There's no question that it pays to market as an attorney. It's likely that many of your peers have invested in a marketing campaign of some kind, and some may have even purchased television advertising. If you are deciding between television or web video for lawyers, you probably are already sold on the many benefits of utilizing video for marketing. It's often difficult to decide between television and web video, and many attorneys often make costly mistakes that lead to ineffective marketing.
Everyone should be on the Web, even if they can afford a minute-long commercial during the Super Bowl. Most big companies, government entities, or large law firms have a YouTube channel - or at least a web video section on their websites. For larger firms or bigger personalities, a combination of web video and television advertising is usually pursued. For the majority of attorneys and smaller firms, a web video marketing campaign is extremely effective and affordable. In fact, many benefits of television advertising can even be had on the Web.
While some firms tend to gravitate toward grandiose and flashy advertising, sometimes the most effective marketing model is lean, effective, and relatively cheap! Here are 3 things to consider when deciding between television or web video:
- Know the Difference: A television commercial is typically an advertisement; it is a quick promotion of the firm. For instance, many law firm television ads simply ask if someone has been injured in a particular manner and instruct the viewer to call a number or hotline.Because the advertisements are so short, it's difficult to personally reach out to viewers. While it's easy to adapt a TV ad to the Web, it's not so easy to do it the other way around. Web video is about content, and a lot of web video marketing is based upon providing expert information or helpful tips.
- Short-Term and Long-Term Outlook: Television ads require payment for each time they are run. Web video, once produced and optimized for the web, works for you 24/7. Hosting your videos on your website and on YouTube provides a continuous platform for you to get your message across. Think about your web videos as creating a “library” or resource for your potential clients.
- Reach Your Target Audience: Depending on the time of day and the channel you choose to broadcast on, you can sometimes successfully reach your target audience with television advertising. However, much of your effort and money will go toward a commercial that falls on deaf ears. Nevertheless, television ads are powerful because they convey the sense that you are successful, and they also almost guarantee a decent audience. Web video works quite differently. For web video, the goal is to produce video that caters to your target audience and then “optimize” this content for the viewers you want it to reach. The ultimate goal is for your website to out-compete other websites in search engines like Google. If done properly, this allows you to reach your target audience in a very precise manner.
For some lawyers, the decision to pursue a web video campaign is obvious. However, occasionally television advertising is warranted for certain individuals or firms. Fortunately, the DC video production experts at Gearshift TV help attorneys produce both web content and television content. If you are struggling with this decision or just have questions about video production or search engine optimization, call Gearshift TV at 1.877.477.STUDIO.