Here’s a statistic that is hard to wrap your head around: almost 5 billion online videos are viewed on YouTube every day.

YouTube also says that its 30 million daily visitors watch more than 3.5 billion hours of online video each month. Clearly consumers are migrating more to the visual than text to consume content that interests them.

Online video is a great way for attorneys to connect with prospects on your law firm website and on your social media platforms to effectively demonstrate expertise in your area of practice.

Beyond the YouTube stats that demonstrate virtually everyone is viewing video online, here are 6 more reasons why video belongs in your legal marketing mix:

1. Better search results. According to Forrester Research, websites with video are 53x more likely than traditional websites to be found on the first page of Google search results. (You do know that Google owns YouTube, right?)

2. Better retention. Forrester Research found that people retain 58% more with both visual and auditory stimulation.

3. More traffic. Forrester Research reports that over 60% of all web traffic comes from online video.

4. More likely to buy. People who view a video are 64% more likely to purchase (comScore).

5. Found in the C-Suite. 65% of senior executives say they have visited a vendor website after watching a video. 59% say they prefer video to text. (Forbes’ Video in the C-Suite).

6. More likely to be shared. Video has the best potential to be shared and go viral compared with other media.

In fact, videos are one of the best ways to convert prospects into paying clients. Humans are visual beings and when we watch someone talking on video, we see their expressions, hear their tone and can begin to feel a shared reality with the person we are looking to do business with.

You do not need to spend a fortune getting these done. The most important things to remember are:

1. Make sure the lighting is good and the audio is clear. Studies show that while people will watch a less-than-perfect visual, they will NOT tolerate poor audio quality.

2. Stand up when you record the video, you exude more energy and personality that way.

3. Each video should be no more than 3 minutes (recording FAQs is a great place to start).

4. Be enthusiastic and compassionate in your videos — people do business with people they know, like and trust.