The Gibson Firm

Project Overview

In this installment of our legal video marketing success stories, we sat down with Workers Compensation Attorney John Gibson to discuss the growth of his law firm, his decision to invest in videos with Crisp, and the results he’s seen after implementing his videos.

Attorney John Gibson serves the entire state of Texas in representing workers compensation cases. The Gibson Firm is committed to developing long-term relationships with their clients even after their settlement has been reached. In fact, The Gibson Firm prides themselves on giving back to the community with every case: for every dollar of punitive damages that a client donates to a charity of their choosing, John Gibson’s firm matches that donation.

We wanted to check in with John to find out more about why he made the decision to pursue video marketing, how his videos support his firm’s unique goals, and what life is like now that his firm is on the first page of Google.

Here’s what John had to say:

Challenge

John was facing a number of challenges in his law firm before launching his Crisp video campaign.

In Texas, workers compensation lawyers are the lowest paid lawyers in the state. We make all our money in volume but we don’t make enough money to compete in advertising with the personal injury firms.

The internet is the great equalizer. I can throw some videos on YouTube and get attention and SEO benefits. [Before I produced videos with Crisp] I found that doing it on my own wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked and my videos didn’t project an air of competence because the videos weren’t produced by someone with a lot of competence.

I depend almost exclusively on internet placement and I had slipped to the third page of Google rankings. My calls were decreasing. I was not getting the statewide attention that I used to get because all I was getting were local word of mouth referrals.

John knew he had to try something new if he wanted to stand out. He knew how important digital advertising was to successful law firms, and felt that video would be a powerful way to set himself apart.

Strategy

John was tired of cheesy, poor quality videos – and so were his potential clients. He decided to work with Crisp to create a series of videos that established his expertise, humanized his firm, and set himself apart from his competitors.

Here’s what John had to say about Crisp videos:

Crisp’s videos were the only ones I saw where the consumer wasn’t just watching a talking head for minutes on end. The videos incorporate action and sound while imparting information. They convey a level of authenticity and competency that you don’t get in a normal “talking head” video.

John Gibson, The Gibson Firm

This level of authenticity was crucial for John, who practices in the lowest paying practice area for attorneys in Texas:

I do it because I believe in what I do. I am passionate about helping people. I hope that translates to effectiveness in all other areas of my practice. People tell me it does. That passion helps make me successful and brings in business that I might not otherwise get.

John could have chosen a number of methods to market his law firm, but chose to pursue video marketing with Crisp because:

Attorneys have to offer an experience to legal consumers and that experience begins before the client ever walks in the door and continues throughout the representation.

The gimmicky firms tend to offer a less personalized experience. If millennials are after authenticity and personalization, then savvy lawyers need to know how to harness the power of advanced technology to make their firms attractive. Attorneys will have to focus more on how to offer that experience-encounter so that people feel “good” when they leave your office and not just that they feel like their questions were answered.

Here’s what happened after John implemented his Crisp campaign.

Crisp’s videos were the only ones I saw where the consumer wasn’t just watching a talking head for minutes on end. The videos incorporate action and sound while imparting information. They convey a level of authenticity and competency that you don’t get in a normal “talking head” video.
John Gibson (Owner, The Gibson Firm)

Impact

Since engaging with Crisp, The Gibson Firm is back to the first page of Google, they’re getting calls statewide again, but they are also getting noticed by some of the firms that spend millions of dollars a year in TV advertising. They are calling and asking if the two firms can work together. John attributes this to the confidence and ability that Crisp videos convey.

Here’s what John has to say:

Before I made the decision to invest in a Crisp Video package, our calls were dwindling and our bottom line was shrinking. I was seeing a day when we were going to start going into the red. Now, thanks to Crisp, we have a steady inflow of new clients and we are getting better cases leading to higher profit margins.

In less than a year after releasing my Crisp video, my firm’s revenue has increased by 33%.

John Gibson, The Gibson Firm

John Gibson

John agreed that his investment in video marketing has improved his firm, saying that his videos have significantly increased his caseload and increased his visibility with fellow attorneys.

We asked John what he thinks the future has in store for legal marketing, and he thinks:

The days of putting a sign on the door and handing out business cards are gone. I think more and more attorneys are going to look at the success of catchy gimmicks like, “Law Hawk, The Hammer, The Gorilla, The Strong Arm” etc. and decide that they need to go that route. The result, I think, will be an oversaturation of gimmicks and create an opportunity for those willing to differentiate themselves through the quality of their marketing.

The Gibson Firm is the perfect example of a small firm that was able to leverage legal video to compete against the larger firms in John’s market. Many solo and small firm attorneys know they’ll never be able to outspend the huge firms in their market, but John’s approach allowed him to invest in a marketing strategy that paid dividends regardless of the size and budget of his competition – John was able to not only generate a 33% revenue increase using Crisp videos but also get his firm back on the first page of Google.

Struggling to compete in the legal PPC competition is an all-too-common occurrence for many attorneys, but fortunately, video has been proven time and time again to have substantial SEO benefits.