Camera Shy? How to Cure Your Fear of Video Marketing for Lawyers

Video Marketing for Lawyers

Mention video marketing to most business owners and they’ll immediately develop a phobia of public speaking. Even many attorneys who are used to speaking in front of large groups and are comfortable with doing so shy away from video marketing. Video marketing for lawyers is one of the most powerful tools available to law firms.

Unfortunately, this means they’re missing out on a huge marketing opportunity.

If you’re letting fear prevent you from jumping into the video marketing world, it’s time to overcome that fear. Video is one of the best ways to connect with your audience and create a genuine foundation of trust. Using video to communicate with your audience establishes long-term connections and gain you a very loyal following.

But to make the most of video marketing, you need to offer a look into your authentic self. Many people feel uncomfortable on video or they try to be something they are not. The key to successfully using video marketing is to offer a genuine look into who you are as an attorney. You’ll need to overcome your inner critic and create an environment that allows you to offer genuine information.

What are a few things you can do to overcome your camera shyness if video marketing is something you’d like to try?

Don’t Be a Perfectionist

Some people get hung up on making their video marketing efforts perfect. This is the fastest way to make something seem disingenuous and uncomfortable.

The key to using video content effectively is connection, not perfection. Viewers of your video won’t care if everything is perfect, they’ll care if you seem at ease and interested in helping them.

You need to put effort into creating videos, but you don’t need to worry about rehearsing everything until it’s perfect or creating a video that’s on-par with a Hollywood-edited piece of work.

Embrace Your Nervousness

If you’re just jumping into video marketing, you’ll be nervous. That’s okay.

The key to overcoming your nerves is to take the focus off of you and put it onto your audience. You’re a conduit for information. Viewers are interested in what you have to say and will focus on the information you provide.

Once you’re able to get out of your head and focus on what you’re providing to your audience, your nerves will likely ease.

It also helps to act as if you are speaking to one person. Instead of telling yourself how nervous you are about making a video for the internet to see, pretend you are meeting with one person and sharing knowledge with them. The same “ideal client” approach you use for creating other content is just as effective when you’re using video marketing.

Create a Script, But Throw It In the Garbage Before Hitting Record

Maybe “throw it in the garbage” is a little over-the-top. But the important thing to remember is that you don’t want to memorize or read from a script when speaking to the camera.

Instead, create a basic script where you touch on the key points you want to talk about. It can include a decent amount of detail depending on the length of the video, as long as you don’t find yourself looking down at it and reading. You also don’t want to create cue cards that are so detailed that it sounds like you’re reading.

Great marketing videos are conversational. They feel natural, but they also offer a great deal of information. Many of the same rules you learned regarding public speaking apply to making videos, but with a video, your audience won’t be listening in real-time.

Start Small

There’s no reason to jump in with both feet when you begin making video content. As tempting as it might be to convert extra office space into a studio, invest in thousands of dollars of equipment, and hire a professional editing team, it’s important to be smart about your investment.

Starting with a short video about one specific topic and expanding from there ensures you gradually gain more knowledge about video marketing. You’ll learn what appeals to your audience and how to reach potential clients with this new tool.