Back in 1979, the Buggles fatefully informed the world that, sadly, “Video killed the radio star.”

(Moment of silence)

Fast forward more than 40 years, and it appears video is up to its old tricks.

Since COVID-19 began ruining everything, the popularity of video calls has skyrocketed for everything from interacting with others face-to-face (whether you want to or not – thanks, Zoom). It may not have killed phone calls and in-person chats altogether, but it has certainly done a number on them. 

Long-distance happy hours and tedious conference calls aside, it has also become clear that video is an important channel for interacting with others, including – or especially – potential clients. 

After all, you can’t show up in front of people when they visit your website or landing page, but you can engage them on a very personal level through video.

COVID-19, for all its shortcomings – and we’re definitely no fans –has proven beyond a doubt that markets are living in the Age of Video.

If your law firm isn’t currently investing in a video marketing strategy, now’s the time to start.

The Unmatched Power of Video Marketing 

Though COVID-19 certainly gave video calls a push (Thanks, COVID-19!), they’re nothing new. More than a year ago, video calls were catching up with voice calls in terms of popularity. 

Of course, videos have also been taking over the Internet ever since YouTube made it easy for anyone to watch them or even upload videos of their own.

Today, video isn’t just the most popular medium online. It’s the most popular marketing channel online. While most advertisers have to worry about overexposing their market with ads, 54% of consumers would truly like to see more videos from companies they support.

Imagine your leads actually being pleased to see your ads. It’s possible when you use video to market your law firm.

Furthermore, video is the best method for generating leads from social media. 93% of companies report using video to successfully sell a new customer over social media. 88% of those marketers using video on social media have reported satisfaction with their ROI, too.

Finally, video marketers enjoy an incredible 66% more qualified leads a year than companies that struggle without this valuable medium.

With all that being said, don’t go rushing off to make videos just yet. While it’s never been easier to create videos for your law firm, there are three specific types you should start with to begin seeing results right away.

1. A Video That Introduces Your Law Firm’s Brand

Effective branding is extremely important for law firms, especially those in the most competitive fields. And, these days, every field has become competitive.

Investing in branding means investing in how prospects perceive your law firm. This includes everything from how successful you are as a firm to how much your services might be worth. It’s the first impression you make with most prospects. Therefore, it’s the most important impression you’ll make, too.

So, how do you go about successfully introducing potential clients to your law firm’s unique brands?

Well, you could write them a nice long webpage about it. You could hope it sufficiently demonstrates that your firm is dedicated to their needs, that you’ll stop at nothing to get the desired outcome. You could try adding a picture or two because, let’s face it, even talking about the idea of explaining your law firm’s brand in writing has already become really boring.

Or, you could show your prospects what they can look forward to by hiring your firm. Make that all-important first impression by using the most engaging medium available: video.

What do you think works better to convert a prospect into a client: a video where you make a personal first impression, or the same ol’ “About Us” page with a picture of you smiling? Don’t get us wrong. We’re sure you have a very nice smile, but it probably looks much better in action…like on a video.

Aside from being more visually compelling, videos are also able to convey a lot of important information in just a couple of minutes.

And, more importantly, viewers have an easier time recalling video messages:

“…viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to a mere 10% when reading it in text. Also, 80% of consumers recall a video ad they viewed in the past 30 days.”

You don’t have to be a marketing genius to appreciate that someone being able to accurately recall your law firm’s video is going to increase your list of clients. A prospect might not need your services now, but what about a month or two down the line?

Use Video Marketing to Introduce Your Law Firm to the Local Hispanic Market

We’ve talked before about how important it is for law firms to market to Hispanic clients. No matter where you’re based in the country, chances are that there’s a sizable Hispanic population nearby full of potential clients for your firm.

While PPC ads remain a fantastic way to engage with this market, Hispanics watch more videos than any other demographic. So, if you want to make the most of this potential market, make sure you leverage the power of video to introduce them to your firm. You or one of your colleagues should explain how your organization can help them in Spanish. Doing so on video is a very effective way of making them feel comfortable long before they ever even walk through your door.

