Video is becoming increasingly important for law firm web marketing. YouTube website and video can help law firms with website permanence, improve professionalism, optimize your law firm’s SEO, and leverage social media marketing to get your message across to both your clients and clients. current and potential customers. Let’s consider some statistics from YouTube. YouTube, owned by Google since 2006, has some truly amazing metrics. For example, at the time of this writing, the YouTube website claims that it attracts more than 800 billion unique user visits each month and more than 3 billion hours of video are watched each month. Every minute 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube, and in 2011 YouTube had over 1 billion views or about 140 views for every person on Earth. Clearly, web video is attracting and retaining a huge following.

How can you optimize your law firm’s marketing content for YouTube? Strength is represented in numbers and variety. Once you have created a page (or space) on your law firm website, you should also create a YouTube channel. Optimize your channel for your target prospects and make sure your description and tags incorporate the long-tail keywords related to your target audience. Leverage your law firm logo and branding to make your YouTube channel look professional and current. Then fill both your channel and your law firm’s website with engaging content across multiple video mediums. For example, you can use PowerPoint Vlogs, recordings of talking heads (using videos from your own laptop), recorded Skype videos, professionally shot and edited videos, and recorded webinars. There are pros and cons with each of these videos related to web marketing for your law firm.

• PowerPoint vlogging:These are quick and easy to create and publish. You’ll get better results if your slide deck has been created by a graphic artist. Vlogs are often a more informal type of video and can be used to quickly convey changes in a specific industry.
• Recorded webinars: Webinars can be recorded and posted on your law firm’s website or on YouTube. Shorter is usually better, as patience can wear thin even for an engaging, albeit long, webinar recording. Webinars offer the benefit of looking and sounding “professional,” though quality may vary depending on the vagaries of Internet performance and the recording devices used on the day of the webinar.
• Talking head recordings:The quality varies depending on the recording device used and the professionalism and experience of the speaker. For example, using a built-in HD camera may work well with some laptops. I usually suggest several practice sessions on various devices to compare and contrast the resulting video. Make sure your background looks professional, an office background, if it’s not messy, often looks better. You can also record in an empty courtroom, or on a quiet weekend, in front of a courthouse. This can be done with a computer or other digital recording device.
• Videos recorded by Skype:Skype interviews are often easier on the speaker because they answer “interview” questions and don’t need to be as rehearsed as vlogs or talking head videos. Interviewers can use on-camera or off-camera (split-screen) technologies. Skype does not offer recording capabilities, a third party software solution must be used.
• Videos of professional cameramen:There are two types of these videos, those that feature or include live speakers, and those that use photos or images that convey your value proposition. The former may include a message from the managing partner or other attorneys, the latter may include images of their offices and other law firm-related materials, or images related to their target market.

Once you’ve added videos to your YouTube channel and website, leverage them for your social media marketing campaigns. Post, tweet, pin, like, link, blog and vlog your content. Push your video to your market using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Pinterest, Blogs, etc. Make sure your website links and call to action are prominently noticed both on your channel and in each video. Vary your video and vary your content for optimal effectiveness. Educational videos tend to work best. One of the fastest growing areas of YouTube is related to “How To” videos. Whether you’re discussing how to aggressively defend against lawsuits, mitigate liability, or ensure driver safety, video is a great way to reach your target markets.

Remember, all of your content doesn’t have to be law-specific, as long as it’s professional and engaging and drives quality traffic and interaction with your target market. Please note that its content will vary drastically depending on your practice. For example, attorneys who specialize in family law will have a different approach, look, and feel than those who practice corporate litigation. Your video content should “speak” to your target audience. And when in doubt, you can create your own informal focus group, sending your video links to trusted clients, friends, and colleagues to get their candid feedback. If your law firm has yet to start its video law firm web marketing initiative, there’s no time like the present. If you’ve already started, remember to vary your video, content, and web marketing distribution for optimal results.