In the latest installment of our Legal Video Success Stories series, we spoke with attorney Bob Rehkemper of Gourley, Rehkemper & Lindholm (GRL Law) to learn more about the firm’s recent growth as a result of their Crisp Video strategy.
Specializing in criminal defense and personal injury law – GRL has seen a 30% increase in case volume and a positive marketing ROI as a result of their recent video push.
For attorneys considering adding video to their marketing mix, here’s what Bob has to say about the firm’s biggest challenges, their recent video strategy, and the sterling results they’ve seen in the few short months after their video implementation.
Can you describe your firm?
We are a criminal defense and personal injury trial law firm. On the criminal side of things, we specialize in drunk driving defense.
Why did you decide to produce a video for your firm? What problem or challenge were you looking to solve?
We wanted to take a marketing approach that was not being used in our state. We’ve done everything else, but we wanted to set ourselves apart from the competition.
There are a number of legal video companies out there, why did you choose to produce your videos with Crisp Video Group?
Quality! We’ve worked with video production companies in the past locally and hated the end product.
We wanted to partner with a group that took as much pride in the end product as we take for our clients. We looked around, but Crisp was an easy call once we made the decision to roll with video.
Where were you at with your business one year ago vs. one year later?
We posted our first video on January 9th of 2017. One year later, we’ve seen an average 30% increase in the number of cases across every partner in the firm.
Note: We’ve updated this case study to include the exact number of cases GRL took on during their video campaign to show the increase in case volume after launching their Crisp campaign. The original case study was published in April of 2017, but these numbers reflect a case volume increase across all of 2017.
How has your video content impacted your firm?
The videos capture and communicate the energy and passion we put into each client’s case. They effectively depict the personality of our firm and our lawyers.
Lawyers, court personnel, and the general public have repeatedly commented that the videos are unlike anything else they have seen lawyers do for advertising. That was the goal!
Now, when people contact our law firm, they’re already sold on us because they’ve seen our videos and they know they want to work with us. They say, “Whenever I saw your videos, I knew you were the firm to go to.”
Our Crisp videos have also had a positive impact on the number of referrals we’ve gotten from other attorneys.
Clients and other attorneys repeatedly reference our videos as what made us stand out against the competition. The most significant benefit of the videos that I have seen though isn’t just in the specific lead generation.
It is the fact that when speaking with prospective clients, they are sold on why they should hire us before we talk with them. The impact has been undeniable.
Can you put a monetary value on the impact your videos have directly or indirectly made on your firm?
I can say this, it is April (2017) and given the increased caseload we are already well into the black on this investment. We’re at 32 more cases than where we were last year doing nothing new for marketing but Crisp.
Since we started doing video,we ceased all other marketing efforts prior to implementing our Crisp videos in January of 2017. The ROI that we are seeing from our video campaign has far surpassed anything we have done in the past. It is not even close.
The only marketing we have done since has been SEO on our website as well as social media campaigns using the videos to retarget potential clients who have visited our website. The numbers really do the talking better than I can articulate.
Note: As of January 2018, GRL saw a 30% increase in case volume since the launch of their Crisp video campaign. They took on 100 additional cases than the year prior.
What concerns or hesitations did you have leading up to this decision? Did you have any doubts about making the right choice?
The financial investment was significant for a smaller firm such as us. We were investing in marketing that was not a direct purchase of actual marketing inventory such as airtime, print, or clicks. For that reason, the question of would we actually get the value for our investment loomed large.
Doing the Pulse Campaign where Crisp handles the video SEO on YouTube helped assure us that we wouldn’t just be left with an end product that we then had to implement ourselves. This year, we only used Crisp, organic social media, and SEO efforts associated with our Crisp videos, and saw a 30% increase in case volume.
Of the various marketing investments you’ve made in your firm, what hasn’t worked?
Geo Targeting and AdWords. They resulted in increased website traffic for sure but did not translate into actual new cases and increased revenue.
What would you rank as the top 3 investments you’ve made in your firm?
1. Drivers Rights Card/Oh Crap App
2. Crisp Video
3. DUI specific website directories back in 2005 and 2006 – they died out fairly quickly, but they really got us started.
What is the best decision you’ve ever made for your firm?
We’ve made a few good ones and plenty of bad ones. I would say as far as marketing goes over the past 4 years, Crisp shows the potential to get us to the next level.
What advice would you give to attorneys struggling to differentiate themselves and grow their legal practice?
Do something that is different than what everyone else is doing and go with a group that takes the same pride that you have in your end-product. If you are like us, you tell clients that you get what you pay for when it comes to legal representation. Well, the same rings true for marketing.
If you consider yourself one of the premier lawyers or law firm in your area you need a group that takes the same pride in their work as you do. You need Crisp!
What would you say to an attorney who believes that professional video marketing is “too expensive” or is doubtful of the impact it would make on their firm?
Are you worth what your clients pay you? You get what you pay for. Go cheap and stay in the pack or do it right and separate yourself.
Pay close attention to the return on your investment and compare it to other marketing endeavors you have jumped into. You won’t be disappointed.
Why did your clients choose you over any other law firm?
Reputation, results, and reviews.
Do you believe the “why” is more important than the “what” when it comes to attorneys growing their business and marketing their firm?
Anyone can advertise “what” they do. For the most part, a lawyer does not have to prove their competency or quality of work to say “practicing in personal injury, criminal law, and family law.” It is the “why” – the passion, the dedication, the results that separate a lawyer from the rest of the pack.
It communicates to the potential client why they should feel comfortable and confident in investing in a lawyer’s services. If any business cannot adequately communicate why they do what they do, they will never separate themselves from the pack.
What are some of the biggest challenges you run into on a day-to-day basis?
Getting the phone to ring consistently and breaking into new areas of practice – specifically personal injury cases. We have great results to show for the cases we have handled but being seen as the “go to” lawyers for those types of cases is a puzzle we have yet to figure out.
What piece of advice do you wish you would have been given when you first started your law firm?
Be thorough and be patient. Quality work will speak louder for you in the long run than anything else.
Check out this email from Bob Rehkemper of Gourley, Rehkemper & Lindholm as he shares his excitement over his success with Crisp:
