If you’re like the majority of Americans (78% to be exact), you likely watch a video on the web at least once per week. Video hosting and sharing sites like YouTube have made it easy to post videos and disseminate them to the masses, revolutionizing video marketing for all businesses, including law firms. We often hear from attorneys who have videos, or are looking to create them, and question whether YouTube is the right medium for their firm.
Today, YouTube serves as the second largest search engine (trailing only behind Google) and it is seamlessly integrated with Google +, allowing you to easily connect your local business listing with your videos. While YouTube may be the host to millions of silly videos, given its many benefits, it’s also a great spot to host your practice’s videos. Below you’ll find a few pointers on making your YouTube presence a professional one that enhances your firm’s web visibility:
Your firm’s channel should be consistent with your corporate identity
Before you can post a video, you first must create a “channel” for your practice. This channel, like all other social network accounts, should include your firm’s logo, color scheme, a full description of what you do and you can even add a few of your favorite channels.
Optimize your videos
When you upload each video, be sure to include a title tag and a description which contains relevant keywords. YouTube will also look at things like the length of the video, the length of time that the viewer watches it, the number of individuals who subscribe to your channel after watching, the number of likes your video has received and the number of comments pertaining to your video. The best way to optimize your videos for top placement is to develop captivating professional videos that people actually want to watch!
Embed the videos on your site
Once the videos are uploaded to your channel, you will find that there is an option to embed the video. This option generates a snippet of HTML code that you can simply paste into your site’s code (or ask your website developer to do this). In the embed section, you will also find a checkbox accompanying the following setting “Show suggested videos when the video finishes”. We highly recommend that this box is not checked otherwise thumbnails of your competitors’ websites might appear once one of you viewers has finished watching your video.
Regularly review the stats for your videos
As with all marketing campaigns, it’s important that you regularly revisit your YouTube channel and see how visitors are finding your videos and how much time these individuals spending watching them. YouTube provides analytics allowing you to better understand traffic patterns, viewer behavior and geography, and fine-tune your video marketing efforts.
Want more great tips on how to develop and implement a successful video marketing campaign, check out our free webinar.