Creating a Branding Video for You Law Firm That Potential Clients Actually Want to Watch

Remember, your branding video is still very much an advertisement. So, while it’s fine to talk about your firm and its many accolades, be sure you make a video people actually want to watch.

Otherwise…well, no one will watch it.

Fortunately, creating a compelling branding video comes down to four key concepts:

  • Address your customers’ challenges in your videos.
  • Experiment with audio and visuals when telling your brand story.
  • Make videos so impactful that they elicit the maximum positive emotions from viewers.
  • Add an original or unique brand touch.

An effective law firm marketing video doesn’t just make the firm look good. It also answers the all-important question, “Why should I hire you?”

2. Videos That Advertise Your Law Firm’s Practice Areas

Don’t stop at a branding video for your law firm.

While it’s the best possible way to make an outstanding first impression, you may still have another challenge standing in the way of your firm converting a new prospect:

Most people don’t understand the services lawyers provide.

You probably know this all-too-well and have experienced this lack of knowledge firsthand.

Sure, people know that you would represent them and are tasked with defending their rights – or those of their companies – in various situations, but most people outside of the legal industry don’t know much more.

In all likelihood, it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that one of the things most lawyers struggle with about their jobs is this lack of understanding from prospects and clients.

This is why explainer videos are such powerhouses for attorneys. 

Use Explainer Videos to Help Prospects Better Understand Their Need for Your Services

Whether your field of law is the type that most people aware of or a version that the general public might not remotely know about, explainer videos are key.

Let’s look at both.

If you’re a defense attorney, most people know they’d need your help if they were charged with a crime. Still, having an explainer video is a great way to help them better understand what your services entail. Get that out of the way long before they ever even call you and you’ll have an easier time qualifying your prospects. They’ll know if you’re actually a good fit for them or not. If your goal is to fit more billable hours into your week – and fewer hours offering free consultations – this simple step will make a huge difference to your bottom line.

On the other hand, maybe you specialize in mass torts. The vast majority of people probably don’t understand what that even means, so even if a prospect arrives on your site, they’ll have a lot of questions.

Use an explainer video to walk them through the complexities of these cases, so they understand why they need your help in just a few minutes. 

No matter what kind of law you practice, people want answers ASAP. With an explainer video, someone who is facing a personal injury suit, worried about losing custody of their kids, or dealing with the prospect of foreclosure doesn’t have to waste time reading paragraph after paragraph to get those answers.

Instead, they’ll know instantly that it’s worth picking up the phone and calling your firm.

People Love Explainer Videos

Okay, so explainer videos are a necessity for your firm, but here’s the great thing about them: people really do want to watch them. You don’t need a lengthy introduction to convince your prospects that it’s worth their time – something they may have in short supply – to click the “play” button.

This is why explainer videos have become so commonplace in today marketing landscape:

“96% of people say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.”

Think about your competition for a moment (Boooooo! Hiss! Booooo!). Are they using this extremely popular form of content to create new clients?

Or have they been kind enough to let you enjoy its many benefits uncontested?

Don’t be ungrateful.

Take advantage of their gesture and give people the explainer videos that they want.

Use Explainer Videos to Boost Your Law Firm Website’s Traffic 

And if you’re worried about your site’s search traffic, don’t be. 

Videos are great for SEO. You can still use text on your page to include keywords and help Google understand what it’s about. You can even post the transcript of your video to make this even easier. Using alt tags for your videos is another tried-and-true method for putting valuable keywords on your page.

Publish your videos on YouTube, too. It’s another source of traffic – Google loves giving videos higher rankings – and the no-follow link you’ll receive is still great for your website’s backlink profile. Add a link to your site in the description and it’s easy for qualified prospects to find your site.

Tired of seeing your bounce rate increase month-after-month?

Once again, video marketing to the rescue!

