Maybe you have not considered the power of “the internets” or “the Google,” but even lawyers can use viral videos as a marketing tool.
Ten years ago, few people would have thought potential clients would search for attorneys on the internet rather than the phone book. Trying something unique may not always succeed, but it does allow you to reach out in ways that most firms will not consider.A lame video snippet talking about your practice will not drum up attention. But what about a humorous video about how your firm treats clients with the utmost care and respect? Poking fun at all the negative stereotypes about lawyers? Law-talking is serious business, but humorous marketing will help you reach out to a new group of underexposed potential clients.
5 Important Web Video Lessons for Small Business Owners | Mashable
(photo: pt)
Randall Ryder practices consumer rights law in Minnesota and is a publisher of Elder Parent Help. Follow him @randallryder.
Lawyerist is the #1 law practice blog. We write about marketing, practice management, career development, and more.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Randall, I have to disagree with you. Most attorney videos will never go viral. Why? Because most attorneys are stuffy and boring. Most attorneys are afraid to do anything unusual or “out of the box.”
A lawyer’s video that talks about probate and how to avoid it is guaranteed never to go viral. Why not? Because it’s not interesting, and only applies to a person who is in that particular situation. Viral videos take on a life of their own sometimes for no other reason other than they are amusing and entertaining. Lawyers who think their videos will magically run rampant through the Internet are sorely mistaken.
If you break down and analyze popular videos that have views in the millions, they are usually funny, entertaining and make fun of one or more people. I don’t know any lawyers who fit that bill.
It’s a shame I didn’t see this blog post when it was originally written in November 2009, but only saw it as a related post to a current blog post that appeared today. Regardless, my thoughts would’ve been the same.
Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman beg to differ.
@ Gerry – I do agree that a typical lawyer video has no chance to go viral (unless it is so bad it is actually funny). As I mentioned above, I do not think that making a run-of-the-mill video is good marketing.
One of the keys to marketing is doing something different, like the ad Sam linked to above. Just because some lawyers are stuffy and boring does not mean their marketing has to be stuffy and boring.