7 Best Practice Video Tips for Lawyers

The Key Steps To Creating An Engaging Video For Your Firm Nat McNeely* Video is arguably the most important marketing tool anyone can use to market their business - lawyers included. But what are the key factors that you need to keep in mind to make your video work effectively? Have a Concept Before you start making a video, it’s important to know what you want the video to be. Don’t just jump straight into it without a solid plan. To begin, here are some questions to ask to help you create the ideal video marketing campaign: Who is your audience? Knowing who your audience should be the first thing on your list. Without a target audience, it would be hard to decide on a certain style or tone of the video. Eg. If it’s for kids, you would want it to be fun with a colorful tone. Whereas if you’re going for a more serious tone, more neutral colors will be used. What product or service are you trying to show? If you’re looking to showcase your law firm or service, then that should be the focus of the video. Figure out in the beginning what you want the video to promote and build the concept around that idea. Another thing you can do is list out features or benefits of your company. What message do you want to convey? Lastly, what message do you want to deliver to the audience? Do you want them to know about how to use your products or services? Or do you want to tell them about your company. This can also be a call-to-action or a compelling message that will influence the audience to want to learn more about your product. Do Your Keyword Research When you’ve figured out who your audience is, the next step is to understand what they’re searching for. If you’ve been in content marketing for a minute, you’ll probably know what keyword research is. Keyword research is usually used for written copy or content for websites. However, did you know that you can apply keyword research to design video content? If you go to Youtube and enter in some terms in the search box, you’ll find a drop-down box of suggestions— these are the top related video searches. You can get help with your keyword research by using various tools online. Once you have the right keywords, the next step is to optimize an existing video or create a new video with those keywords. Have Your Script Ready Around 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. That doesn’t mean you should stick to boring copy without a dialogue. No one wants to listen to a monotone monologue. In fact, what you say in your videos is highly important. Around 90% of Youtube videos are watched with sound. Don’t take shortcuts when making a script. Invest in a decent scriptwriter and make sure the video and audio content is right. So, what makes a good script? Here are some tips: List some points of what you want to address when you’re on camera. You don’t want to sound like you’re reading off a teleprompter. Acknowledge the subject of the video early on in the video or else your audience will think you’re dilly-dallying. Be conversational! No one wants to listen to a lifeless android. Keep it simple— Avoid unnecessary jargon and long sentences. Use Tools Whether you’re a master in video marketing or just starting out your first video marketing campaign, it doesn’t hurt to get some help from some tools. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to create a video. In fact, some tools are free. The web is filled with endless resources but we all know no one has the time to scour the World Wide Web for the perfect tools. If you’re looking for the right stock photos, audio, or an easy video editor, check out this list of tools ! Publish on Multiple Platforms Great— now your video is ready and waiting to be released to the world. What’s next? Let the video work for you, but how do you do that? You simply publish them to multiple platforms online. Here are some places to help you get started: Your website (home page, review pages, FAQs, Products/Services) Landing Pages Youtube Facebook Instagram Twitter Use Animation If you’re camera-shy, don’t worry. You can use animation in some videos. This can be done with an animated explainer video accompanied by a voiceover. Explainer videos are highly engaging and is an excellent alternative to explain about how something works. In this case, anything related with the law or legal processes can be a complicated and sensitive issue. An animated explainer video can help a viewer understand and visualize about a legal case, court process, or other events function. Here are some animated videos that you can make: Whiteboard video Standard animation Motion graphics Don’t Forget to Use a Call to Action A call-to-action shouldn’t be the same as a sales pitch. It should help them take the next step which can be learning more about your brand, reaching out to ask questions, or simply visiting your website. Not every viewer knows what to do after watching your video, so putting in a call-to-action can help them a lot. Simply insert a CTA at the end of your video. Author Bio Nat McNeely is Digital Marketing Manager at Breadnbeyond, an award-winning animated explainer video company and can be contacted via Medium.com Of Interest LawFuel - News To Power Lawyers