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Originally Posted On: https://brantleydavisadagency.com/law-firm-marketing-how-youtube-advertising-can-help-law-firms-reach-more-clients/

 

Law Firm Marketing: How Youtube Advertising Can Help Law Firms Reach More Clients

Admit it.  You spent at least 45 minutes last night watching videos about your favorite topic on  Youtube.  Well, you’re not alone.  Youtube is the most popular streaming platform. And with plans to test a free hub for streaming, Youtube’s popularity is set to grow even more.  Yet surprisingly, many personal injury law firms don’t include Youtube in their law firm marketing plan.  Brantley Davis thinks that’s a mistake.  He runs a law firm marketing ad agency in Washington D.C, Brantley Davis Ad Agency.

“Youtube is a powerful part of the media mix in every one of our law firm markets across the country.  We simply view it as another TV station,” explained Davis.  “And I know it works because we use Youtube exclusively in some markets and it generates solid law firm cases month after month.”   

Davis’ ad agency employs proprietary tactics on Youtube developed over years of trial and error.  But he says even novices can mount successful Youtube campaigns for law firms because so few law firms are using the platform.  

For law firms, Youtube advertising provides a unique opportunity to reach a wider audience than ever before with targeting capabilities not available on other media like broadcast TV. And Youtube can also be less expensive and more flexible from a budget perspective than other channels.  So, there’s a lot to like about Youtube.  But before you launch your new ad campaign, here are some basic guidelines to creating a successful Youtube presence for your law firm.   

What is Youtube Advertising?

Youtube ads are a form of online marketing that allows law firm advertisers to promote their products on Youtube. This allows advertisers to direct their ads to specific demographics and increase their brand awareness. There are a variety of different ad formats available 

that allow advertisers to promote their products in different ways. These include: 

• Video Ads – Video ads are the standard form of advertising on Youtube. Video ads appear before a user’s video and can either be skippable (15 seconds) or unskippable (30 seconds). 
•  In-feed Video Ads – In-feed video ads are designed to appeal to a user’s sense of sight. These are typically images and text which appear on a user’s screen. 
• Bumper Ads – Short video ads to catch the attention of  the viewer.
• Outstream Video Ads – Outstream video ads are similar to in-feed video ads, but they only appear on mobile. Instead, they are placed strategically on websites and apps running on Google video partners. 

Benefits of Youtube Advertising for Law Firms

There are many benefits that come with using Youtube advertising to reach potential clients.

• Reach a Wider Audience: Youtube has seen massive growth in recent years  and is used by millions of people every day. In fact, millions of hours of content are watched on the platform daily, making Youtube an ideal platform for law firms to reach a wider audience and expand their client base. 
• Engage New Clients: Youtube ads are designed to engage and inform potential clients. This makes them an ideal tool for law firms to build a strong connection with clients and encourage them to book an appointment. 
• Build a Strong Brand Presence: Branding is an important part of any law firm’s marketing strategy. Youtube ads are designed to help law firms strengthen their branding and create a memorable presence online.
• Save Money: Youtube advertising is a cheaper and more cost effective solution than most other forms of advertising. 
• Stay Connected with Clients: A sizable portion of personal injury law firms’ clients are millennials. These are individuals who are connected to social media and spend a lot of time online.  With Youtube ads, law firms can stay connected with their clients and remain top of mind.

How does Youtube Advertising Work?

There are two steps to setting up an effective youtube ad campaign. First, a law firm must decide which ad format they will use. Then they must create a customized ad that resonates with their target audience. There are three main ad formats on Youtube: 

• Video Ads – Video ads appear before a user’s video and can either be skippable (15 seconds) or unskippable (30 seconds). Video ads are the standard form of advertising on Youtube and are the most common form of advertising found on the platform. 
• In-feed Video Ads – Display ads are designed to appeal to a user’s sense of sight. These are typically images and text which appear on a user’s screen. 
• Outstream Video Ads – Outstream video ads are similar to display ads, but they only appear mobile.  Instead, they are placed strategically on websites and apps running on Google video partners.

Creating an Effective Youtube Ad

When creating an ad, it is important to keep your audience and your goals in mind. The best way to do this is by creating a detailed ad plan and ad brief. An ad plan is a written document that outlines all of the important components of an ad campaign. An ad brief is a one page document that outlines your campaign goals and key ad components. Some of the key components that should be outlined in an ad plan include: 

•  A brief overview of the law firm and their services 
• Objective and goal of the ad 
• The law firm’s target audience 
• Creative strategy behind the ad 
• Budget 
• Timelines 
• The ad’s execution 
• Success metrics 
• Expected results
•  Potential issues and contingencies
• A brief overview of the law firm and their services

The first step in making an effective ad is to clearly outline your law firm’s services and what they do. This will give the user a better idea of what your law firm offers, which can help attract potential clients. For example, if your law firm specializes in bankruptcy, you could include an overview in your ad that states: “We help families through difficult financial situations and end their debt cycle.”

The Objective and Goal of the Ad

Every ad should have a clear objective. This will help keep the ad focused and ensure that the ad is as effective as possible. There are many ways that you can use your ad to reach potential clients and increase your law firm’s visibility. Some examples include: 

• Driving traffic to your website 
• Driving traffic to your appointments page 
• Increasing your brand awareness 
• Building your email list 
• Increasing your website’s organic traffic 
• Driving traffic to your social media pages 
• Increasing inbound leads

The Law Firm’s Target Audience

Knowing exactly who you are trying to reach will help you create an effective ad. If you are unsure who your target audience is, try making a short survey or poll that you can post online. This will help you discover who your target audience is and identify any potential areas of improvement. If you are unsure what platform to use, there are a few options. You can use Facebook or Google surveys to get a better idea of your target audience. 

The Ad’s Creative

The ad’s creative is the visual element of the ad. There are a few key elements to keep in mind when creating the visual side of your ad. The visual should be clear and concise, engaging and focused on the benefits to the consumer.  And if possible, make the visual shareable.  

The Ad’s Budget

The advertising budget is a crucial element of any campaign. It is important to know exactly how much your campaign will cost and when to end the campaign. A campaign’s length is essential because it will determine how much it will cost. The best way to determine your ad’s budget is by calculating your ad spend. You can do this by multiplying your daily ad spend by the number of days in your campaign. A good rule of thumb is to spend 30% of your total budget on the first week of your campaign.

The Ad’s Expected Results

The ad’s expected results are the benefits that you hope to gain from the campaign. These results should be realistic and achievable. They should also be related to the campaign’s goal. For example, if your goal is to drive traffic to your website, your expected results might be: – More website traffic – Higher-quality leads – Increased brand awareness – More website conversions – More appointments booked

Potential Issues and Contingencies

Once you have created your ad campaigns and published them, it is important to keep an eye on how they are performing. This will help you identify any potential issues that might arise and take action to correct them as quickly as possible. The best way to monitor your campaign’s performance is by creating a Google dashboard. If you notice that your ads are not working or are not reaching the right people, it is important to make a change as soon as possible.