This is an illustrated audio podcast.

The year 2020 happened and we have a worldwide pandemic that devasted traditional business development in the US. But all is not lost, because we have video.

• YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine.
• Half of all YouTube users visit the site every day.
• Online video accounts for 80% of all online traffic.

Videos are how you get people to know, trust, and like you. These are the three critical elements of successful business development. If someone has seen you in a video, they feel like they've met you. Your visual presence is compelling and will help you sell.

I started a video channel seven years ago, now have 190 videos online. See https://www.youtube.com/c/LarryBodine/videos. One of my top videos has  gotten 2,100 views – “4 Critical Step Steps To Become A Rainmaker” at https://bit.ly/BodineVideo  

Initially, I wanted to present a polished presentation, so I recorded videos in a studio – where you can add captions, make edits, and have two cameras running. You can edit out “ums,” “ahs,” “you know” and verbal stumbles.

But nowadays people prefer something a little more authentic. They don't like a glitzy polished video; they want something personal and genuine.

Become a master of Zoom

I've put my emphasis on Zoom videos -- 90% of people use Zoom for work.

It allows you to reach a huge audience. For example, I attended the International Bar Association meeting last September. There were hundreds of attendees from all across the planet meeting online. Now I have the video, which I can use to promote my own good works.

Suppose you have a speech to give. There are no live audiences anymore,  – so you can conduct a solo Zoom session where you're talking into the camera. Obviously, nothing is as good as being in person, but a good Zoom lecture is something people enjoy.

You can get somebody else in your firm to interview you -- a partner in your practice or an attorney who is a referral source. You can send the Zoom link to your mailing list, and the other person can send it to their list.

Can record a panel discussion using the Webinar function. It can set up so that only the speakers appear -- not the checkerboard of attendees. You can edit out verbal stumbles or pause, start over, and pick it up from there. You can add graphics, captions, and links.

Do an intro video, telling your story as an attorney, how you got started in law, what you do for people, and what it's like to be a client of yours. Smart attorneys talk about the questions they get asked when the client calls on the phone. Take that question, tell a story about it, talk about how you encountered the situation before, and go through all practices you want to promote.

If you are promoting a new practice area, invite another attorney to be in the Zoom call. This way, you display two people talking -- it's interactive, and it's more engaging to watch two people talking to each other.

Tell viewers everything

Give away the store, tell them everything, everything you would do. This demonstrates you know what talking about. Clients won't try to do the legal work themselves but instead will hire you. So, the more you talk about the solution, the better.

Clients will see how complicated the legal question is, and they'll also see how competent you are. The more videos you have, the more that potential clients can forward it to friends who have the same problem. Potential clients are looking to solve the legal problem; they're not looking for an attorney. But they'll do a search and find an attorney in a video who gave them the answer, and that will be the attorney they will hire.

The more detail an attorney can go into a video, the better. It's hard to discuss legal problems in 90 seconds, and there is nothing wrong with going longer. The key thing is attorneys must hook the viewer, the potential client, and say at the outside what you're going to talk about. That different from how many attorneys think. Think like a newspaper reporter – tell them what the answer is right at the outset. Once they hear that, they'll stick around for the details.  

You must have a call to action. What do you want the viewer to do -- subscribe to your NL, go to your website, or give you a phone call? You've got to tell people what they're supposed to do next.

The hardest thing for attorneys to do is to ask for the business. You can simply say, “What's the next step?” or “When would you like to make an appointment?”

How to look good on video.

I'm astonished how much bad Zoom video is out there. I recommend you:

• Adjust the screen or camera so that you're right in the middle. Don't sit six feet away, don't sit six 6 inches away -- find a good midpoint.
• Look at the camera. Smile. Please don't give them your resting grouchy face.
• Pay attention to what you're wearing. Don't be on Zoom wearing a T-shirt. Have a “Zoom shirt” to pull off the shelf, so you look sharp and look like a lawyer.
• Pay attention to the lighting. You should look into a bright light or a bright window. Don't put yourself in a deep dark background.
• Pay attention to your background. Many lawyers are working from home now, but don't record a video in the bedroom, garage, or basement. Do it in an office. Push the bedroom furniture out of the picture.
• Zoom backgrounds are not sharp. I recommend you don't use them. Instead, go to a video store and buy a nice background – a sheet you can put on a stand -- for $20.

For more information, visit:

www.LarryBodine.com

www.youtube.com/c/LarryBodine/videos