Avvo’s annual Lawyernomics conference introduces law firms to cutting-edge marketing practices, and in 2014 a clear focus was video. If your firm’s website has not yet incorporated video content, several presenters at the conference addressed how—and why—that is no longer acceptable practice. Already have video? Speakers revealed how to make your multimedia more compelling.

The timing is perfect. I made it my goal last year to incorporate more videos into my client consultations. This spring, you will start to see some of my blog posts in video format. (Watch for an overview of Pay-Per-Click advertising later this week. Or watch my video on Google’s Hummingbird algorithm update.)

One of the presentations was responsible for a lot of buzz among attendees at Lawyernomics 2014, held in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo Center last week. StoryGuide‘s Drew Keller attracted crowd interest with “Lights, Camera, Action: How to Tell Your Story with Video.” The lecture answered “why” and “how” questions about adding video to a law firm site, but also shared best practices for video production and tips for producing high-quality content. Keller advised the audience to use video to tell stories rather than to overwhelm viewers with data, to use words/sound/music/images to tell the story, to pay attention to the background when shooting and to adhere to your firm’s branding. He also instructed conference attendees to assemble and master the proper video equipment to produce watchable video, and offered tips for mobile video production. Keller closed out his popular presentation with several principles of legal video, including the need to use a production calendar, the benefits of linking your content socially and the importance of using a strong call to action in all content.

Because so much of my experience at Lawyernomics 2014 centered around video, I wanted to share an insightful article—this list of 10 video mistakes many law firms make—that is available on the conference archives. The author, Crisp Video‘s Michael Mogill, says that “more often than not, the videos I see law practices producing are done so poorly that they often end up doing more harm than good.”

Mogill’s list includes:

• Mistake #10: Making a video just to make a video

• Mistake #9: Not branding correctly

• Mistake #8: Making your video too long

• Mistake #7: Not focusing on a single message

• … and six additional mistakes, with tips for how you can avoid them.