According to the Pew Internet Project, 78% of adult Internet users watch video online – on YouTube, their smartphones and on social media networks.  That’s almost everyone.

In fact, legal video is one of the best ways to convert prospects into paying clients. We are visual beings and when we see someone talking on video we see their expressions, hear their voice and can begin to feel a shared reality with the person we are looking to do business with.

People buy emotionally and justify logically, so the more emotion you can conjure on your website with videos the better. Here are some tips for making videos that connect with prospects:

• Look professional — wear a suit.

• Clean up your office so the viewer can’t see piles of stuff on your desk or credenza.

• Prepare what you are going to say but don’t read from a script.

• Produce at least one video that says what you do, but use the rest to provide actual educational content (for example, if you are a business attorney, do segments on different subjects like tax, employment law, IP, business formation and business planning).

• Post your videos on your website and create your own YouTube channel with links back to your site and/or blog.

This infographic from HighQ illustrates exactly why video should be an integral part of your law firm marketing mix in 2017: