The Lawyers' Video Studio » manhattan

8 Reasons Why Attorney Video is Not For You

Gerry Oginski — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:30 +0000

WARNING: This list is not for the thin-skinned or faint-hearted lawyer.

You don’t know why you should create video.
Nobody would want to watch you anyway (except your family).
You’re lazy.
You like the # of calls you’re getting from the yellow pages.
You have no desire to market yourself on the internet.
It’s beneath you to talk about what you do in public.
You don’t look good, and have a radio face.
You don’t sound good and would rather pay ‘talent’ to appear for you.

This list is for those attorneys who fail to take action when presented with the opportunity to dominate their area of law.

Let’s face it; the yellow pages are dying and lawyer directories don’t distinguish you from any other lawyer. TV, radio and display ads are expensive. You created a website to tell the world what you do, hoping that somehow, someone looking for a lawyer online will find your website and despite compelling odds, choose to call you instead of your competitor down the street. You don’t update your website often. You don’t write a blog. Nor do you give your viewer a compelling reason to call you.

At this point, you might as well give up now and continue to complain to friends and colleagues about how bad your law business is in this economy. This mindset reminds me of a character in the book “Our Iceberg is Melting” by John Kotter. The character is a penguin (all the characters are penguins) who is always pessimistic and they call him “No-no.” Why? Because every suggestion, even good ones, are turned away by “No-no.” Nothing is ever good enough to warrant a “Yes” from him.

Why does your yellow pages ad stink? Because it’s just like all the others.

Why doesn’t your offline advertising bring in business? Because as marketing guru Mark Stevens says “Your advertising sucks.”

Nothing’s working for you. Business is way down and you don’t know how video can improve your marketing. To you, video looks like a waste of time and money. For the pessimist it will be. However, if you have a positive outlook and a good mindset, then creating video can dramatically improve your ability to effectively and ethically market your law practice.

Video allows a viewer to hear you; see you and begin to trust you. Now here’s my warning:

If you really look like a schlump, dress poorly and are not confident, then DO NOT create video. If your prospective clients are afraid to meet you because of your looks or inability to converse and interact with them, you might want to consider being an attorney who has limited contact with clients and focus your strengths on the law. Leave the marketing to someone more dynamic in your firm or hire talent to appear on camera for you.

Will you start creating video to market your law practice? Only you can answer that question. If you are eager to get onto video, I can help. Take a look at my turn-key system where I do everything for you. Also, take a look at some of the well-known lawyers who have taken the time to write testimonials. It’s truly eye-opening.

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

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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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Video Marketing for Lawyers: Admit a Fault

Gerry Oginski — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:37 +0000

Yes. You read that correctly. In your next video, explain to your viewer a fault you have that may prevent them from coming to your office to hire you.

“What? Why would I do that?”

When you admit a fault, you show you are human. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best lawyer in your state. If you show a ‘human’ side of you, your viewer will likely have more trust in you than if you constantly tell them how incredible and wonderful you are.

I know some lawyers may disagree with this post, and that’s ok. They probably don’t have any faults.

The fact is that most of us have some faults. If you admit it in your video, I guarantee that it will not diminish your lawyering skills. Instead, viewers will appreciate your honesty.

Think about the last time you were in a restaurant and asked your waiter if the soup or main entree was any good. When they whispered that “It really isn’t very good tonight, but I’d suggest another more appetizing choice.”

Don’t you give that waiter greater credibility for admitting that a dish they were trying to sell you really wasn’t worth your money? When the waiter comes back and now offers you another choice of food, aren’t you much more likely to accept their recommendation, since they’ve already admitted a fault?

What if you go into a car showroom, intent on buying a nice new, expensive, shiny car. The salesman tells you “I wouldn’t buy this car if I were you…(in hushed tones)…new studies just came out showing crash tests for this car were awful. Instead, here’s a car that’s less expensive and has everything you’re looking for…”

I know that statement will create a moment of “What?! Why would the salesman give up a sale on the more expensive car?” Simple. The salesman wants to admit a fault to show he’s sincere and looking out for the best interests of his customer. He may then turn that negative into a positive by showing that it’s still a worthy car with all the other safety features.

How can you use this in your attorney video?

If you’re a newly minted attorney, tell a viewer you’re recently out of school and don’t have 20 years of experience. Yet you know all the latest laws and know how to use all the latest technology that most older dinosaurs haven’t figured out.

If you haven’t won a million dollar verdict, explain how hard you work and the reason you have not achieved that level of success is only because the right case hasn’t come along…yet.

If you’re a small firm or a solo, I would strongly encourage you to tell a viewer that they may not want a solo practitioner. Why not? Because they may want the comfort of luxury furnishings in a large building; they may want to deal with layers of receptionists and secretaries when calling to speak to a lawyer; they may like having to deal with junior associates and junior partners on a daily basis; they may enjoy not talking to the senior trial attorney until they reach trial. And on and on… Get the idea?

The next time you create a video, admit a fault. It’ll increase your credibility and show that you’re human, just like your client.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

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Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help lawyers get onto video. If you’re interested in getting started with creating video to market your legal services, Gerry now offers consultation services. If you want a turn-key system where Gerry does everything for you except appear on camera, click here. You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com.

