Solicitors should do this: make a search on google and look at the top hits for “marketing for solicitors in London” as your search term. What do you see?
Well, what you receive straight away is a list of advertising agencies. Clicking these offers a look into the variations of how companies advertise themselves. You might think google ranks these ad agencies the same for each user. You’d be wrong. Where you are matters as does your normal kind of content. Sometimes caches might change the order of what is shown.
What they have in common: not one of the first page (my results of that search) gave me any videos to introduce themselves or show off their talent. That’s because most are obsessed with marketing using social media such as facebook, linkedin and twitter, and improving SEO, and they’ll all recommend Google Ads as a cheap way to promote your firm.
Then do another search. This time enter your field of expertise. Let’s say you focus on divorce. Search “divorce solicitors London”.
Out of 16 I viewed, the top ranked one had a video. The others didn’t. The video an information video, rather than a strategic advertisement. The other solicitors didn’t have any videos on their opening page, but rather lots of graphics, but not many words. The lack of words costs them ranking on google, though some were so verbose that anyone visiting the website would find it intimidating at a time when the could probably do without reading an encyclopedia.
Video Ads make your Solicitors Stand out
The situation is simplified right now for you. You can either stay where you are, or become a pioneer and try something new that will increase the number of customers you obtain.
The trick is to establish a value proposition. It must be valuable to the potential customer and different to what your competitors offer.
A value proposition is where you stand out from the crowd. Note that term, it’s important. Not being a member of the crowd! That’s where you need to be. The companies that stay as they are will carry on with the same amount of business they have now, or business will decline.
Every wondered why Amazon – originally a gigantic online shop – decided to start selling videos? Why it advertises all the time using high end videos? It doesn’t need to surely? It has plenty of customers? There’s a good reason. Competition is on the rise.
The top brands in every occupation are obsessed with video marketing, with the exception we note of the legal profession.
What’s the plan of action?
By now you’re reading this and thinking, clearly this is a sales pitch, why should I believe this and take action? Well, let’s do the opposite of what everyone else does. Let’s give you a free plan of action. That’s where our FREE GUIDE to Video Marketing comes in handy. That can be your starting point.
What makes you stand out is doing something different. People want your services to solve a problem. However, people are driven by emotion; emotion not a set of facts, or even what the process is, is what attracts them to use a solicitor. A solicitor is no different to a pen.
The pen solves the problem of a need to write; a solicitors solves a range of legal problems. What makes one pen better than another? Presentation, price and publicity appealing directly to the potential customers emotional brain. It solves the problem, whilst being desirable. There’s nothing quite like it – the ‘value position’ – which gives it a unique selling point (USP). You’d think that facts on its technicalities might help. You’d be partly right, maybe for a few people that would be true. The vast majority though buy a special pen because it is a brand name or different. Logic and facts have little to do with it. Like most things we make quick decisions, not lengthy ones. The same applies to a customer searching for a solicitor. They want to know quickly who you are, what you do, are you trustworthy, what makes you the best and similarly emotionally driven things.
Another key selling point is do you have a unique process? One can sell your skills and tell people what to expect in a video; it’s an idea; but it’s not what videos for advertising need to do. Instead they should be about selling the method that you use, that makes you unique. This can turn a lukewarm prospect into a paying customer.
However, how does one obtain new customers? You’ve got some choices. Social media is rarely a good location for a long video. What you need is an image or a short video that grabs the attention. Why? If it’s not attention grabbing no-one will remember it. Adverts here serve two purposes: firstly it might be found on google during a search; that can get you a customer who’s searching! Secondly, it acts as a brand awareness device.
Your website is where you turn your lead to a paying customer. A video here can be a bit longer, and direct the customer to take action. This is where human contact can help a customer get a good feeling about you, your people, and you as real people who can solve their problem.
Finally, you can make corporate videos or brand awareness videos, or information videos. All of these are fascinating to customers. They build confidence, show you that you care on a bigger level. You are not just a phone number or words on a webpage, or a static photo. Video can help your customers understand your story. Understanding your story helps to make them more relevant customers to your needs, as well as theirs. It’s the start of a long term relationship.
If you want to find out how we can help you contact us.