Visitors who aren’t wild about reading thousands of words will be grateful for the opportunity to just watch a video instead. It’s an easy way to keep that hard-earned web traffic and turn the tides on a costly bounce rate.

Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Video Ads for Your Firm’s Services

By now, everyone knows that mobile-friendly content is a must. 

This is one more reason to invest in video marketing for your law firm.

YouTube has reported that more than 70% of its content is consumed on mobile devices.

That makes perfect sense. Most of us spend the majority of our days away from our computers. Plenty of people don’t even own one anymore. 

It’s just far easier to watch a video on a mobile device than to scroll through paragraphs of text.

Making mobile-friendly ads your priority is yet another way you can appeal to a Hispanic audience, too. Back in 2016, 94% of Hispanic people were opting to go online via their mobile devices. There’s no reason to think that percentage has reversed. If you want more Hispanic prospects, meet them on their mobile devices with effective explainer videos.

Social Media + Video Marketing = Greater Exposure for Your Law Firm

One of the best places to put your law firm’s professional-grade explainer videos is right on your services page. Embed it above-the-fold, so it’s impossible for a visitor to miss.

However, as we alluded to earlier, another really great place to share these videos is on social media. 

According to a study done by HubSpot that looked at content data trends: 

“61% of consumers surveyed want to learn something from the videos they see on social media.”

This is an extremely important insight. Many companies think they need videos that only entertain, offer a special deal, or simply advertise their low prices. 

As it turns out, the majority of people actually prefer a video that teaches them something. So, create informative videos about the legal services you provide and share them on social media. Explain how relevant laws work or give your thoughts about recent cases that made headlines. There are plenty of options.

Perhaps you recall that earlier we mentioned how great videos are effective at triggering greater levels of recall (if you don’t, maybe we should’ve used a video). Putting these kinds of educational explainer videos on social media is an effective way to get your firm in front of thousands of people, many of whom will recall it later on when they or someone they know needs your help.

3. Testimonial Videos That Show Prospects What They Can Expect

Both branding and explainer videos will help prospects understand how you can help them. They’ll also help convince them to hire you.

However, nothing – nothing – will sell your firm’s services like testimonials. 

NOTHING!

Why?

Because it’s the best possible way for prospects to find out what they can expect by putting their trust in you. 

Sure, your branding video will give them an idea if you exude confidence and mention your credentials. 

And, yes, explainer videos can show off how knowledgeable you are.

But, ultimately, prospects want proof they’ll be in good hands if they come to you with their problems.

You can reassure them again and again, yet nothing will win their confidence more than a testimonial that speaks to the experience they can expect to have.

That being said, the absolute best testimonials are those done by video. 

In fact, arguably the most important part of any law firm branding video is the testimonial. Everything up until that point may be very promising, but it’s not until you hear from that former client that you believe that promise is real. Without a testimonial, it would still be very easy to question whether or not the firm in a marketing video can really deliver. 

Once a satisfied client begins telling their story, those questions disappear.

Written Testimonials Are Good; Video Testimonials Are Much Better

Do written testimonials have the same effect?

They’re definitely better than nothing, but to put it simply, no.

Look, we’re not saying you would ever fib, maybe write testimonials for yourself, or simply embellish one from an actual client.

We know you would never do that.

Unfortunately, it turns out that a whole lot of other people definitely would.

According to a recent study of local consumers’ habits, fake reviews are extremely common.

How common?

“In 2019, 82% of consumers read a fake review – up from 74% last year.”

And, if you think about it, aren’t you always a little skeptical when you read a review or testimonial that seems just a bit too good to be true?

Given stats like the one we just shared, you don’t need to be a total cynic to wonder who’s actually behind some of the rosier reviews you see on businesses’ websites.

Crazy though it may seem, many popular marketers even recommend courting a few negative reviewsjust to make the positive ones look more authentic. They know that the public has become aware of how often positive written reviews can’t be believed.

Use one of your past clients for a video testimonial and this won’t be a problem. 

