Video Legal Marketing, Like a Solid Handshake?

Legal Marketing Done Different

Have you ever looked for an attorney? Did you open the yellow pages? Phone a friend? Google Search it?

Looking for an attorney can be an overwhelming experience because there are so many choices. There are a dozens of listings for lawyers in the yellow books and in online search results. It can be difficult to find one who makes you feel comfortable and fits your needs. If I were a client, my number one priorities would be trust and confidence that my attorney had my interests at heart. That's why I am not completely opposed to the a new online legal marketing service called LegalTube.

LegalTube is an online video service that allows law firms to upload marketing videos to its site. The website is divided by areas of law and allows users to search by state or by city and state for a lawyer in the client's area. The website also features lawyer jokes, lawyer stories, original webisodes, a hot topics section, an expert Q&A section, an off the record section and links to other legal resources on the web.

Interrestingly, the website caps the Find a Lawyer function at four attorneys per location per practice area. For example, if a client is searching for an IP attorney in Alabama, he or she will not be bombarded with 50 text listings. Instead, the client will see four available attorneys in Alabama - in this case, there is only one IP firm currently advertising with LegalTube in Alabama: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. For the visual learners, here is their video:


If I was a potential client, I would love the idea of a service like LegalTube. One of the key factors I would be looking for when searching for an attorney would be that I could trust my attorney and that I would be confident they had my interests at heart. Services like LegalTube would allow the clients to get a preview of what a consultation may be like with an attorney before actually sitting down face to face.

The next thing I am about to say is a bit cliches, but I have to say it. Where I grew up (Texas), first impressions mean a lot. Trust is built on something as simple as a handshake and your word. I don't think Texans are the only people who think this way either. A large percentage of the population places trust in something a simple as a face to face conversation. If LegalTube can offer the first building blocks for establishing trust between a client and attorney, then why not market your legal services with them?

Criticisms

However, Rex Gradeless pointed out a few criticisms that I found particularly compelling that I thought should be shared with you all.

First, many state bar associations have rules requiring attorneys place disclaimers on online advertisements. LegalTube fails to address the varying state bar association requirements for legal advertising and does not indicate which states allow for online video advertising.

The terms of service state:

The information on this website and pages within, is not intended to provide specific legal, financial or tax advice, or any other advice, whasoever, for any indivdiual or company should not be relied upon in that regard.

The services described in this website are only offered in jurisdictions where they may be legally offered. Information provided in our website is not all-inclusive, and is limited to information that is made avaialbe to LegalTube, LLC and such informaiton should not be relied upon as all-inclusive or accurate.

Second, there are other online video sites directed at attorneys. Such as the VideoVenue, which allows lawyers to upload videos concerning current topics for discussion and debate in the legal field and funn videos pertaining the the law. See this video for an example:



Also, websites like the Legal Broadcasting Network, offer a website dedicated to promoting lawyers in the media and boast a larger audience base for online legal video.

Finally, YouTube and Vimeo have a large stake in the online video market with millions of viewers.

The Criticisms to Consider and the Ones to Ignore

First, it is true that a few of the bar associations are very strict about legal marketing. Here's a post by a fellow law blog talking more about legal ethics and online marketing and networking sites. It's smart to always check the rules of ethics in your state before performing any form of legal marketing - especially on the internet. In this instance, Rex is right - double check everything. Heed his advice.

Second, although both these sites offer a greater audience, their marketing message is not the same as LegalTube's message.

Unlike the Legal Broadcasting Network, which focuses mainly on branding lawyers as legal experts for commentary purposes, LegalTube focuses on legal marketing between clients and lawyers in a one-on-one atmosphere. I get the impression that LBN is talking at me, instead of talking to me. Whereas, LegalTube seems more focused on the relationship between the client and the attorney.

Also, LegalTube is for legal marketing, whereas VideoVenue seems like a site targeted at casual conversation between lawyers, not legal marketing . The only similiarity between the two sites is the legal jokes, webisodes and lawyer stories. However, LegalTube seems to be more focused on attorney-client building and expert Q & A by location.

YouTube and Vimeo do not cater to the online community. Both websites offer a huge audience base, but offer no way for an attorney to separate his or her firm from the rest. The idea of a huge audience base is enticing, but what chances does a legal marketing video have against the latest and greatest most popular YouTube video? Not a very strong chance.

I am a fan of LegalTube because I think it's tapping into an old market in a new way. It offers unique features that aren't available anywhere else. I like the idea of being able to get a face to face preview of a client consult and the features that allow me to search for a lawyer by practice area and location. Maybe YouTube does offer a larger audience, but a large audience is pointless if nobody is listening.