We’ve done more than a dozen video campaigns for law firms, mostly personal injury attorneys. So the commentary below is more relevant to firms who rely on the web to attract or qualify new business.
Here we go.
Creating effective video for law firms:
The goal is simple. Build enough trust. Get them to call… before they start clicking on the other websites that Google has served up to them.
Trust, after all, is everything. Especially for a profession that has a bit of a reputation problem, warranted or not.
So, how do we get viewers to trust someone they’ve never met to handle a major life event they’ve never been through?
CONNECT
Well, we start with the understanding that chances are, the prospect is having a pretty bad week. It might not be the worst of his life, but it’s in the top 10 for sure. Keeping this in mind, what do you think is the first thing he wants to hear? That you are on the Super Lawyers list? Nope. That you’re experienced? That’s important but not yet.
“[Your prospect] wants to feel like you understand his problem.”He wants to feel like you understand his problem. This is a basic human need. We all want to be understood. By showing that you understand, your prospect can begin to see you as a potential solution, instead of some attorney that wants his business.
NOW, THE REST
After you’ve successfully connected on an emotional level with a potential client, it’s now time to move on to other things. This is where you can mention “commitment to win” or hit on your experience, etc. Just keep this in mind, you need to keep an attitude of service. It needs to sound like you do this “out of the kindness of your heart,” even though we all know that’s not true. But it’s this way with a lot of service industries, to be honest. I mean, your barber is a really nice guy, but he’s not going to cut your hair for free.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Testimonials can be powerful when used in video for law firms. But they’re not perfect. This is because many viewers have become desensitized to them. Why? Because we know you’re not going to post a negative video review of your business. They’re not “user generated” like Yelp reviews. How do we solve this problem? By creating Video Case Stories, not Client Testimonials. The story part is key. Remember “CONNECT” from above?
Viewers(potential clients) need to identify with the satisfied client(s) in the video. Achieve this by making sure your satisfied clients lay out what happened, how they felt and how they solved their problem. Notice that I didn’t mention anything about your law firm. That’s because compelling storytelling is never about the company, it’s about the customer and/or the viewer.
They chose your law firm. THEY are the hero, not you, counselor. If your law firm did things right, don’t worry, your name will come up… naturally.