims? Re-enable your former clients and stay on top of mind for their own or their family members and relatives? Each of these subcategories requires different steps, and the results can be achieved with different methodologies. Let’s go back to the educational purpose and consider that you are a Law Firm that wants to get into Mass Torts marketing with an eye on Boy Scouts of America (it’s concluded, but we’ll use it as an example). Your demographics might suggest that there are individuals who can potentially be eligible but not aware. Setting such a goal can be the best investment for your law firm, but if you don’t proactively set your goals, you might end up missing out. Similarly, if you are an Immigration lawyer interested in video marketing, you might want to encourage your prospective clients to pursue their claims without fear of consequences.
Tip: As part of your analysis, you can prepare questionnaires and surveys that people can fill out in person or online.
- It’s time for content. You’re all set with the initial steps of your investment in video marketing for your Law Firm, so are you ready to explore what you should look for in your video content? Each audience, each goal, requires a different production approach. The one constant is your brand storytelling; it has to be consistent, reflect your core value, and be appealing to your audience. Moving forward, though, you’ll have to decide on additional elements. Hong long is your video going to be? How’s it going to be featured in it? Will it be an evergreen piece or an up-to-date video? The previous steps, and especially your goals, will help you determine these, together with what comes next, the distribution channels.
Tip: Concentrate on your strategy, and don’t go for “Vanilla.” Your Law Firm will stand out if you create awesome content, not an average video that looks like any other.
- Your video should be almost ready by this point, but there’s one more step you need to consider before proceeding to the final cut (or cuts). How are you going to distribute it? A distribution strategy is essential as it will allow you to get in front of your ideal prospective client; otherwise, nobody will see it. What are the platforms you’re going to use? Will it be YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook Video, Twitter, Instagram? Each video platform has its formats and prerequisites, so you should proceed with the corresponding cuts depending on this strategy. If, for example, you want to show YouTube bumper ads, you should create a 15-second video. Accordingly, if you plan on running an Instagram campaign, you should you the specifications for stories or posts. Another point to consider is the frequency of your posts, and finally, the ways that you can promote it. Here you can use re-sharing from personal accounts, and additionally, you can look into influencer marketing. If your plan and budget allow, you can either look at having a local influencer making a cameo or sharing and promoting your video content.
Tip: Explore all your distribution channels. That could be owned networks (such as subscribers and affiliates), earned networks (such as your organic Social Media), and paid networks (such as YouTube Ads, Facebook Ads, and other Social Media).
- Your video content needs to be optimized for your prospective clients and the Search Engines. Knowing your audience and your buyer persona will help you optimize who watches your videos, who engages with them and ideally clicks and converts. Your titles, descriptions, headlines, themes & colors, and thumbnail are all part of a thriving audience optimization. Hand in hand comes Search Engine Optimization. For a winning video SEO strategy, you’ll need to select the right keywords, add the meta tags, descriptions, and titles that describe your video and your services. Remember that SEO is an ongoing, never ending process, so keep working on it, and results will gradually come your way.
- Track your data. We’ve said it so many times for every single aspect of your digital marketing campaigns. In our article on Call To Action Tracking, we explain the value of understanding your metrics, measuring your success, and attributing clicks and conversions. Based on your goals, identify the most critical data metrics for your Law Firm and track them. That will allow you to see the big picture, understand your missed opportunities, what you can improve, and how you can maximize your ROI. Of course, signed clients is the ultimate goal, but, if for example, your goal is to generate awareness, this shouldn’t be your primary metric.
If you have any questions or want help with your video marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us. We have substantial experience, and we can assist you with high-quality videos for your English and Spanish needs.
Time for our takeaways:
- Video is here to stay, and its importance is on the rise. It allows you to give that human element to your Law Firm’s digital marketing campaigns.
- Know your audience and your buyer persona. That applies to every strategy, video marketing included.
- Set clear goals. Whether it’s brand awareness, phone calls, or re-enabling, understand what you want to achieve.
- Build “Cherry Garcia” content, and not Vanilla. You need to stand out with a unique approach that stays true to your Law Firm’s core values, showing what you represent and how you can help.
- Optimize your videos for your viewers and the Search Engines, use the right platforms, and track the valuable metrics.