As reported by The New York Times:

Online video is becoming a first stop for many customers. It is akin to what the Web page was a decade ago — something that can give early adopters an edge over competitors. It gives them a channel to talk directly to customers in ways previously accessible only to large companies that could afford TV advertisements.

As Google continues to increase the visibility of videos in its universal search results, the value of producing videos for your business will undoubtedly continue to rise. However, like other forms of web content, not all videos are created equal.

If you go to YouTube and perform a quick search for lawyer, it is likely that you will find an abundance of very poorly executed lawyer video advertisements. These are remnants from the TV and Yellow Pages advertising days. They are simply ineffective on the web. Here's why. People use the Internet for a variety of reasons. However, looking for advertisements simply isn't one of them. If you want to advertise online, buy advertising. It's that simple. Then compare the performance of your online advertisements to other web strategies (like blogging).I bet that you will find that there is really no comparison. That's not to say that online advertising is bad. It's just different.

Effective online videos do provide early adopters a competitive advantage. In other words, as of now, there's a lot less competition for video visibility than there is for organic search visibility. However, how will the consumer react when they do see your video? Will you have provided them with something helpful? Or will you have told them how awesome you are?