Have You Heard of YouTube Shorts or Facebook Reels? Here is how They Can Help Your Law Firm Marketing

If you’re looking for new and interesting ways to market your practice, video marketing for law firms is something you should consider. While regular marketing and explainer videos are always something we recommend for legal clients, short video content is becoming popular with consumers as well.

YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels are two types of short-form video marketing that produce excellent results for your law firm. Here are the benefits of using this type of content and tips for making the most of it in your overall law firm marketing strategy.

What is Short-Form Video Content?

Short-form video content is any type of video content that is 60 seconds or less in length. However, some marketers consider this type of content to be anything that is under three minutes long. It also depends on the constraints of the platform you are using.

Short-form content is meant to be easily digestible, bite-sized videos that people can watch in their entirety. Because consumers tend to scroll through content on many platforms, they spend less time watching lengthy videos. Short-form content caters to consumers looking for quick information without a significant time investment.

Advantages of Using Short-Form Videos to Market Your Law Firm

Short videos have become an increasingly popular marketing strategy for law firms. Here are several reasons why your law firm should think about using short videos for marketing.

1. Attention-Grabbing

Short videos are a great way to capture your audience’s attention quickly. People are exposed to a ton of content on social media platforms and Google. Short videos provide a way to make a quick impact by engaging your audience with something that interests them.

2. Easy to Consume

One of the most significant benefits of short video content is that these videos are easy to consume, even on mobile devices. Since so many people access the internet using smartphones, short videos give your law firm another way to connect with them.

3. Shareable

These types of videos are made to be easily shared on social media sites or via email and text. People love to share videos they find entertaining or interesting. As your firm creates more of this content, there is a chance you can increase your reach through these social shares.

4. Cost-Effective

Short videos are a cost-effective marketing strategy. They can be created with minimal resources and rather quickly compared to other content, making them an excellent strategy for businesses with limited marketing budgets. This allows your law firm to begin creating video content without breaking the bank.

5. Better Engagement

Short videos tend to have higher engagement rates than longer ones. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t also create some longer videos. But having both types will help you cater to different audiences. Specifically, short video content is an effective way to engage with people who are scrolling through social media sites or just looking for a quick answer to a simple question online.

6. Helps Branding

Consumers are more likely to hire a lawyer or law firm they know, if only by name recognition. Social media can help with your branding campaign by getting your law firm’s name more recognized. When someone eventually does need your services, they’ll think of you first.

7. Good for SEO

Videos, even short-form ones, can help your overall SEO efforts in several ways. First, they can drive more traffic to your law firm’s website, which can boost your rankings. And Google’s algorithm tracks how long visitors stay on sites, which can help with your positioning.

Why Can’t My Law Firm Use TikTok?

Your law firm can post video content on any platform it wishes. But, if the goal is to reach your target audience, Facebook and YouTube are probably two of the best options. One study revealed that TikTok is the best platform for influencers, while Reels are more advantageous for brands.

Many brands take advantage of Facebook marketing because their target audience is already on the platform. YouTube is another excellent choice. Not only do consumers spend a ton of time on the platform (it’s the world’s second-largest search engine), but many of those results also show up in search results because Google owns YouTube.

YouTube Shorts vs. Facebook Reels — What’s the Difference?

If you’re going to market your law firm using short videos, which platform is best? It depends. Both YouTube and Facebook have benefits, so it may be worth pursuing a strategy that includes Shorts and Reels. When held up side-by-side, the two are quite similar:

• YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels were both launched in 2021
• You’re limited to 60 seconds with your video content on both platforms
• Captions are possible with either option
• Each platform has over 2 billion users as of 2022
• The technical requirements for videos are the same on both platforms
• You get a built-in video editor with both YouTube and Facebook
• Engagement features (like, share, comments, etc.) are similar

Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels are not quite the same thing. While Meta owns both companies, the two platforms have somewhat different audiences. You can cross-post your Instagram Reels as Facebook Reels, but not the other way around at this time.

Tips for Successful Short-Form Video Marketing for Law Firms

One benefit of marketing your law firm is that you have extensive knowledge in your practice areas you can share. Short-form videos are ideal for that type of content. Here are some tips for successful short-form video marketing for your law firm.

1. Choose Your Platforms

Choose which platforms you’d like to use for your content. Most law firms are already doing social media marketing on Facebook, so Reels would be a natural choice. Also, if you want to boost your SEO, it makes sense to post video content on YouTube as well. The good news is that you can cross-post a lot of your content to both platforms.

2. Begin With Keyword Research

Every digital marketing campaign should begin with keyword research. What topics are of most interest to your target audience? If you’re a criminal law attorney, some obvious choices would be things like “beat a DUI charge” or “penalties for a first offense.” Once you have a list of keywords, you can choose which ones will be ideal for some short-form videos.

3. Plan Your Video Content

If you’re concerned about coming up with content ideas for your short-form videos, don’t be. Because these videos are so brief, you can’t cram a lot of content into them, meaning you create a long list of ideas to last quite a while. A few ways to use these videos for your law firm include short educational videos (answer a single, quick question), relevant law updates, attorney introductions, behind-the-scenes looks at your firm, and testimonials.

4. Start Out Strong

You only have one or two seconds to make a positive impression on your viewers. No pressure, but what you say and how you say it could make a difference in the success of your campaigns. Enjoying success on YouTube or Facebook isn’t about looking or sounding like a movie star. It’s more important that you be authentic and confident in your videos. If you don’t feel that you are either of these, practice your delivery a few times before you hit “Record.”

5. Post Consistently

If you want to get the best possible results from your short-form video content, you’ll want to post new videos regularly. When people see your brand consistently, they’ll begin to make a connection with you and even anticipate new videos. Aim to post several times per week, if possible.

6. Respond to Comments

The last thing you want to do is post your videos on Facebook or YouTube and forget about them. If you’ve chosen the right topics and promoted your videos, you’ll get some views and comments. Make sure you are monitoring your accounts so you can respond quickly and appropriately to every comment. This engagement will build trust, help grow your followers, and drive traffic to your website.

7. Track Your Results

As with any digital marketing campaign, you want to track your results closely to determine what is working and what isn’t. Fortunately, Facebook and YouTube provide excellent free insights. This data can tell you where you might need to make some adjustments and identify new opportunities.

Get Help Today With Your Law Firm’s Video Marketing Strategy

Video marketing can be intimidating for law firms. But the results your business will get will be worth the effort. No one expects you to become social media influencers or professional video editors. With the right guidance, this process will be simple and satisfying.

Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing has extensive experience with video marketing for law firms, from explainer to introduction videos and more.

We can help you create, post, and market your short-form law firm videos on a variety of platforms, like Facebook and YouTube. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to learn more about our video marketing and other comprehensive solutions for law firms.