Law firms who have implemented video as part of their marketing strategy have doubled their case volume in a single month. They’ve increased their revenue by 58%. They’ve had to hire an answering service to accommodate the increased call volume.
The addition of great video can work wonders for your firm.
But how do you start?
You aren’t a professional actor. Nor do you have a background in videography, sound design, or editing.
So you look into video services, and Google explodes. There are dozens of providers on offer.
How do you know which video service to choose for your law firm?
This guide will break down the most essential elements. We’ll give you all the information you need to make an informed decision.
What to look for in law firm video services:
- A team that understands the bigger picture
- A team with an approach that sets them apart
- A team that specializes in video for the legal industry
- A team with a proven record of success
A Team That Understands the Bigger Picture
Anyone can help you film a video. You could hire a film student from your local university, borrow a camera and some sound equipment, and hit record.
And then what?
You’d have a video, and maybe it would even be good.
But what would you do with it?
A great law firm video is, in essence, a high-quality piece of content. Like a great suit, it does nothing for you if it sits in the closet.
The value comes when you use that great video in the right way.
Choose a video production team that excels not just in the creation of the video itself — the storytelling, production, sound, music, and all the rest -— but also the use of that video to achieve your law firm’s goals.
Great video shouldn’t just be hung up to gather mothballs. It can be used in a number of different ways and on multiple platforms.
These include (but aren’t limited to):
- Running a TV ad in your local area.
- Embedding your video on your homepage or “about us” page.
- Sending your video to your prospective clients to show (rather than tell) them who you are and how you differ from competitors.
- Educating your prospective clients with video covering frequently asked questions they may have.
- Using a shortened video in Facebook and Instagram video ads to drive brand awareness.
- Using video in a YouTube ad (in a six-second bumper or full-length ad), to retarget your website visitors.
A case study that shows this in action:
Berry Law Firm, a veteran’s disability firm in Nebraska, was fighting an uphill battle.
Veterans, by definition, are used to following orders. So when the VA says, “We can’t help you, soldier,” or “You don’t have a case,” they tend to trust the system.
The goal for Berry, therefore, was to educate prospective clients about the eligibility of their case. More often than not, they had one even without knowing it.
The Crisp Video team worked with Berry Law to establish a strategy to use educational videos, alongside a compelling and emotionally-charged brand video, to reach veterans in need.
They tapped the more than 2.41 billion users on Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook advertising platform gives marketers unsurpassed targeting. Crisp used this targeting to identify both Berry Law’s target market and people related to that target market.
You can see the first of their emotionally-charged videos below:
The Results:
Within a single week, the video reached 50,656 people on Instagram and Facebook. It drove 37,000 views, 514 shares, 707 likes and 32 comments.
A further two ads (educational in nature) built out a month-long campaign that reached 230,055 people and generated 171,000 views, 8,030 likes and 2,783 shares.
Even more impactful than the Likes and Shares were the 229 total comments from veterans in need:
(Source)
Since the beginning of their video marketing campaign, Berry Law’s videos have been seen more than a million times and generated more than 200 qualified leads.
Check out the rest of the Case Study here.
A Team With An Approach That Sets Them Apart
Just as anyone can film a video, so too can any video service team tell you they do it differently.
But there’s a reason Crisp’s clients see an average return on investment of 300% and a 2-10X increase in their average case values.
There’s a reason Crisp became one of the nation’s fastest-growing marketing companies and the fastest-growing company in the legal industry.
And it’s not the music.
It’s the story we tell for our clients.
It’s what Crisp calls a “Unique Value Proposition.”
Here’s what Founder & CEO Michael Mogill says in his book “The Game Changing Attorney:”
I realize we couldn’t compete as one option among hundreds. Standard criteria like video quality or years of experience wouldn’t be enough to distinguish us. If we wanted to differentiate, we couldn’t compete on how the videos looked, but rather on the impact those videos made for our clients.
Believe it or not, but we’re not in the video production business. […] Plenty of people shoot videos. Our clients could ask their cousin’s nephew to shoot a video for them, or they could put out an ad on Craigslist.
We distinguish our clients by telling their story, demonstrating their value, and engaging their target audience.
The value of a Crisp video isn’t exclusively in the awareness and client growth, but in the team’s ability to work with you to develop a unique brand identity that will inform all your messaging going forward.
A case study that shows this in action:
Sherrod & Bernard are a personal injury law firm in Douglasville, Georgia.
As one of the most common specialties, standing out in the personal injury legal profession can be difficult.
The firm worked with Crisp to tell their story through video — the story of two young men who met in university and came together ten years later as partners to serve their community.
