In October, 2006 I wrote this column for the Connecticut Law Tribune discussing what was then virgin territory for lawyer marketing, a little known phenomenon called YouTube:

Your Internet presence just got more exciting. Imagine, potential clients can click on your web site and be linked to your personal video introducing them to your services, philosophies and mission, all for free? Imagine your own infomercial without the cost of running it on television, more targeted to your potential client base and all available for just the cost of creating it?

Back then:

When I did a YouTube search of lawyer videos, I found 81; at least 10 were from one law firm, 30-second spots each highlighting a particular practice area within the law firm. Others were amateur videos mocking “late night cheesy lawyers.”

Today when I do a search of lawyer videos I find nearly 400,000. You will find smart and aggressive law firms have come to embrace the idea of video to let potential clients ‘meet them’ and they are utilizing this phenomenal and well-used search engine, YouTube, to their advantage.  (Not all videos under this search term are serious, naturally, and many are from lawyers who purchased canned ads and inserted their names.)

YouTube is the third most trafficked site behind Google and Facebook surpassing 4th placed Yahoo. Bing is in the 25th position. (Alexa)

Lawyer’s seem to focus on Google ranking, but shouldn’t they be looking long and hard at producing video which can be utilized on their own website and then loaded up to YouTube on their own professional YouTube channel as well? Shouldn’t you create video so that people can discover and  ‘meet’ you?

Gerry Oginski, who also teaches at Solo Practice University, is the recognized guru on creating effective videos for lawyers and he knows it’s effective because video is a key to his on-line marketing.  Like anything new, you may be thinking this is one more thing you just don’t have time for or you don’t see the value in or you’re simply fearful or it’s not your style or you think it’s too costly. I get that. But get this:

Lawyers today are being forced by the economy and pseudo-savvy consumers to participate in venues never considered before in order to generate business. Life changes and so must lawyers.

As a friend of my father’s once said to me before I met my husband, “If you want to catch fish you have to put your pole in the water. You can’t sit on the shore and expect them to jump out and come to you.”

Here are a few examples of lawyers who are not waiting.  They are learning how to use video effectively and utilizing top ranked sites FOR FREE to get their names out there over and over, again.  They are creating video(s) geared towards educating the consumer about the law and in doing so showcasing their expertise, their personality and more. And they are placing them in venues where their target audience is located.

(BTW- I’m not commenting on quality.  Each one is different and geared towards a different audience.)

Attorney John Watts, Attorney Gerry Oginski, Attorney Kathryn Harry and I just enjoyed this one from Attorney Melchor Eduardo Quevedo

Let’s face it.  In this economy all lawyers need an edge. You can be the most talented lawyer in the world, but today if people can’t find you on the internet in a meaningful way when they search for your name or for help in your specific practice area, you don’t exist.