The days of the Yellow Pages dominating legal advertising are long over. Now, prospective clients run—not walk—online when they need professional services, whether they have legal problems, plumbing problems, or dental problems. You’re no doubt well aware of this, because you likely do the same exact thing. You’re also no doubt convinced that online marketing is a vital component to attracting new business in this modern age. However, a handful law firms have been slow to use one recent tool in online advertising: the lawyer video. If you’re one of those lawyers hesitating, then it’s time to stop, and join your competitors. Here are just a few reason why.

It’s what prospective clients want.
Videos are everywhere online—social media sites, news sites, search sites—and today’s consumer has come to expect that same level of content in all their online browsing. And yes, that includes researching law firms when they need legal advice.

It’s a close as you’ll get to a face to face meeting.
Internet lawyer videos can show prospective clients just how knowledgeable and experienced an attorney you are. They won’t be reading about you or your accomplishments, they’ll be hearing you talk and seeing your body language, and will be able to make their own judgments. Provided that you’re as comfortable in front of the camera as you are in person, they will be getting the next best thing to meeting with you in person. That’s a powerful advertising tool for any lawyer.

You’ll be doing a genuine service to your prospective clients.
The effective lawyer video is one that seeks to educate, and through educating, demonstrate the value of hiring that lawyer or firm. Think about it: people come to websites of lawyers because they have problems that they think might require a legal solution. By giving them the benefit of your training and experience through short video clips, you’ll help them determine, for example, whether they in fact need to hire a lawyer, and if so, what steps they should take prior to contacting one. If you can identify what kinds of questions people coming to your site have, and are able to answer those questions through short, informational videos, you’ll be doing them a valuable service—and making it more likely that they’ll want to hire you in the bargain.

You can differentiate your advertising.
Traditional legal advertisements are targeted at a wide base of consumer, as there’s no real way to determine what type of legal help consumers might need in printed media, or on radio or television stations. In contrast, you can easily build two or three different landing webpages that correspond to visitors’ Google searches. For example, if someone types in, “Slip and fall lawyer Atlanta Georgia” into a search engine, they would land at a different page of your website than if they had typed, “Car crash attorney Atlanta.” In brief, you can target your lawyer video to relate directly to visitors’ needs.

Compared to traditional advertising, it’s inexpensive.
Everything about internet lawyer video advertising is affordable: the required technology, the production process, and the cost of adding it to your website. Even if you decide to use a professional production company, it will still be significantly less expensive than running television advertisements, due to the simple fact that you won’t have to purchase air time.

You’ll keep up with your competitors.
More and more law firms are using the lawyer video as a part of their Internet advertising, and increasingly, it’s what prospective clients are coming to expect. By getting ahead of the curve, you’re ensuring that you won’t be left behind.