So you’ve decided to create attorney videos or legal videos to add to your website.  Recognizing the importance of video for a viewer searching for a lawyer in your specialty is the first step.  The second logical step is to decide not to create the video yourself and instead put the projects in the hands of a professional video company that can do everything for you.  Now you are in the process of interviewing companies to put together your online legal videos – what should you ask?

Here are 5 questions you must ask to make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to oranges.

1. How long does it take to shoot my video?
2. How many video clips do I get for that video shoot?
3. How long will each completed video clip be?
4. How much will it cost to create my video?
5. Will you upload my videos to video sharing sites and optimize the videos so the search engines can find my videos?

Any video production company worth working with will be able to easily answer all of the above questions.  Some will have package prices that work perfect for you.  Others will quote you based on your individual needs.  Regardless, if the company isn’t prepared to answer these questions, and answer them easily – look elsewhere!

Additional question to ask:

1. How much will you charge me when I want to do another series of videos next month? And the month after that? Why is that important? After your first series of videos, you will soon realize that you have so much more information to offer online viewers. Only by creating a series of videos will you be able to create effective, educational and fresh video content.

The answers to these important questions will surprise you. When comparing video companies do not choose one based solely on price alone. Instead, look to the value and experience that the company and the producer can give you. Only then can you make an educated decision about which video company is right for you.

For more information on how Swamp City Productions can help you, please visit our Contact page today, and be sure to check out the Attorney Legal Video samples in our Portfolio!

A recent study conducted in conjunction by  King Fish Media, Hubspot, and Junta 42, confirms the continuing shift to the necessity of online video for virtually all businesses in all industries.  The aim of the study was to determine the many ways that marketers are using video, and which of those uses is most prominent.  The percentages of businesses are using online video and social marketing platforms is staggering – and if your business isn’t riding the wave, your business risks getting left way behind.

• 87% of businesses are using LinkedIn, and 84% are using a Twitter account.  
• Facebook is next at 78%. 
• YouTube is all the way down in 5^th place, with only 47% of respondents using the video service for marketing.  Translation:  A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO GET YOUR BUSINESS NOTICED!  The study gives numbers for which social media services respondents plan to use more in the future, and YouTube is number one, with 53% saying they’re planning on adding it to their marketing efforts. 
• Only 35% of respondents have a YouTube Channel.  Translation:  A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO GET YOUR BUSINESS NOTICED! 
• Video is the third most-used type of content in social media campaigns, behind “branded content you create” and “expert content.”
• 61% use video on their company website, while 56% use video sharing sites like YouTube. 

Here is the most important part of the study: 

• The number one reason marketers use video is education—specifically the education of customers about the company’s products and services—a whopping 72%.  The definiteion of online video education isn’t specifcally defined, but most likely includes: standard commercials, product demos, testimonials and more.

Bottom line is this - educating customers is directly related to marketing – and it is time for every company to start commiting portions of their budget to online video marketing.

In terms of purposes, education is one area that everyone seems to think video can help.  Education about the industry, the company, the individuals, or the products.  Video can tell a story that images and text alone cannot—we all know this already, and it’s good to see so many social-media-savvy businesses agree.  Many experts believe that video will begin to replace a lot of other “old-school” business practices and standards such as staff meetings, collaborations, even documentation.  We’ve only scratched the surface of how video is going to change business.

In today’s unique media environment, with a mix of messages targeted directly at consumers from every angle, the significance of online video for small and medium-sized businesses (commonly referred to as SMBs) has never been greater.

One specific study sheds some light on this debate, i.e., the FindLaw research. In the study, researchers found that when a law firm added video to its site (video marketing), it helped dramatically increase client conversions.

Delving further into the study, researchers noted that potential clients visited on average five sites (4.8 to be exact) before making an attorney selection. After video was added, this number decreased dramatically. Prospective clients only visited 1.8 sites. Researchers note this definitely proves the power of video as it relates to the buying funnel.

Why does video work so well to convert customers who may be in the buying funnel?

Better Landing Pages: Researchers noted that online video can better convert visitors who land on a page from a search. Some report conversions as high as 50%. Note: conversions were defined for purposes of this study as people who took direct action (e.g., who sent in a query via email, clicked a button for more information, provided their personal contact info, etc.).

Cleaner Presentation: Whereas many search pages can appear a tangled, crowded mess, online video presents as a cleaner, clearer format for prospects to take in information. Hence, there’s less need to shop around.

Something Old vs. Something New: Online video is new, and that will always attract interest. As more and more companies add it to their marketing arsenal, experts predict that the content – as in quality of – will separate the cream from the crop.

Experts also stress the importance of “effective technology.” This is technology used in such a way that it not only engages users, but informs them as well. Couple this with traditional search engine optimization practices and it will help SMBs improve their search discovery results.

Moving forward, many Internet marketing experts advise SMBs that using online video presents a chance to get a jump on the competition. However, once the newness of the technology wears off, more traditional Internet marketing strategies will be utilized, presenting the right video at the right time to the right audience. More and more businesses are turning their attention to this exciting form of Internet marketing, realizing that the time has come to do more than just stand out.

Specifically for SMBs, online video can level a lot of playing fields. But, it has to be constantly tweaked, updated and inspirational to grab attention. In other words, it requires all of the attention that other online marketing methods require to achieve the end goal – increased business.

Of course, the internet is all powerful for content delivery in an affordable fashion.  But what if you want your content to be delivered more selectively?  What if it is too long for an online presentation?  One of our many colleagues within the industry has the answer – the all-new Eco-Light DVD!

The Eco-Light DVD is perfect for direct mail or trade show applications.  Here’s why:

If you’re looking for a new content delivery option – Eco-Light DVDs may be the perfect answer! Give us a call at 954-845-7110 to discuss, or drop us an email today – info@swampcityproductions.com.

All of our videos are optimized for use online, so, how and why do online videos work?

• Sound and Motion Always Sells!  When television was invented, a new sales medium was born.  So, today’s digital video medium is merely the latest technological way of selling using motion, sound and color.
•  Information is Offered in a Condensed Format.  Online video can provide short clips to allow users to obtain just the information they need.
• Online Videos Begs to be Watched.  A video on a website asks to be watched – and, potential clients to your website are more likely to click and view than wade through all the written text. 
• Online Shopping is Mainstream.  Early on it was questionable whether online shopping would catch on or not.  There’s no denying today that Internet surfers are now Internet shoppers!  Among U.S. Internet users, 94% shop online – and 57% have shopped in the past month.  “The Internet is no longer a niche technology – it is a mass media and an utterly integral part of modern life,” stated Jonathan Carson, President International Nielsen Online.
• Video is More Readily Viewable Than Ever Before.  Online video was much less practical when most users had Internet connections that were dial-up.  Now that 65% of Internet connections are DSL, cable or other high speed download times are trivial.
• Creates an Upscale Website at an Affordable Price.   Through the use of digital technology, web videos do not have to cost a fortune to produce.  Your website needs constant change to give users a reason to come back.  It’s easy to create multiple videos for your site from a minimal amount of footage to keep it fresh.
• Viral and Social Marketing.  You’ve heard the buzz words – now make it a reality for your business!  A phenomenon of online video is the ability of viewers to send from friend-to-friend costing you nothing while expanding your web presence.  By uploading your videos to video sharing sites such as Youtube.com and Facebook.com, you can help to create your very own “buzz”! 

To see some of the previous videos created by Swamp City Productions, please visit our Portfolio.