As video has become an integral part of the online experience, YouTube has become the number one channel for anyone wanting to watch or host videos, including law firms. Most people spend at least 1-2 hours per day on TV and movies, and that number is rapidly increasing with the growing popularity of short videos across social media platforms.
So, how can you make the most of YouTube’s value and ability to drive traffic to your firm’s website and content? What are some best practices for harnessing the powers of the world’s second-largest search engine, topped only by its parent company Google?
If you’re part of the legal industry that is catching on to the advantages of video, it’s essential that you develop an intelligent strategy with some easy and obvious steps to build a successful YouTube presence and overall digital impact.
First things first…
Set Up a YouTube Account for Your Law Firm
Youtube is the most popular site for promoting law firm video, and it’s free to set up a professional-looking and branded channel. With YouTube being a subsidiary of Google, content you add to your channel becomes more visible and helps your law firm rank higher on Google searches.
Speaking of ranking…
What Factors Does YouTube Consider When Ranking Videos?
You consider open rates in email marketing and best time of day to post on social media for increased engagement, and you should absolutely be strategic with your law firm video marketing strategy when it comes to your YouTube channel.
What does Google/YouTube consider when evaluating content to promote? Key factors in video titles, tag descriptions, and keywords are important. You know how important keyword research is in your other forms of digital marketing. It’s no different here!
Conduct Keyword Research
Strong video for law firms is impossible to achieve without a thorough keywords research. Optimize your videos descriptions with in-demand search terms to increase views. The autocomplete feature of YouTube’s search bar is a great place to start and automatically provides queries according to popular search results.
Make sure you’re searching a bit yourself or using keyword research tools to find out what your client base searches to determine keywords which are the most relevant in your practice area. We recommend using TubeBuddy to optimize your YouTube videos. Of course, comments, responses, and views are important components for visibility within YouTube, but that’ll come naturally to your firm if you implement these best practices.
Beyond the titles, tags, and keywords you use when you create content for YouTube, the actual videos themselves are a pretty important factor in visibility and growth.
Video Content for Law Firms: Create YouTube Videos Your Audience Wants to See
Videos market your practice and can be used in conjunction with other marketing initiatives to reach clients and prospective clients. In fact, we bet you already have a backlog of webinars, trainings, and explainer videos that you should include on your YouTube channel.
We will NEVER stop preaching the powers of repurposed content, especially when its content that has already performed well on other social media platforms. If you don’t have a treasure trove of video already to use and need help getting started, we have you covered on tips to get started with law firm video and some intel for improving your video marketing efforts across the board!
You can find a wide array of useful and relevant info on Youtube for just about anything you could ever want to know. We find the most successful firms create videos that are cohesive and consistent in their branding and offer users informative videos that help explain complex legal issues or explain how their specific service and experience served their clients well.
Whatever video idea you use, just be sure the information you include is valuable, worth your client or prospective client’s time, and positions your firm and attorneys as leaders in the industry.
How to Get More Views and Subscribers on YouTube
Now that you have a channel and know what kind of video content to include, let’s get down to a number. Specifically, we’re talking about the number of videos on your channel.
Have a High Number of Videos Posted
Posting videos regularly and providing plenty of content is one of the most important things to make a YouTube channel stand out and rank in YouTube’s algorithm. Uploading videos to YouTube establishes your authority in your field, improves your reach, and can eventually lead to a bigger book of business. Getting started from zero is not a simple task, and nobody wants to take the time to view a firm’s channel with a handful of videos that don’t add value.
Increased Views Unlock Optimized Features
Having regular viewers and people engaged with your channel is another important metric. YouTube will not let you add advanced features, like a custom URL, without at least 100 subscribers. You have to start somewhere, and that backlog of well-performing videos we mentioned is an excellent place to start.
Once you have some views under your belt, you can utilize more features from YouTube to increase visibility and drive more traffic to your website and other social platforms. In a nutshell, here are the best practices for a high-performing, optimized channel.
Optimize Your YouTube Channel
Optimizing a YouTube channel is important for increasing the visibility and engagement of your content. Here are some steps you can take to optimize your channel:
Create a Strong Brand Identity
Your channel should have a clear and consistent brand identity, including a recognizable profile picture, banner image, and channel art that reflects your brand.
Optimize your Channel Description
Your channel description should be clear and concise, and include keywords relevant to your niche. It’s also important to include links to your website and social media profiles.
Create a Compelling Trailer
A channel trailer is a short video that introduces new viewers to your channel. It should be engaging, visually appealing, and highlight your best content.
Organize Your Content with Playlists
Playlists make it easy for viewers to find specific types of content on your channel. Organize your videos into playlists based on topic, format, or series.
Use Keywords in your Video Titles and Descriptions
Including relevant keywords in your video title and description can help your content rank higher in search results.
Engage with Your Target Audience
Respond to comments and create a community around your channel. Encourage viewers to like, share, and subscribe to your content.
Analyze Your Metrics
Use YouTube Analytics to track your channel’s performance and adjust your strategy accordingly. Pay attention to metrics like watch time, engagement, and traffic sources.
By following these steps, you can optimize your YouTube channel to increase visibility, engagement, and ultimately grow your audience.
See How AmLaw 200 Firms Do YouTube
We think informative and helpful videos stand the test of time to build business and that most firms will eventually have their own YouTube channel. If you’re wondering how Big Law does YouTube and how you can do it better, we did a year’s worth of research and analyzing to deliver the stats on who is doing it well and how your firm can do it better. Check out our Law Firm YouTube Index 2022.
