More and more law firms, businesses and other organizations are using video to show people how they are different. There are so many reasons to use video. To scratch the surface, it is a personal approach to instantly making an impression. There is so much emotion and information that can be portrayed in a 90 second video that can not be read in a 300 word document or on a website. Here are a few stats to consider:

• 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute on You Tube, resulting in nearly 8 years of content uploaded every day.
• You Tube reports to have hundreds of millions of users from around the world.
• Using video on a website improves its search engine results dramatically. Google, which owns YouTube, can detect the code for video online and favors websites with video.

These stats are staggering and grow every day.  So, where do you start?  Here are a few tips for using video on your website:

• Don’t be a talking head.  Move when you speak, use moderate hand gestures and pleasant body language.  Try standing up and walking slowly as you speak.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Steer clear of major distractions like other people moving close to you in the background. Be in a clean environment, but not too plain and sterile.
• Talk about a topic that is important to your audience.  Be conversational about an important issue, but don’t be alarmist or blasé.
• Keep it brief– 90 seconds to 2 minutes is great.  You risk losing people before you are done if it is too long.
• Use a professional.  Don’t set yourself up in front of your webcam or iPhone.  Yes, you can get video, but it will look homemade and not make a good impression. Professionals know how to use light, sound and props to your benefit.
• Edit your content and intersperse it with still images as well as “B” role that is related to the topic you are discussing.

Video can be a great way to show your personality to a prospective client.  With the right approach, a video can be a very effective way to show your acumen while giving people a sneak peak at who you are and how you communicate.  If they like what they see, it will increase your chance of being contacted and hired.