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How Lawyers Can Optimize Videos for Each Social Media Platform

by Kevin Vermeulen • August 14th, 2020 • Social Media | Blog

videos for lawyersSocial media is an incredibly useful tool for every type of business, including a law practice. But to make the most of it, you should be creating videos as a part of your content strategy. Not only do social media users prefer videos, videos for lawyers can help build trust and generate leads. However, you can’t just film one and expect it to be successful on every platform. You need to take the time to optimize your videos for each channel. While some advice will overlap, each social media platform has its own recommendations for optimization.

Facebook

Live video is a huge trend on Facebook. Your law firm can take advantage of this with a tour of your office or a Q&A to improve engagement. When you’re not filming live videos, however, keep your videos short, ideally under two minutes since engagement tends to fall off sharply after the two-minute mark. Keep in mind that most users will watch the Facebook videos on their mobile devices, so opt for a square video as that will most effectively fill a mobile screen. 

You should also try to put your logo and information at the end of the video, not the beginning, as users prefer you to get right to the content. Remember is better to upload your video directly to Facebook rather than including a YouTube link, as Facebook’s algorithm tends to prioritize native video content (the same applies to LinkedIn).

Instagram

While Instagram isn’t always the go-to platform for lawyers, 31% of AmLaw 200 firms are using it now. Instagram is gaining a lot of traction with 1 billion active users. If you are posting video to your newsfeed, remember that the maximum video length is 60 seconds. However, aim for about 30 seconds since that is the optimum length. Users on Instagram tend to want to scroll through content, not stop to watch a long video. Even so, Instagram Stories and Instagram TV (IGTV) are growing tools for lawyers and other businesses. Users can post videos longer than a minute and up to 15 minutes to Instagram TV (IGTV), and you can post content viewable for 24 hours to Instagram Stories. Add creative touches such as unique captions, GIFs, music features, or polling to make your videos more engaging. You can also create live videos on Instagram as with Facebook. Lastly, Instagram is one platform where you cannot neglect hashtags, as they maximize visibility.

LinkedIn

In contrast to other social networks, LinkedIn’s main purpose is professional networking. So how can video benefit lawyers and law firms in this space? Testimonials and case studies are great options for showcasing your experience and building trust with your connections. Lawyers can turn thought leadership articles into short video briefs which are sure to stand out in your followers’ feeds amongst text posts. Also, it’s easy to turn a 30-60 second snippet of your podcast into a video clip to share to your followers on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn also allows Company Pages to use videos as sponsored content within the paid advertising aspect of the platform. Since videos typically receive more engagement, they’re a great choice to use in a paid social campaign.  

Twitter

Consider using video on Twitter as a way to “tease” full-length content that can be found on your law firm’s website. Twitter users watch an incredibly high percentage of videos on mobile devices (up to 93 percent), so ensure they are mobile optimized. Use captions so users can watch even on mute, since Twitter videos are automatically muted. While the maximum length of time you can upload is 2 minutes and 20 seconds, try to keep all Twitter videos under 30 seconds since Twitter users prefer short and to the point content. Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of trends like hashtags and breaking news. Use Twitter video to provide your opinion on a new legislation or court order.

YouTube

YouTube is still a key player in video for social media. Consider YouTube to be a “digital library” where you can store a repository of video content that can be organized into various playlists by topic. For optimal engagement, you should try to make your videos about two minutes in length. YouTube is where users go for more in-depth information, but they still do not want to spend too much time. This is where you could put more informational content, such as clips of past webinars, practice area FAQ, breakdowns of legal terminology, etc. Other types of videos to include on your law firm’s YouTube channel are recruitment videos. When potential new hires are researching law firms to find the right fit, video can be a nice way to give them a glimpse into your company culture and values. Be sure to include a link to your website within your video’s description and research which keywords to include in the tags, title, and description.

Takeaway

In an era where clients come first, you need to tailor your law firm’s video content to what your audience is interested in. Videos are perhaps the most engaging type of content on social media which means you’re missing out on visibility if you’re not using videos to promote your firm. Video production may seem daunting, but you can easily record yourself on your smartphone and promote your message across social channels.

Need help incorporating video into your law firm’s social media strategy? We help lawyers and law firms drive engagement, grow their brand, and generate leads through strategic video marketing. Contact us today to discuss your video marketing objectives and the ways in which we can help.

Originally published on Aug 3, 2018.

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