WARNING: This list is not for the thin-skinned or faint-hearted lawyer.

1. You don't know why you should.

2. Nobody would want to watch you anyway (except your family).

3. You're lazy.

4. You like the # of calls you're getting from the yellow pages.

5. You have no desire to market yourself on the internet.

6. It's beneath you to talk about what you do on camera.

7. You don't look good, and have a radio face.

8. You don't sound good and would rather pay 'talent' to appear for you.

This list is for those attorneys who fail to take action when presented with the opportunity to dominate their area of lawthe power of video marketing. Let's face it; the yellow pages are dying and lawyer directories don't distinguish you from any other lawyer. TV, radio and display ads are expensive.

You created a website to tell the world what you do, hoping that somehow, someone looking for a lawyer online will find your website and despite compelling odds, choose to call you instead of your competitor down the street. You don't update your website often. You don't write a blog. Nor do you give your viewer a compelling reason to call you.

At this point, you might as well give up now and continue to complain to friends and colleagues about how bad your law business is in this economy. This mindset reminds me of a character in the book "Our Iceberg is Melting" by John Kotter. The character is a penguin (all the characters are penguins) who is always pessimistic and they call him "No-no." Why? Because every suggestion, even good ones, are turned away by "No-no." Nothing is ever good enough to warrant a "Yes" from him.

Why does your yellow pages ad stink? Because it's just like all the others. Why doesn't your offline advertising bring in business? Because as marketing guru Mark Stevens says "Your advertising sucks."

Nothing's working for you. Business is way down and you don't know how video can improve your marketing. To you, video looks like a waste of time and money. For the pessimist it will be. However, if you have a positive outlook and a good mindset, then creating video can dramatically improve your ability to effectively and ethically market your law practice.

Video allows a viewer to hear you; see you and begin to trust you.

Now here's my warning:

If you really look like a schlump, dress poorly and are not confident, then DO NOT create video. If your prospective clients are afraid to meet you because of your looks or inability to converse and interact with them, you might want to consider being an attorney who has limited contact with clients and focus your strengths on the law. Leave the marketing to someone more dynamic in your firm or hire talent to appear on camera for you.

Will you start creating video to market your law practice? Only you can answer that question.