I made the mistake of answering the phone and actually had a few minutes to spare. As soon as I learned that he was looking to get me into a lawyer directory, I immediately stopped him and asked how would I be able to distinguish myself from any other lawyer on this directory?

His response was typical.

He said that a viewer searching for me would be able to see my credentials, where I went to school, see what I have written, see whether I had been certified by any legal organization, and my accomplishments.

I then asked what would happen if my competitor had similar credentials; how would a viewer be able to distinguish me from my competitor? The answer  disturbed me. His answer was to purchase sponsored listings and use pay per click advertising, claiming that this would be sufficient to set me apart from my colleague down the street.

I again asked what would compel a viewer searching for an attorney handling medical malpractice to choose me, who would be listed on page 7 of his online directory, compared to a competitor of mine who is listed on page 1 at the top of the fold?

He didn’t have much of an answer for that one.

He still pushed on. To make his point, he asked me to do a Google search using my last name and the type of law I practice.  “See, you don’t come up #1, instead you come up way down here.” He then used those results to justify why I needed to be in his directory. I explained to him that this was an inaccurate way of searching for an attorney. Why? (Here is a million-dollar tip that this representative clearly had no clue about).

A person who is online searching for an attorney doesn’t know who you are. They don’t know your name. They don’t know a lawyer who can help solve their  problem. They haven’t gotten a referral from anyone and are now taking matters into their own hands and searching for someone online.  This rep made the deadly mistake of thinking that online viewers search for lawyers by name. He failed to understand how people with legal problems actually search for lawyers. If he truly understood this, he would realize that attorney directories are virtually useless online today.

I pointed out his fallacy by explaining to him that a viewer would be searching for the type of lawyer who handles these cases and the geographic area where they live. I then asked him to do his own Google search for “New York medical malpractice lawyer” and then tell me who comes up #1 in the organic search results. His answer was whispered when he gamely tried to tell me the results of that Google search. The result: My website shows up in the #1 organic slot for those search terms consistently.

Later that evening I received an e-mail from this rep again trying to sell me on the reasons why I should join his lawyer directory. This is exactly what he said:

“If you want to ensure your credentials can be found in an objective forum, where consumers can compare you with other firms and link to your website, then you should be there. If you want to ensure other attorneys and corporate counsel can find you, you should be there, listed on XXXXX. If you want to guarantee results – assuring your information is found, complete with full stats of where and who is viewing you, then you should be there. If you want an easy and inexpensive way to grow your practice, then you should be there, listed.”

Why do I tell you all this? Because the best way to distinguish yourself from the other lawyers who compete with you is not with the lawyer directories.  Rather, it’s with video. A viewer gets to see you, hear you, and begin to trust you before they ever pick up the phone to call you. Video is interactive, it’s entertaining and importantly, it’s different. Being just another listing in a lawyer directory accomplishes none of those things.

Having said all that, if you want to get listed in one of the big lawyer directories, give me a call and I’ll hook you up with this rep, where I am sure he will be happy to take your hard-earned dollars. If instead you want to create video with an experienced attorney who has created hundreds of educational videos, then I encourage you to give me a call and get started today.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Have a great day!

______________________

Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 21 years. He has produced and created over 200 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. If you want to see how Gerry has used video to promote his own practice click here.

Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help lawyers get onto video. To get started with creating video to market your legal services, Gerry offers a simple and cost-effective turn-key video creation system where he does everything for you except appear on camera, click here to learn more.

You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

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