June 22, 2021

Creating Your First Law Firm Brand Video

Video is one of the best tools your law firm can use to engage your audience. They’re an effective way to communicate your values and the advantages of working with your business. Not only that, videos can improve click-through rates, lead conversions, and ultimately lead to more clients.

However, you can’t make just any brand video and expect it to perform well. It’s vital to invest in the video’s quality and spend time promoting it. It can seem overwhelming at first, but with guidance in this article, you can get started on your first brand video.

Why Videos Are Important to Your Brand

Next to Google, the second most popular website on the internet is YouTube. People love videos, and it is a part of their daily life. Plus, the brain processes video information much faster than reading text.

From a business perspective, the numbers also add up. Here are some key statistics for videos:

• 90% of all consumers watch a video to help them decide on a product or service.
• A business that uses videos gets four times more inquiries than without them.
• More than half of those who watch videos are more likely to visit a website and inquire about their services.

Search engines also prioritize video content, and it will likely improve your website’s ranking. On that same note, YouTube is also a search engine as it uses Google’s algorithms. Many businesses are allocating more money to video marketing because it generates more traffic to their site. Take a look at your competitors. Are they creating videos? Whatever the case may be, you’ll need to start creating a brand now to capture the attention of your potential clients.

What Is a Brand Video?

The focus of your law firm’s brand video should center around what you can offer to potential clients. You don’t have to solely focus on your firm’s practice areas and services. Instead, introduce yourself and establish what you’re all about to an audience that may not have seen you before. Keep in mind that when it comes to brand videos, first impressions count.

Make it a goal to release the best quality video to show that you are professional, detail-oriented, and know what you are doing. Invest in recording equipment and video software to achieve this or hire a professional company to help you. If you release a low-quality video, your audience will have a poor perception of you and you may regret not making the initial investment.

When it comes to the tone and presentation of your video, creativity is key. You can approach your brand video from many angles, depending on how you want to show your law firm. Here are some examples:

• Explain what your law firm does, how you help people, and what makes you different
• Talk about your brand’s history and how you evolved to what you are today
• Create a lighthearted video that highlights your company’s best qualities
• Showcase your law firm attorneys and share something personal about each one

There are many possibilities, but all of them must anchor on your branding. At this point, you should already have a brand set. Your logo, tagline, name, colors should be consistent through all your channels and your video. You can confuse your audience if you present a video vastly different from your current branding.

Anchoring Your Videos To Your Brand

Here are the three things you should always keep in mind when it comes to brand videos:

It’s Not One and Done

You may think that creating a single brand video is all you need to get results. However, building a brand is all about engaging and keeping yourself visible to your viewers. For that, you may need to release more videos over time to reinforce the positive opinion your first video created. Social media is a very effective platform for this task due to the built-in features that allow you to engage and put yourself in front of your audience. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are great places to start sharing your videos.

Cater To Your Target Audience

As a law firm, you have a specialization, and you know the type of people you often work with. Your videos should target your ideal audience to give your video direction and increase your chances of landing those clients. If you create a video that caters to everyone, you may get inquiries from those you cannot help as they don’t match your services.

For example, if you’re a personal injury lawyer, create a video that caters to the needs of construction workers as they are susceptible to accidents. If you specialize in family law, make a brand video that speaks to parents considering divorce.

Match Your Brand’s Voice and Unique Identity

As stated earlier, your video must remain consistent with how you present yourself on all other channels. Having that consistency helps you engage and connect with people while bringing professionalism to your work. If you haven’t figured out your brand and identity, take some time to ensure your branding connects. Some examples of brand voice include:

• Smart
• Informal
• Fun
• Expert
• Welcoming
• Empathetic

Creating a Brand Video

Execution is everything when it comes to videos. You’ll spend a lot more time than you think in the preparation stage to make sure you create a high-quality video that delivers the best your law firm has to offer. Here are the general steps you’ll take from creation to distribution:

Profile Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience will help you better present your brand to them. One of the best things your firm and marketing team can do is create a profile listing all relevant information about your audience. Here are some questions you need to answer:

• Where do they live?
• What are their jobs?
• How old are they?
• What are their values?
• How much do they earn?

From there, it will be easier to create a video that your audience will like. When it comes to video, the most effective way to connect to your audience is by having them in mind throughout the production.

Write the Script

The script is where you’ll map out the exact words in your brand video. It’s also where you can exercise the most creativity. Strike a balance between professionalism and relatability. Potential clients already understand that law firms are typically very serious, but they want to learn about your personality and values.

You can also go in a different direction altogether and use comedy. Applying humor has proven effective as these types of videos can go viral, and people remember them better. It all depends on what you are practicing and the audience you are targeting.

Shoot and Produce

The key to making good production is to use the best equipment and people possible within your budget. If no one in your firm has experience creating videos, you may want to hire professional help. Here are some key elements you should focus on to ensure the quality of the video:

• Lighting: Make sure that you are shooting in areas with enough lighting. Production studios use lights to provide clarity, contrast, and mood in their shots.
• Sound: A microphone is a non-negotiable investment to help you capture crisp sound without any background noise. Even with the best video, poor audio quality can ruin your content.
• Camera: You don’t need a professional-level camera as some smartphone cameras can record in high resolution. Make sure the camera is stable by using a tripod to avoid a shaky, unprofessional feel.
• Teleprompter: If you have trouble memorizing or improvising, consider using a teleprompter to guide you through the script. It can be tricky at first, but using a teleprompter is a reliable way to be efficient with your words.

• Editing: Shorten the video for brevity and improve imagery through editing. It will reduce many of the rough patches and make the video flow better.

Distribution

From there, distributing the video will be the next step to consider. Using your website and various popular social channels, like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, are key to connecting to a vast audience. You can also apply your videos to email marketing campaigns or landing pages.

Tell A Story

A brand video presents your firm, your values, and what you can do for your clients. Don’t be afraid to intrigue your viewers and provide them with interesting or entertaining content. Even as you exercise creativity, remain rooted in your brand identity, and people will know it’s you. Videos are what people want, so use it to your advantage to connect with potential clients.