Originally published on June 14, 2011 in our free SmallLaw newsletter. Instead of reading SmallLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.
TechnoScore: 1.5
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
It's all about Me! Family law lawyer Sheryl Moore has created a technically beautiful video. Nice background music, fast pace, good lighting and audio all packaged in just under one minute. She even uses some black and white images as B-roll footage.
The problem?
She continually refers to herself or her firm. Some examples:
"I'm a small law firm."
"I give small law firm service."
"I give big law firm results."
"I practice …."
"I focus mainly …."
"I believe that I'm a zealous …."
"I'm also compassionate."
"I'm very involved in …."
"I sit on the CLE committee …."
"I think it's very important that …."
Tip #1: Nobody Cares About You
I've said this for years. Stop talking about "Me." Really. Nobody besides your family and close friends care about you.
So why would you spend your time and resources telling people you don't know all about you, your philosophy, your approach to practicing law, and how you represent your clients? How does that differentiate you from your colleagues and competitors?
Assume for a moment that a good friend of yours from law school has similar credentials and experience, and that you both compete with each other (on a friendly basis).
If a prospective client were to come into your office and ask how you differ from your good friend whom they are also considering hiring, would this video would provide them with an answer?
The inherent problem with this style of video is that it fails to take into account the typical person searching for a family law lawyer in Florida. It fails to understand what these people seek.
Tip #2: Message Before Method
The most important component of a video is not the production values, although clearly that's important. Instead, it's the content contained within your message. If you have the wrong message, no one will watch your video.
Successful videos have four critical components:
1. People must find your video when searching for the type of law you practice. Understanding how to optimize your video so that people can find it either on Google or YouTube is vital.
2. You must write a compelling title for your video. What is compelling about a title with the name of an attorney and the geographic area and type of law they practice? Not much.
3. Your video must be engaging and interesting. If your video is boring, few will watch it and nobody will watch it till the end.
4. You must have a call to action. What is the purpose of creating a video? To persuade a prospective client to contact you. It's not for recognition, or to win an advertising award, or to promote yourself. It's to get more clients. What action you want the viewer to take next?
Tip #3: People Want Information
People who need a lawyer want to better understand their problem. They want answers. They want to find someone who can help them.
The problem for us as lawyers is that we cannot create an attorney-client relationship with the people who watch our videos. Nor can we dispense legal advice in a video. We do not want a viewer to rely on information in our video since they may apply it incorrectly or may not understand how and when it applies. Alternatively, the content we provide may be outdated by the time someone watches our video.
"If I can't talk about the law and I can't talk about myself, what can I talk about?" That's what every lawyer asks me. You need to change your perspective from "Me, me, me" to "You, you, you." Then you'll better understand what to discuss in your videos.
Till next time, see you on video!
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "Ms. Moore tripped up her most important line — "I give big law firm results" — she actually stuttered over it, but had no problem talking about herself as a "small law firm." Okay, I will be blunt. I found her presentation to be monotone and boring. There is absolutely nothing worse than a boring talking head, except a boring talking head talking about her family law firm. The music was also distasteful and boring. And the video marketed Findlaw more than it did her firm. Sorry, but it's a pass for me."
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "Sheryl Moore's video lacks compelling content, and contains a bunch of platitudes. Nonetheless, it may work for her. Why? Moore's video is extremely well-produced, while Moore herself is articulate, attractive, and well-dressed. Polish and poise matter in marketing — especially in video marketing."
Written by Gerry Oginski of The Lawyers' Video Studio.
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