Levenfeld Pearlstein Displays Videos in Lawyer Bios
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When you visit the home page Chicago law firm Levenfeld Pearlstein, you're in for a treat. The firm has been a trailblazer in law firm marketing for years. Personalizing the attorney-client experience has been taken to a whole new level at the 60-lawyer corporate, litigation and real estate firm.
It appears to be the first law firm to develop attorney website profiles that incorporate video vignettes of lawyers speaking forthrightly about their practices and personal viewpoints.
“By having our attorneys speak candidly about their approaches to practicing law and their personal philosophies and passions, we are able to share this experience with a wider audience and give website visitors a better idea of who we are,” said Bryan Schwartz, the firm’s chairman. “As a firm, we don’t shy away from showing a more human side and in fact, we welcome the opportunity to do so.”
Andrea Crews, the firm’s director of marketing and business development, added, “The short, unscripted clips showcase our attorneys discussing their proudest moment as an attorney, what sets them apart from other lawyers, how they collaborate with their clients, what they would do if they weren’t practicing law, and their hobbies. We feel the videos are a very accurate representation of who they are and by extension, who we are as a firm.”
Visit here to see the full series of attorney video clips. Using video in law firm marketing to generate new business is a very effective business development technique.
Larry,
Before law firms start racing to create attorney video bios, they should ask these fundamental questions:
Does the consumer or potential client really care about the attorney or law firm?
Do they have enough trust in that lawyer that they want to find out more about WHO the lawyer is, before making a decision to hire them?
What information is the attorney going to provide in a video bio?
I am well aware that some marketing "experts" believe that an attorney bio is vital for an attorney website. I totally disagree. I have been in practice as a NY Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury attorney for 23 years and not once has someone asked me about my credentials or where I went to law school.
Most people who are searching for an attorney do not know a lawyer. This is totally different where someone refers you to a lawyer and you want to learn more about that person.
Where you know nothing about the attorney or their law firm, most online viewers have no interest whatsoever in YOU as the attorney. The ONLY thing they care about is how you can help solve THEIR problem.
If a viewer knew nothing about this law firm featured in your article, there is no compelling reason for a potential client to find interest in these attorney video bios. Nor is there anything overwhelmingly compelling that would distinguish them from other lawyers who do similar work.
That is why the attorney video bio, in my opinion, is not the best use of ones' resources. Being a "real" person is obvious. Highlighting the "real" thing appears almost like a gimmick. Discussing the attorney's proudest moments is simply an opportunity for more "me, me, me" info that viewers simply don't want and don't pay attention to.
Instead of the "Me, me, me" approach, turn it around and focus on the "You, you, you." That will make all the difference in the world.
Gerry Oginski
Founder, Lawyers Video Studio
http://lawyersvideostudio
NY Medical Malpractice & Personal Injury Trial Lawyer
http://www.oginski-law.com
Gerry,
With all due respect, your opinion on this is one that seems framed by being a sole practitioner in a legal field where clients are far less interested the personality and background of a lawyer, and much more interested simply in how you can solve their problem. That has been the status quo in multi-attorney firms for years, but that is changing. Law firms such as the one featured here are not frequently sought out by people who don't know if they need a lawyer or not; they're found through referrals, and video is a nice way to enhance the initial impression made on the website. Businesses looking for corporate, tax, or bankruptcy lawyers know what they're looking for and arrive there through referrals the majority of the time, not by searching Google for "corporate lawyer in my city."
I have seen some personal attorney videos on a smaller scale with some law firms, and the reception is almost always positive and serves to enhance the human side of the lawyer presented, especially when the legal practice they are in is highly technical and specialized. We're talking multi-million dollar clients, large public and private businesses, etc. Without a quick video we're likely staring at yet another lengthy and generic biography that tells us the same as many other attorneys. In feedback I've found from some law firms, their clients have had high praise for this approach and welcomed the fact that the law firm stepped away from the normal way of doing things.
Cheers to this firm for putting the time into developing this initiative.
Larry,
Your perception on these video bios being "new" is a bit skewed. Law firms that work with our advertising agency have been doing these for YEARS, nothing new. I do love that you point out the importance of them, as it is a GREAT way for the website visitor to create a personal connection with at least one lawyer in the law firm. Kudos to Levenfeld Pearlstein for hopping on the train!
Gerry,
I disagree with your view that these videos are not effective and that they are just another way for the lawyer to focus on "Me, me, me". As a Video SEO Specialist I have hard numbers proving that the most visited pages on a lawyer's website are the Firm Profile page or the individual attorney pages. In conjunction, our most viewed videos are the lawyer's bios. People are trying to relate and learn more about the person that will possibly be representing them in their time of need.
Humanizing the attorney with them sharing personal, emotional information sprinkled in with some boasting professional credibility creates trust and respect with the visitor. Thus, more conversions for the firm.