You might have been under the impression that YouTube was solely for the purpose of posting videos of the Harlem Shake, badly made image collages soundtracked by music, or embarrassing wedding videos. However, it has begun to emerge as an important part of the marketing platform for many businesses - including in the legal sector, as it offers something that others just can't provide. So, what is it about YouTube that makes it such an attractive option, and how do you use it?
1. Use it to enhance your internet marketing. It's important that any YouTube profile you create for your business is tied into the rest of your branding and marketing strategy, rather than being a standalone strand. It should be used to deepen trust with your business and to enhance its credibility - if it differs too much then this will create mistrust and could alienate existing clients.
2. Use YouTube to humanise. One of the biggest benefits of YouTube as a platform is that it offers the chance to give a human face to your brand. The legal sector as a whole often suffers from a lack of connection with a large proportion of the public so this is a great way to put a face to the brand. Whether you choose to upload informative videos, staff introductions or some kind of industry guide, this is a great opportunity to show how professional, well informed and easy to talk to your team really are.
3. Use it to deliver value. Everyone is trying to get a nose ahead of the competition in the legal market at the moment, and if you can use your YouTube channel to provide something of genuine value then you will stand out. Information and practical guides tend to be predominantly what the public is looking for from the legal sector and it is very easy to use YouTube to do this. Plus, creating a series of something useful like this will ensure that people return again and again to the YouTube channel you have created.
4. Remember to integrate. One of the great things about YouTube is that you can tie it in to a number of other platforms and maximise the reach of the content that you are creating. Post to twitter, embed on your website, add to a Facebook status or include in an email and watch the influence of the content spread.
5. Don't forget the production. You don't need a full film crew to produce a decent YouTube video but you do need to put some thought into what the finished product is going to look - and sound - like. As for anything that you send out into the marketing sphere with your branding on, if it isn't particularly impressive it could do more harm than good. A decent microphone will ensure that the sound never detracts from the picture, but other than that you really don't need anything more than a smart phone camera to make a great video.
If you haven't yet begun to incorporate YouTube into your digital marketing platform then it might be time to think about doing it. Not only will it enhance the profile of the brand, as well as its appeal, but if you're just savvy enough you might just be able to create something that goes viral - the ultimate accolade for any YouTube content.