Originally published on June 7, 2010 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
It's time to incorporate video into every aspect of your practice. It's a great tool for marketing, communicating, documenting, and training. You can leverage an inexpensive camera like no other single tool in your arsenal. You can buy a camera, microphone, tripod, and lights for less than $500. You'll recoup your costs in a few hours. We use a $150 Kodak Zi8. We've added a lapel microphone from Radio Shack, a tripod from BestBuy, and some bright halogen lights from Home Depot. The high definition picture looks stunning. Below you'll find 12 ways you can put video to work. You'll come up with more once you get started — plus check out fellow SmallLaw columnist Gerry Oginski's law firm video reviews.1. Put Video on Your Web Site
Let prospective clients get to know you. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. Video gives people a real feel for who you are and what you're like. If you've got video and your competition doesn't, you're going to win every time. Provide tutorials on the law throughout your site. Help people understand the issues. Use video rather than a headshot on your bio page, and tell your personal story. If you already have written content on the site, you can recycle it as video.
2. Create a YouTube Channel
YouTube is the second largest search engine, and generates two billion video views per day. YouTube video shows up in the traditional search engines too. Create a channel and post your videos explaining the law and providing practical advice. It works — I had a guy chase me down at a local mall to ask if I was "that lawyer from YouTube." He thanked me for my advice.
3. Send Video Messages via Email
Create video "newsletters" and client updates. Explain the latest developments in your area of the law. Send special messages for special events. Send a video holiday card, adding humor if you've got it in you. How about a video birthday greeting for your most important client?
4. Record Your Next Presentation
We all give speeches from time to time. Have someone record your next lecture and post it on your Web site and your YouTube Channel. You're putting time into preparing for your talk so you may as well maximize the return on that investment. Odds are that you'll have far more viewers on YouTube than you had at the live presentation.
5. Prepare a Guided Tour of Your Office
If you have a nice office show it off. Give prospects a behind-the-scenes tour. Introduce everyone and show their offices. Zoom in on the knick knacks and have your staff tell stories behind the items they have on their desks. Clients love knowing what the office looks like before they visit. It reduces anxiety and builds the client's connection with your firm.
6. Record Your Client's Opinions About Your Work
Create a three-to-five minute video of a happy client explaining the outcome of their case. Let your client tell the story and explain how you were able to help. Post the video on your Web site, YouTube channel, and elsewhere. You can automate the upload of the video to sites other than YouTube with a free service from Tube Mogul. (Just be sure to check the rules on testimonials in your state.)
7. Create a Facebook Page for Your Practice
You can upload your videos to Facebook and receive tremendous exposure. Facebook has half a billion users. It can't hurt for your smiling face to show up on a site with that much traffic.
8. Practice Your Speaking
Use your video rig to practice opening statements and closing arguments. Then sit down and watch the video. Other uses — prepare for your upcoming Rotary club speech or CLE presentation. There's no hiding from the camera. You'll learn more about your public speaking shortcomings from video than from any other source. Even your spouse probably won't be nearly as cruel as your camera.
9. Prepare Your Clients
Sit them down in front of the camera to prepare for depositions, trial testimony or other presentations. Telling clients what they're doing wrong isn't nearly as powerful as showing them. In some jurisdictions you can use your own video camera to record a deposition and play parts of it back at trial.
10. Use Video With Skype
Client meetings over Skype with the camera turned on result in much better communication than audio-only. You can see facial expressions and understand where the other party is coming from. Your video camera or Webcam can easily integrate with Skype for free videoconferencing.
11. Shoot Video for Illustrations and Archives
A camera will come in handy as you meet with clients. When clients show you something, film them. This way you'll have a visual record you can use to explain records or property to others. This footage might even prove useful should you go to trial and need an exhibit.
12. Create Training Videos
Record your office procedures. Some tasks are easier to show than to tell. For example, as the Food Network has proven, a video on making coffee is much more effective than written instructions. The same is true for running a complicated copy job. Create a training video when it makes sense.
Video is powerful — magical even. You've got to use it in your law firm. With a little effort, a little gear, and some creativity, you can put it to work for you in dozens of ways. One final tip — take a vacation after making all these videos, and bring your video camera. We all love sitting down in your living room with some popcorn to watch your vacation videos.
Written by Lee Rosen of Divorce Discourse.
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