Their story is one of personal relationships:
“A truck had hit me at the red light. And that’s when I called Kenny [Bernard].
Kenny has become like family to us, because he’s taken care of many family members when they’ve had an issue with accidents. And certainly he’s taken care of my Mom.
They are some good people, from the front desk to the back door.
If anything happens, I can call Kenny and he’ll help me.”
You can see the full video below:
A Team That Specializes in Video for the Legal industry
The legal industry is different from every other business type. So choose a team that knows that industry.
Choosing a video production company that doesn’t specialize is like choosing a generic exterminator when you have a mole problem. Indiscriminately spraying bug repellent isn’t going to do much when the problem is underground.
There are a few ways in which the legal industry differs from every other:
- Firstly, the reputation or stereotype of lawyers and attorneys isn’t inherently a good one. Whether ambulance-chaser or corporate hack, you have to overcome the existing assumptions your target clients may have.
- Secondly, you all appear the same. How can your prospective clients choose you over any other suit-wearing, great-haircut professional? If asked, you’d all say how you “provide aggressive representation and fight hard for your clients.” You’d all talk about the experience you have and how dedicated you are.
- Thirdly, the work you do is utterly incomprehensible to most people: Arbitration vs. mediation? Child support vs. alimony? There’s a reason the overall pass rate for the bar is 31.4%. This stuff is complicated, and educating prospective clients is crucial.
These three elements are why video production is so powerful for the legal industry, but also why you need a team that knows your business and the challenges you face.
Video, done right by a team like Crisp, shows the face and character behind the perceived ambulance chaser. It provides the differentiating tool that enables your firm to stand out from competitors by telling your story and the story of your past clients. It puts in layman’s terms the value of trying a case and positions you as a deliverer of value.
A case study that shows this in action:
Russell Family Law and Litigation, headed by Erin Russel in Wilmington North Carolina, needed a differentiation tool to increase awareness of her firm and grow her client base.
The Crisp team worked with Erin to create a video that focused on two things: the reason she is committed to family law, and the emotionally-impactful stories of her clients — people who Erin had helped get through difficult divorces.
Why she practices:
“I have personal experience with it. Members of my family have been through divorce.
And I think the biggest thing [people] feel when going through divorce is that they feel lonely. They felt like they didn’t have anybody in their corner, backing them up.
And with my clients that’s one of the first things that I make them feel. I make them feel comfortable, and I always try to make them feel that they’re not alone and that I’m here and they have somebody in their corner.”
Erin’s clients describe the woman behind the name:
“It was tough. It’s really difficult to be married forty-some years, and go through all you go through with someone […] And go through so much heartache over the years, and then… get to this point.
So I was told about Erin, and I called her and went to see her. She made me feel, from the very start… she physically hugged me. Her eye contact with me.
Just the way she made me feel, when I first met her… ‘I care about your situation. And I’m going to do something.’
Erin made it easy. She navigated it for me.”
You can see the full video below:
A Team With a Proven History of Success
Hiring any type of service provider is a major decision. So you should never take them at their word.
When it comes to how great they are or what they can do for you, they are (by definition) a biased source of information.
We’re not saying that service providers aren’t trustworthy. Most are. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t corroborate their story.
Instead, speak with previous clients, read testimonials, and check out as many work samples as you can find.
The experience of previous clients is the best source of unbiased information out there — the best way for you to make a truly informed decision when choosing the right video service provider for your law firm.
So choose a video team with a proven history of success. Choose a team with pages and pages of success stories and testimonials from satisfied and successful clients.
To see Crisp’s, check out our success story and testimonial pages.
Here’s one of our favorite Crisp success stories, from the O’Mara Law Group in Orlando, Florida:
“I knew you guys from some of the work you’ve done for friends of mine. And it was amazing to me the difference in quality between the Crisp product and a lot of others that I’m aware of.
Good quality video marketing is not only necessary — it’s what’s going to keep your practice alive.
But more importantly, it’s the only way you’re going to grow.
The quality that Crisp has shown to others, and the quality they’ve shown to me […] I think it’s great. It’s head and shoulders above any other company that I’m aware of, and I’m aware of most all of ’em.”
You can see the full video below:
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what to look for in a video team for your law firm.
The most important thing when choosing a video service is to watch the videos and read the case studies and client testimonials from other firms like yours. Clients will provide you with unbiased testimony you can trust. And the videos speak for themselves.
To speak with an expert in law firm video, connect with a Crisp Legal Marketing Strategist for a one-on-one strategy session today.