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Lawyer Video: Why Would Someone Want to Hire You?

Gerry Oginski — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:26 +0000

You’ve been in practice for a number of years. You have some experience under your belt. You’re still learning, but you’re a go-getter. When a potential client comes into your office and asks why they should hire you instead of your competitor down the street who has more experience than you do, what do you say?

If you’re a solo practitioner, you tell them about your personal attention. If you’re in a mid-sized to large firm, you tell them about all the benefits a larger firm can offer; a virtual all-in-one shop for their legal needs.

Ok, so how does this relate to creating attorney video? Simple.

Create a video that explains the benefits of your firm.

WARNING: Do not talk trash about any other firm or any other attorney, especially by name. If you do, you will likely get a complaint to the grievance committee in your state.

Use your video to show other human beings who work in your firm. Give your viewer an “inside” look at the workings behind the people who work with you and for you.

Viewers love to see how things work. They love to learn about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ efforts that go into making something. If that something is generating a legal brief to submit to court, show your viewer what goes into it, using a video. If you handle corporate takeovers, show a viewer what goes into the mechanics of a takeover.

The possibilities are endless.

The next time someone wants to hire you, ask yourself why are they hiring you over your colleague, and then create a video that talks about that exact point.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

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Lawyer Video: Getting Noticed on Yom Kippur

Gerry Oginski — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:00:13 +0000

I’m sitting in synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, when my Rabbi starts talking about the quickest way to get noticed in New York City. He says that walking down the street with a three foot long shofar (an ancient Rams horn used to make a bone-rattling warning sound), will get you noticed. However, he added that people on the street will stop for a moment and then continue on their way, since the novelty of seeing a large Rams horn will not keep their attention very long. He then asked whether he’d get more attention blowing the shofar in Grand Central Station concourse. “Yes, but probably everyone would think he was a freak.”

What does this have to do with creating video for attorneys?

Remember how I always talk about using video to distinguish yourself all your competitors? The goal of using video is to educate your online viewer. You do not want to use your video to get noticed in a bizarre or freakish way. As you know, I always advocate being different from the rest of the crowd with your video. However, keep in mind that you want to get noticed for your educational content, and not because you decided to do something that makes you look like a freak and get you noticed for a few seconds.

When your headline screams for attention and then you fail to deliver the appropriate educational video content, your viewer will we leave, never to return. If you want your viewers to notice you, create useful content that gives them a reason to pick up the phone and call you. Don’t stand up in your video and toot your own shofar (horn).

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

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Caveat Emptor! Lawyers Beware

Gerry Oginski — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:00:24 +0000

I recently came across three videos by three different attorneys, all in the same town, produced by the same video company. These three attorneys compete with each other for clients. How do I know? Because like me, they also practice medical malpractice and personal injury law here in New York.

So what’s with the headline in this article?

I had a chance to watch each of their videos. Why did I watch them? Because from the thumbnail image they all looked the same. The background was exactly the same. The pose that each attorney had in the thumbnail was the same, and the lighting looked exactly alike. Incredibly, the headline in each of the videos was exactly the same! By the way, these three attorneys are not in the same law firm. So I pressed ‘play’ and listened.

The first video was fine. (I don’t want to divulge the topic, since you could then Google it and know exactly which video production company I’m referring to here.) I then went to the second attorney’s video and pressed ‘play’. I couldn’t believe it. He was saying virtually the exact same thing as attorney #1. Same headline, same topic, same background, same interview pose and the same lighting. The only thing different was that it was a different attorney.

Next video to play was attorney #3.

OMG! That’s not a phrase I ever say, nor would I ever repeat, but when I heard attorney #3 I simply could not believe my eyes and ears. The same content as attorneys #1 & #2 with some minor alteration; the same background; same lighting and the same interview position. This was stunning.

How could a video company produce a video for three different lawyers, all asking the exact same question, and each giving virtually the exact same answer? Could it be a hassle-free template that every attorney gets, regardless of what they’ve paid? Like a cookie-cutter style way of creating video?

The quality of the video was excellent- no complaint there. But the same question and the same answers for each of these competing lawyers? Give me a break. I’ll bet you anything that this video company didn’t tell these lawyers that they’d be creating the exact same videos for their competitors. That’s why it’s so important that when you hire a video production company to create your attorney videos you must ask whether these videos are custom created for you and only you. Even if there are competing attorneys using the same video company, ask your video producer to make sure you’re different.

If your producer instead asks YOU how you’re different from your competitors, I’d suggest it’s time to look for another video producer. Your producer should be able to help you distinguish yourself from everyone else.

I will tell you that as a practicing trial attorney for more than 21 years, I have helped lawyers distinguish themselves using video. How? From experience practicing law, and experience creating over 200 educational videos to market my legal practice. That’s how.

The next time you’re fascinated with a particular web video company, my advice to you is Caveat Emptor.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

(P.S. If you are considering using a video company to create your video, call me or email me with the one you’re considering and I’ll let you know if it’s the one I discuss here.)

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