Video – Searching for an attorney… a Customer Perspective Case Study

Searching for an attorney… a Customer Perspective Case Study

Question…. How do your ideal clients find and choose a lawyer when they need one? Perhaps they already know a lawyer, and that person is the first choice that enters their mind. Perhaps they “know a guy, who knows a guy”, the classic referral. Perhaps they know the names of a few local firms because they have been constantly bombarded by traditional “interruption-based media” like radio, TV, Bus Wraps and billboards. While still effective these methods typically convey very little useful information other than the name, phone number, website and perhaps a slogan. Certainly nothing very “useful” to someone who does not know the intricate workings of the legal system and how it might impact their situation.

Your ideal clients are looking for answers, and today no doubt one of if not the first place they look is online, and statistics show that in rapidly increasing numbers they seek those answers in the form of video and supporting content. Lots of reasons for this…. Too many to go into here but suffice it to say what they really are searching for is a lawyer they can relate to. One who can demonstrate competence, confidence and trust, someone that they want to hire… can you really convey that from the side of a bus?

When they search online for answers, they usually start at Google… duh! Whether on a laptop, desktop or mobile device they want near-instant access to information presented in a clear and concise manner. Since 2006 Google has owned YouTube, so it stands to reason that often the search results tend to have YouTube videos on the topic for which they are searching. They click the video link, and a nearby attorney explains to them within 2-4 minutes the basics of what they needed to know, combined with contact information, links to the firm’s website, and options to view even more ”relevant” videos.

If that searcher goes to the firm’s website, he will find more relevant videos on a webpage that was created to provide even more content on that area of practice. The searcher … now a website visitor will also find a blog with regular article postings along with embedded videos explaining the same topic – allowing a choice between watching & listening or reading… The videos themselves also provide on-screen text emphasizing the major points and can be shared with whomever deemed appropriate. The firm’s ideal client is now likely to be confident that this firm and perhaps even an individual attorney is uniquely qualified in their mind to handle his case effectively, and he takes the next step of making contact with the firm.

Question…. What would have happened if this firm did not have these videos in place?

Isn’t it likely the searcher would have clicked on a competitor’s links on Google. Without the SEO effects of quality and relevant YouTube videos and embedded videos on their website, a firm’s chances of standing out and being found are potentially lowered drastically. The results over the course of many years and millions of videos show that Embedded videos increase “dwell time”, which is the time a visitor spends on a website by almost 2 minutes. This is now a major factor in search ranking. In this instance it is very possible that the searcher would not have become familiar with the firm or experienced the lawyer(s) speak to him face-to-face before ever really meeting in person… Instead, quite possibly that searcher is at another firm.

Ok… perhaps this is an oversimplification but the point is this… Right now, there is an opportunity for lawyers and law firms that “get it” to take advantage of the fact that very few lawyers, law firms and even legal marketers “GET IT”. Chances are few if any firms in your practice area and market are doing what is necessary to plan, produce and consistently release new, relevant videos that inform and attract their target clients. These law firms often want to work with a video marketing company that has done this before…

At NRV-Legal, we have produced and published over 4,000 of these videos for attorneys and law firms across the country who do get it. Firms that now understand that regularly releasing New Relevant Video (that’s NRV to us) in a consistent and repeatable way is one of the best ways to gain favor with the search engines and generate calls, clicks, clients and cases. Contact us and discover how your firm can begin creating and regularly releasing high-quality and informative videos for your ideal clients.