I just noticed that my readership has increased on this blog, even though I have transferred all content over to my new Wordpress blog. That's amazing considering I have not posted anything new here since August.
I want to personally invite you to join me in the Lawyers Video Studio, at my new domain. I've been adding tons of content: New blog posts every other day.
Lots of marketing ideas and tips to help improve your video and different ways to get you onto video. So come join me by clicking here! You can subscribe to my RSS feed, it's simple. Just click on the RSS button in the URL bar on the new site.
Oh yes, I almost forgot-
If you sign up for my email updates, you'll also get tips and info that I do not make public. See you over there!
Gerry
ATTENTION LAWYERS-JOIN ME IN MY NEW LAWYERS' VIDEO STUDIO
Lawyers: 3 Reasons You Should Wait to Create Video
1. Your yellow pages, classified ads, billboards, lawyer directories and TV advertising is bringing you tons and tons of business.
If this is your situation, then you are probably the most savvy lawyer in the Country. I wish you the best of luck. However, if you're like most attorneys, you are looking for cost-effective and ethical ways to market your law practice. I will tell you from personal experience that creating video is the best return on investment in any advertising media anywhere.
The great benefit of creating an educational video is that you create it once, and it can be watched hundreds and thousands of times all for the same exact price. You can't do that with any other form of attorney marketing.
2. You don't know the first thing about making a video and getting it online.
This is a valid concern for many lawyers. That's why you hire a professional who has experience creating attorney video. Let them do it all for you. This way, you don't have to worry about the technical aspect of what camera to use, what lighting to use, how to work the wireless microphone, how to calibrate your white balance and sound, how to get that video footage onto your computer, how to edit the raw footage, how to add transitions, how to add graphics, how to add background music, how to compress your video, how to get it into the right format, and then how to upload it to the video sharing sites and how to optimize the video for the search engines.
3. You think online video is just for teenagers.
That's pre-MTV thinking. Online video is watched by over 100 million viewers a month! Not just YouTube either. Video is key to market yourself. If you don't get started now, when will you start?
My advice, don't wait. Take that first step right now.
About Gerry
Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 20 years. He has produced and created over 170 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help laywers get onto video. To see how he can help get you onto video call him at 516-487-8207 or by email at lawmed10@yahoo.com- he welcomes your call.
Lawyers: Is Your Website Distinguishing You From Your Competitors?
By now, every lawyer has a website.
Every website has photographs.
Every website tells how great you and your firm are.
But how do you really distinguish yourself from all the lawyers who compete with you on a daily basis?
In most jurisdictions, including New York, you are not permitted to badmouth any other attorney. Nor can you compare yourself to another law firm or attorney by name. How then can a prospective consumer make an educated decision about which attorney is right for them if attorneys cannot objectively compare themselves to other similar attorneys?
If you haven't guessed by now, the answer is with "Video."
Video allows you to be yourself. It allows the viewer to see you, hear you, and begin to trust you before they even pick up the phone to call you. So how will that distinguish you from everybody else? Simple. Just be yourself.
In the "old days" a lawyer would distinguish themselves in the yellow pages by offering the following:
"Free parking," "Easy credit card payments," "Free consultation," "No fee if we don't win," "We've recovered millions."
After a while, all yellow pages ads said the same exact thing. From a consumer's standpoint, it would be difficult, if not impossible to distinguish one lawyer from another simply from reading those ads.
Video allows you to explain.
Video allows you to ask questions and to answer them.
Video allows you to educate your potential clients. No other form of media allows you to do this as cost efficiently as video.
Conclusion:
If you truly want to distinguish yourself, get onto video today.
About Gerry
Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 20 years. He has produced and created over 170 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help laywers get onto video. If you'd like help getting onto video, give me a call. I can help you. If you simply need guidance and help with creating your own video, I'm available for consultation on an hourly basis. If you want an all in one turnkey system, I can do that too. What are you waiting for? Take that first step to star in your own video today. It will be the best return on investment you can make. I guarantee it.
To get onto video, call me at 516-487-8207 or by email at lawmed10@yahoo.com- I welcome your call.
Lawyers: 5 Ways to Set Yourself Apart Using Video
1. Ask a question in your title.
If you don’t ask a question, why would a viewer want to watch your video? What makes your title so compelling that either Google thinks your video is relevant to a viewer’s search terms or your viewer finds the video on their own?
Most videos are ignored because the title lacks any reason for a viewer to click and watch. How is your title different?
2. Answer the question in your video.
Before you explain how you can solve a viewer’s problem, give them the answer that made them click on your video in the first place. If you tease them and do not answer their question until the end, you will lose trust and your viewer will never get to the end of your video.
3. Explain why you can help your viewer solve their legal problem.
What does a viewer want from watching a video? They want answers to their problems. Obviously, you’re not giving them an answer addressing their exact problem. However, you are going to tell them in general terms how you can solve their legal issues.
