One of the best ways to communicate in a message today is through educational video online.
In my opinion, there is nothing better that allows a viewer to see you, hear you and begin to trust you.
Great educational video has the added benefit of teaching and educating my consumers and ideal clients.
Yet there are many different styles of legal marketing videos.
- There is the talking head style.
- There is the interview style.
- There is the fake interview style.
- There are PowerPoint presentations with voiceovers.
- There are animated drawing videos.
- The list goes on and on.
As you are searching for information about your particular legal problem and trying to determine who might be the best attorney to help solve your legal issues, you will come across legal marketing videos with many of the different styles I mentioned above.
The one style I want to focus on in this article is the “fake” interview style of video.
As you watch this type of video, you will notice that the attorney is turned away from you and instead is looking off camera. He's typically looking at a 45° angle away from you, the viewer. He is giving you the appearance that he is being interviewed by someone.
If you do not see the interviewer, then this is what I would call it a “fake” interview style video.
Contrast that with a 60 minutes style interview where you see an actual person interviewing the attorney. You see both of them on camera. You see the camera angle switch back-and-forth between the person asking the questions and the attorney answering them.
More importantly, you might want to ask yourself why any lawyer would ever create a video to give someone the appearance that he was being interviewed when in fact he's doing nothing more than staring at the wall as he's replying to some question.
There are a number of reasons why an attorney would do this.
The biggest reason is that the video company he has hired to help him create his legal marketing videos have suggested that this is a great way to give viewers the appearance that has more authority and knowledge than if he were to do a video in any other style.
I will tell you that having created over 1450 videos to market my solo practice in New York, I do not believe that a viewer finds this style of video compelling.
Here's why...
The best way to illustrate this is with a quick example.
Imagine you go into attorney's office to ask for help with your particular legal problem. As the attorney begins to answer you, he turns his chair 45° away from you and instead answers the wall instead of looking at you.
Just imagine it.
Imagine how awkward you would feel if the attorney answers the wall in response to your specific questions.
How do you think that would make you feel?
Another example is if you meet someone new at a party and you asked him a question. You expect that that person is going to look at you when answering your specific question. What if instead, they were to look away from you and instead stare at the wall and talk for the next two minutes directly to the wall instead of you?
How would that make you feel?
I know how it would make me feel.
It would show me that there is a clear disconnect between the attorney and myself. It would appear as if the attorney is uninterested and not caring.
Now, simply because the attorney does that in a particular marketing video, does that mean he's likely going to do that in the office too? Maybe not. But I don't know. I can't tell just from his fake style interview video.
There is a term that newscasters use called “gravitas.”
It basically means that the newscaster has more authority when on camera. It means there's more respect.
Some of these video companies who are guiding and coaching the attorneys to create their legal marketing videos tell these lawyers that to get more 'gravitas', they should do these fake interview style videos so that the viewer perceives them to have more respect and authority.
I say that's nonsense.
I find that the best way to communicate with the viewer and potential client who is watching one of my videos, is simply to talk to them directly. Maintain eye contact. Allow them to see you by looking into your eyes.
I guarantee that as you watch different videos of attorneys to learn more about your particular legal problem, you will encounter many of these fake interview style videos.
As you watch those videos, keep the information you learned in this article in your mind as you continue listening to the attorney on video. Then, go watch an attorney who talks to you directly and doesn't look away when answering you.
