iStock_000015783236XSmallIt’s tempting to think that content is all about blogging. You hear “content marketing,” and think “we need a blog!”

But content is actually anything that communicates your message to an audience. That can be anything from a Facebook post to an article to an email to a blog post. And yes, it includes video.

Video is an amazing tool, and it’s one that people are paying attention to. Here are some compelling reasons you should be including video in your content marketing mix if you’re not already:

  • By 2017, video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, according to Cisco. (The Guardian)
  • YouTube receives more than one billion unique visitors every month – that’s more than any other channel, apart from Facebook. (The Guardian)
  • If a picture paints 1,000 words then one minute of video is worth 1.8 million, so say Forrester’s researchers. (The Guardian)
  • 75% of executives told Forbes that they watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week. 50% watch business-related videos on YouTube. 65% visit the marketer’s website after viewing a video. (Video Brewery)
  • 59% of senior executives would rather watch a video than read text according to Forbes Insight. (Video Brewery)

Those statistics tell us that video is important, and not just to your average consumer, but to executives as well. So it should be a part of your content marketing mix.

Today, let’s look at two types of videos that you can start producing. The Content Marketing Institute offers nine other suggestions in this post.

Educational Videos

Educational videos are a natural platform for lawyers because you have a lot to teach clients, potential clients, influencers and amplifiers. The same types of content that you’d put into a written blog post can be modified for a short or longer video (shorter often works better for your audience, but play around with the length depending on the subject, and see what resonates with your audiences).

Why video instead of an article or blog post? I’d argue that you should do both – the beauty of content marketing is that you should always be thinking about how you can repurpose original content to be used in other ways. Take an in-person presentation and create a blog post out of it, or a series of posts. Turn each of those posts into an informational video. Share them on all of your social media channels.  But video does have its unique strengths:

Whether a piece of thought leadership or a practical guide, educational content is the bread and butter of content marketing. Why use video? It offers an enjoyable ‘lean-back’ experience that promises to be interesting and short. Videos can be posted to your blog, live on in evergreen learning or resource centers, or even serve as an ungated trailer next to gated content.”

Educational videos can take different formats for lawyers and law firms:

  • Panel discussions (For example, see McDonald Hopkins’ webcast on The Trans Pacific Partnership: What does it mean for your business?)
  • Q&A with a partner or even with a client
  • A single lawyer talking about a subject as they would in a thought leadership piece
  • Evergreen content
  • Answering the question: I am often asked…
  • And more!

Not every piece of content you produce has to be video, but consider whether it would be a strategic way to augment your marketing mix.

Rapid Response to Hot Topics

This is a type of video that I just love because not many firms are doing it – have you considered creating videos that serve as a rapid response to a hot topic?

The important thing here is that you’re not interested in breaking the news – you don’t have to be the first to market on this. But you want to take a hot topic in the news and address the potential impact on a client or clients’ business in only the way you can describe it, and do it in a way that’s concise and quick.

In this case, I’d also recommend embedding the video into a blog post, where you reiterate the salient points in the body of the post (also include them in any YouTube or Vimeo descriptions), so that viewers can quickly and easily remember what you explained in the video.

And why not just leave it at print? Says CMI:

Print is the easiest medium to produce and manage – once a statement is approved and locked down, everything else is copy and paste. But what’s the hidden cost of leaving the reader ‘unsupervised’? Video lets you marry tone and words, control the pace at which viewers move through a piece of content, and direct their eyes and ears to points of emphasis.”

In a bit of a different take on this idea, why not do a weekly run down of the hot topics in your field of expertise? You’re getting in front of your audience regularly, providing them something of value, and telling them what they should be paying attention to – and (most importantly) why they should be paying attention.

A great example of this is the recently launched “Employment Law This Week” from Epstein Becker & Green, which provides a weekly rundown, and all in five minutes. It feels like a news report, but it’s just for companies who care about employment law news, so it’s targeted and specific. SMART. Even better, they link through their video to other longer form documents that provide additional information to those viewers that want and need it. AND they’re bringing in a client to participate in the video as well, which flatters the client, encourages them to share it, and builds loyalty to this and future episodes. Such great content marketing happening in and around this effort – I could do a little jig, I’m so pleased!

There are, of course, a myriad of ways you can use video in content marketing – about videos for your firm that live on the website, short clips from community or conference events that allow viewers to connect in a different way with your lawyers, and more. What are some of the ways that you are using video in your content marketing, or plan to integrate it in the coming year?

 

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Photo of Lindsay Griffiths Lindsay Griffiths

Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. She is a dynamic, influential international executive and marketing thought leader with a passion for relationship development and authoring impactful content. Griffiths is a driven, strategic leader who implements creative initiatives to achieve the…

Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. She is a dynamic, influential international executive and marketing thought leader with a passion for relationship development and authoring impactful content. Griffiths is a driven, strategic leader who implements creative initiatives to achieve the goals of a global professional services network. She manages all major aspects of the Network, including recruitment, member retention, and providing exceptional client service to an international membership base.

In her role as Executive Director, Griffiths manages a mix of international programs, engages a diverse global community, and develops an international membership base. She leads the development and successful implementation of major organizational initiatives, manages interpersonal relationships, and possesses executive presence with audiences of internal and external stakeholders. Griffiths excels at project management, organization, and planning, writes and speaks with influence and authority, and works independently while demonstrating flexibility in thinking, especially in challenging situations. She also adapts to diverse and dynamic environments with constant assessment and recalibration.

JD Supra Readers Choice Top Author 2019

In 2021, the ILN was honored as Global Law Firm Network of the Year by The Lawyer European Awards, and in 2016, 2017, and 2022, they were shortlisted as Global Law Firm Network of the Year. Since 2011, the Network has been listed as a Chambers & Partners Leading Law Firm Network, recently increasing this ranking to be included in the top two percent of law firm networks globally, as well as adding two regional rankings. She was awarded “Thought Leader of the Year” by the Legal Marketing Association’s New York chapter in 2014 for her substantive contributions to the industry and was included in Clio’s list of “34 People in Legal You Should Follow on Twitter.” She was also chosen for the American Bar Association Journal’s inaugural Web 100‘s Best Law Blogs, where judge Ivy Grey said “This blog is outstanding, thoughtful, and useful.” Ms. Griffiths was chosen as a Top Author by JD Supra in their 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, for the level of engagement and visibility she attained with readers on the topic of marketing & business development. She has been the author of Zen & the Art of Legal Networking since February 2009.