Most lawyers neglect to do this, and fail to explain anything a viewer except to tell them to call them without explaining why.
4. Explain how you have helped another client with a similar problem.
Most people love stories. The story should be short, to the point and address why the story is relevant to the question and answer you describe.
5. Tell your viewer why their problem can be solved.
Your viewer is looking online for an attorney to help solve their problem. If you give them a reason to look elsewhere, they will. Simply telling your viewer to call you just because you’re a lawyer gets you nowhere. Most attorneys say that because their video producers don’t know what a potential client looks for when searching for a lawyer.
CONCLUSION:
If you want to be just like all other lawyers, then just follow the pack and do what other lawyers do in their videos. However, if you want to set yourself apart, follow my instructions and join me in the Lawyers’ Video Studio- you won’t be disappointed.
About Gerry
Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 20 years. He has produced and created over 170 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help laywers get onto video. To see how he can help get you onto video call him at 516-487-8207 or by email at lawmed10@yahoo.com- he welcomes your call.
HOW VIDEO CHANGED MY LIFE
Two years ago when attorneys started to use video to market their services I recognized that most lawyers were using video as if they were TV commercials. Even the better videos were nothing more than “Hey, come to me, because I’m a lawyer.”
I realized that a better way to use video was to educate viewers who were interested in the field of law in which I have specialized for almost 21 years now. Creating video has literally changed my life and the way I practice law.
I am a solo practitioner and have tried all the traditional forms of advertising; yellow pages, TV, newspaper, classifieds, display ads- all leading to wasted dollars. Video has allowed me to create one video that is available to a viewer looking for an attorney 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I pay the same whether that video is watched one time or 25,000 times. That’s an incredible form of marketing. There is no other method of advertising where you can achieve a similar return on investment anywhere.
I used to think up ethical ways to try and distinguish myself from other attorneys who compete with me in New York. However, nothing compares to video. Video is the key to showing how you’re different from everyone else. You get to speak directly to a viewer who is looking for an attorney. You get to capture their attention for a few moments while explaining how you can help them.
Over the last two years I have created over 170 educational and informative videos posted to my website and video sharing sites, to help online viewers understand how lawsuits work in New York. I receive calls every single day from viewers across the country who have watched my videos, thanking me for providing useful information that nobody else provides.
My goal in creating these videos was not to become popular. Rather, my goal was to educate people who had questions about medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury cases here in New York. You see, the other benefit of creating a video is that once you create it, anytime a potential client has a similar question, they can watch that video without any further repetition or additional effort on my part. Create it once, have it watched thousands and thousands of times.
One video I created called “Questions Never to Ask at a Deposition” has been watched almost 30,000 times. That, in my opinion, is amazing.
When I go to legal marketing seminars, other attorneys come up to me saying how much they really like what I’ve done using video. They recognize my face and my voice because they’ve watched my videos. They feel they already know me. Importantly, I didn’t create videos to be recognized at legal seminars, but rather to educate potential clients. Being recognized is a nice side-benefit.
Video is the best tool to market yourself on the internet today. It offers the best ROI and allows a viewer to get to know you before they ever walk in the door.
Creating video is fun for me. I enjoy the video shoot and importantly, the entire post-production process where I take a rough video project and turn it into a concise, clear, pointed message that viewers want to watch to answer their questions.
For more information about how I can help you get onto video, I encourage you to explore the articles here in the Lawyers’ Video Studio. I now offer you the ability to hire me as your consultant and guide you through the video process, or hire me to do it all for you (except appear in your videos) from start to finish. Give me a call at 516-487-8207 or email me at lawmed10@yahoo.com to get you onto video. I guarantee it’ll be the best investment you can make in your marketing today.
5 REASONS WHY MOST LAWYERS DON’T TWITTER EFFECTIVELY
1. THEY THINK IT’S THE SAME AS THE YELLOW PAGES
Fact: Twitter is not the yellow pages.
Fact: Twitter is great for telling your followers something interesting.
Fact: Twitter is not great for telling us what you ate for lunch or that you’re going on a big date tonight.
Fact: A person in need of an attorney is not going to look for, or find you on twitter. Why not? Because that’s not what it’s for. It’s for having a conversation. It’s for talking about useful information. It’s about telling me you found a great article or video that I really should see.
Fact: It’s really not the yellow pages.
2. THEY THINK IT’S THE SAME AS A TV AD
TV ads scream at you. They say “Come to me, because I’m a lawyer and I’m on TV.” Many lawyers mistakenly think that Twitter is the same. It’s not. I cringe every time I see a tweet that says “Jim Jones, accident atty in my state. Call me at...”
I always ask myself “Why?” Why should I call them if I have a legal problem? Just because they put a useless tweet out there? No thanks. I’ll find someone who actually offers useful information.