Furthermore, a testimonial video can easily be well over a minute long. That’s plenty of time for your client to explain just how incredibly helpful you were. They can address some of their apprehensions before contacting you – something any prospect will relate to – and how comfortable you made them feel. Of course, they can also explain the positive result you were able to achieve.

This would take more than a paragraph or two for a written testimonial. Most people – especially people who need to speak to an attorney ASAP – just aren’t going to take the time to read all of that.

Video Testimonials Pack the Secret to Immediate Conversions

Video testimonials are also infused with the ultimate ingredient for turning prospects into clients. It’s rarely apparent to the viewer, but it’s something so powerful that no successful marketer dares to be without it:

Emotion.

Yes, it’s possible to communicate some level of emotion through the written word but doing so is much more difficult. 

On the other hand, video testimonials and the power of emotion are nearly inseparable. It’s hard to emphasize this advantage for your law firm enough:

“…videos create emotional connections with viewers. And emotional connections are absolute gold to marketers. This connection is mediated in large part by human neuroscience.

Mirror neurons activate when we see someone experiencing an emotion, causing us to feel the same emotion. When a potential customer sees someone who’s happy about using your product or service, they experience that happiness as well.” 

And, as we touched on earlier, people remember videos easier than text. What could be better for your firm than prospects remembering the video they saw of a grateful client singing your praises?

Every Attorney Should Leverage Video Testimonials 

If you practice business litigation, corporate structuring, intellectual property law, or one of the many other forms where companies tend to be your clients, you might think emotional video testimonials wouldn’t work for your firm. 

Well, good news: you’re wrong!

You don’t have to forego any of the many benefits of video testimonials that we just covered.

In fact, video is such an important medium that when the Content Marketing Institute surveyed B2B marketers in 2018, they found that video was the third most popular option. It came in just a single percentage point behind case studies, with 72% of content marketers citing video as a medium their organization depends on.

Businesspeople don’t want to spend any more time wading through text than the rest of us. They’re also just as human as you and me, which means they still respond to the neurological triggers elicited by emotions.

So, film testimonials from clients who are so relieved you were able to help their company during an OSHA case. Record a client talk about how happy they were after you helped them with the complexities of patenting their idea. Show the confidence someone has when thinking about how your legal services supported their recent merger.

Whatever the case, if you’re practicing law, there’s no reason not to leverage the power of video testimonials. 

Where to Put Your Law Firm’s Video Testimonials for the Best Results 

There’s no bad place to put your law firm’s video testimonials. You want anyone who needs a lawyer to see proof that you’re the best possible choice.

Putting them on your homepage makes a lot of sense, especially as part of a branding video. 

They could go on your areas-of-service pages, too, though your explainer videos should probably take precedence.

However, the best place to put them is on your landing pages. Given the power of video testimonials to quickly connect with viewers and make them feel influential emotions, they’re perfect for getting the clicks you need.

When EyeView tested the effect of videos on landing pages, they found that simply auto-playing a video once for first-time visitors increased conversions by an incredible 86%!

Imagine seeing that kind of return on your ad spend going forward. One powerful video testimonial on a landing page and you may need to open another office!

It’s Not Too Late to Take Full Advantage of Video for Your Law Firm

No one knows for sure when COVID-19 will finally take the hint and go away.

Hopefully, it’s extremely soon, but even if that’s the case, there’s no reason to think the popularity of video will go with it.

As we pointed out earlier, video communication has been trending up for years. COVID-19 probably increased its rate of acceptance significantly, but that doesn’t explain why video marketing continues to find more and more adherents every year.

So, it’s not too late to leverage the potential of video for your law firm’s marketing strategy. The sooner you have a system in place for engaging leads through video, the sooner you can start using it to generate new clients.

Here’s the best part: we can make it easy for you. 

At Nanato Media, we specialize in helping law firms like yours make the most of every opportunity to market themselves online. Contact us today and explain how our team can make video marketing one of your most profitable channels.