3. THEY THINK IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM
Yellow pages ads are all about the attorney. “Look at me! Look at what I do. Look at what I’ve done!” TV ads are similar yet they rarely give you much useful information to help you understand why they are a better lawyer for you than the lawyer who just had their commercial only 30 seconds before yours.
Twitter isn’t about you. If you want to use it effectively, make it about your followers and what they want. Not you!
4. THEY THINK THAT IT’S ANOTHER TOOL TO REPEATEDLY DISPLAY THEIR NAME
Why do some lawyers think that by repeatedly posting tweets that say their name, their town and their phone number that someone would actually call them for their legal services? Frequency does not mean you’ll get business. In fact, I don’t know of a single lawyer who uses Twitter that way who has actually gotten a single client doing so.
5. THEY THINK THAT BY HAVING MORE FOLLOWERS IT MEANS MORE BUSINESS
This is such a fallacy. The concept of having more followers does not mean more business. Want to know why? If you have 10,000 followers, do you think they really care about your tweets? No. They just want to see their followers increase each day.
In my experience, if you have a core group of followers who are actually interested in what you have to say and you have actual conversations where you share information, you are much more likely to get a referral from one of those people than if you continually strive to get more followers who don’t know you and frankly don’t care about you.
CONCLUSION:
By learning to share information and actually pay attention to what others are tweeting about, you stand a much better chance of having someone send you a potential client than if you continue to talk and tweet about yourself.
LAWYER VIDEO: 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU DECIDE WHICH VIDEO COMPANY TO USE
1. USE A COMPANY THAT HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD
It goes without saying that you want a company that has experience creating, producing and editing videos for lawyers. I can tell you that there are about five web video companies that, in my opinion, do a great job creating video. However, don’t let the lowest bidder dictate which company to use.
Why not? Because the price includes experience and the knowledge of how to make really good video that will showcase you as an attorney. There are many companies that know how to shoot video, edit it and upload it. The key, in my opinion is who is producing your video. That brings me to Tip #2.
2. USE A COMPANY THAT HAS A LAWYER AS THE VIDEO PRODUCER
Admittedly, I say that because I am an attorney in practice for over 20 years representing injured victims of medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury in New York.
There are a lot of good video producers; some of whom come from the film industry or from television. They produce good quality video. However, I have found that those producers don’t have a true understanding of what an online viewer looks for when searching for an attorney.
As an attorney, you know who your ideal client is. Does your producer? Most producers are not attorneys. You know your content and know what clients typically ask when they come in with a legal problem. Does your producer know how a person with a legal problem searches online for an attorney?
3. USE A COMPANY THAT KNOWS HOW TO CREATE CLEAR, CONCISE, EDITED VIDEO
I was recently asked to evaluate a video that a marketing company made for a attorney. From a technical standpoint, the video was excellent. However, from a content standpoint and from an editing viewpoint, the video was awful. The video lasted 3:30 minutes. It had a lot of fluff and useless information.
You should watch many of the videos that a company has created before deciding whether that video company is right for you. By the way, don’t let your video producer decide what content to put into your video. Why not? Because you know what your potential clients need to hear. Your producer does not.
4. USE A COMPANY THAT DOESN’T SPLASH THEIR NAME ALL OVER YOUR VIDEO
I know of one major company (whose name I will not discuss here) who blasts their name all over each video they make. Their name is embedded within the video and you are stuck with their logo and name wherever you post your video.
Your video company should be in the background. You are the star. Why should they get free publicity from your video?
5. USE A COMPANY THAT TELLS YOU HONESTLY WHAT THEY THINK OF YOUR CONTENT
I know some companies that will “Yes” you to death.
“Does this look good?” “Yes.”
“Do I really want a moving background?” “Trust me, you do.”
“Is my content good?” “Yes.”
Forget what you want to hear. You need an honest critic before your video goes live. It’s easy for a video company to take your video, put it online, and tell you it looks great. Then 6 months later you wonder why your video has gotten only 12 views. You want an honest opinion of your content and your edited footage.
CONCLUSION:
There are some good web video companies out there. You need to know which one is right for you before spending your hard-earned money. Don’t let price alone guide your choice. Look to the producer and see if they really know what viewers look for when searching for an attorney in your geographic area. Obviously, being an attorney with over 20 years of experienced gives me a leg up in that area. The fact that I’ve created over 170 educational and informative videos for my website also helps.
If you need help getting onto video, then I strongly recommend you explore the Lawyers’ Video Studio to learn how video can help you market your legal services. If you just need a bit of guidance to do it yourself, I can help. If you need a turn-key, all-in-one service where all you do is show up for the video shoot and I handle the rest, then I can help as well. Call me at 516-487-8207 or by email at lawmed10@yahoo.com.
Till next time, see you on video!
