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Big Ideas

  • Happily Ever After–Managing Brand Integration in a Merger—Happy Market

    By

    Posted on April 17, 2012 at 11:47 am



    Forget about March Madness. The first quarter of 2012 was Merger Madness, with 20 U.S. and 19 international law firms completing mergers in the last few months, according to a report issued recently the Hildebrandt Institute, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters. The US side represents an upswing of 43% in mergers over the same period in 2011. Those mergers took place across the country.

    Mergers are clearly a trend on the rise in this difficult economic time, as businesses struggle to stay competitive. So, if your firm is one of the many contemplating a merger, what should you do to manage the process smoothly while ensuring your new brand reflects both you and your new partner equitably and memorably?

    Timing is everything.
    Usually, by the time a merger hits our desks, there’s very little time left to act. Time is precious since the public announcement usually quickly follows the partnership vote. Ironically, enduring goodwill can hinge on the very first act the merged parties undertake: the combined firm’s new identity. And it’s inevitably the last item on the list for consideration. At the twelfth hour, we often get the call asking for help in negotiating the new name of the merged firm.

    Start early.
    We urge you to have your message in hand by the time the merger is an agreement in principle. From that moment, the clock is ticking. Forget a full-blown communications strategy; you need to click into implementation mode. You have a maximum of 100 days to generate a public face for the new firm while the merger is still news. The sooner you’re ready, the greater the impact. Sell from the inside out.

    Get ready, get set, go!
    Once the deal is real, a merger is all about integration—from day one to day 1,000. Marketing and internal communications can play an important role by creating and developing the new firm’s message to the world. Helping the firm’s attorneys understand and articulate the benefits of the merger isn’t always easy—but it’s critical to reassuring clients who are concerned about clashes of culture, conflicts of interest and cost increases.

    Assemble the perfect merger team.
    The merger team defines the message to clients and sparks the enthusiasm that makes it memorable. In addition to the managing partners of both firms, the perfect merger team usually includes several of their trusted lieutenants, marketing leaders from both firms (unless another understanding exists) and communications experts in public relations, brand design and advertising.

    Even in the most amicable mergers, where compensation and client conflict issues are settled early, agreeing on the new name and visual identity of the firm can create frustrating stumbling blocks.

    Who (besides the client) cares?
    Your merger will be news, not only for clients, but for the legal community, your consultants and partners as well. The merger announcement offers an opportune moment to reveal a credible, well thought-out strategy for your firm’s attorneys, other professionals and staff, recruits referral sources and friendly reporters. They all care in different ways. And their cooperation and enthusiasm are central to your success.

    Your people—partners, associates and staff—will be the ambassadors and spokespeople for your merger. Remember that associates and staff have different issues than partners. So speak directly to their concerns about layoffs, office and practice realignments and other issues. Your goal is to turn skeptics into allies, and allies into cheerleaders.

    Clients, clients, clients.
    Assure clients first and foremost that their service will be uninterrupted. If conflicts exist, tackle them head-on. Second, your message needs to be about how the merger will benefit clients, that great things will come their way as a result of this merger, such as deeper bandwidth, expanded reach in key markets and access to more diverse talent.

    The media.
    You’re in the headlines, so make the most of it! Your PR team will help you imagine every negative scenario and develop a positive answer for it. Expect competitors to have the negative spin. Have a counterpunch ready. Plan ahead to turn problems into opportunities.

    To learn how we can help your firm smooth the way through a merger, call Burkey Belser (202.775.0333) or Joe Walsh (207.553.9030).

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  • Your Website’s First Impression: Was It Good For You?

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    Posted on March 26, 2012 at 11:47 am



    First impressions count and, as you’ve guessed, you don’t get a second chance. The first tangible evidence a buyer has of most firms is their website. We all agree, right, that your website must be compelling? Yet time after time, businesses introduce themselves to the world with an unfocused message, trite images and rubbery language that fail to convey a personality or brand to the viewer.

    There are lots of traps: decorative, unconsidered images, blah-blah-blah me-too messages and generally lazy communication. We’ve said this before, but let’s start at the beginning: What is your brand message? Do the images support that message and are they compelling/riveting/thoughtful? Is the site easy to navigate? Are there interactive features that stop you in your tracks—awesome video or compelling animation? Are you engaged by your own site? Yow! Hard standard, right? If you are not, chances are good your prospective clients won’t be, either.

    Home Page. Even though 55% of today’s visitors do not come in through your home page, do not doubt that your home page is where the heart of your firm’s image begins. It’s your elevator pitch, not your newsroom. It’s your runway, not your sewing room. It’s your outer diva, not your inner fears. Shine. First impressions count.

    Oh, yeah, remember viewers don’t always arrive on your home page first, so while your home page really, really ought to razzle-dazzle them, it is equally important that your internal pages are easy to read, eye-catching and smart.

    The About Us section is your living room. Make your visitors feel welcome. Let them know your firm cares about their goals. A welcoming message from management? You bet. A video about client service? Better. A history of the firm? Well, maybe, particularly if you match it to Facebook’s new timeline feature. Be the first on your block. That could be cool. Also, tap clients for gushing quotes and accolades to be posted to this section—kind of like pictures of the family.

    Your Services pages are the doors to your mall. Make your “mall map” easy to use. Deliver substantive information graphically for easy consumption. Use case studies to prove your point, as well as rankings from industry publications and testimonials. This is also a good place to mention fast facts, awards and news that support the brand message. And make sure these pages are easy to negotiate. Organize these complex pages but don’t make the client work to find information.

    Great marketing previews what it is like to work for you. Biographies give you the opportunity to show what it’s like to work with you in advance of the meeting, so lean on the human side. Do bios portray your professionals as important, confident and leaders in their field? One non-verbal strategy to achieve importance is a photograph that’s dramatic and bold. Feature quotes from professionals talking about their work and how they do business… but not about themselves!

    News, events and articles are thought leadership tools. They establish the firm as active in its areas of expertise. They also cross sell the firm’s services. Avoid making this archive look like a card catalogue. Instead, imagine a news site and how those sites convey the same information like magazines, with headlines and subheadings that celebrate the news. Capitalize on the opportunity to deploy your search engine marketing strategy here. Use target keywords in everything from the back end code of the page to the links within the article that can lead search engines to rank your pages higher. Use these frequently updated pages to feed other pages of the site such as practice areas or service pages.

    Recruiting has gone social, no two ways about it. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are de rigueur. Career section? Yes, fun and engaging is the goal. But what really attracts the best and brightest? Forgive us, but in no small measure, it is style. Cool, authentic, real style.

    Mobile. Big surprise. U.S. mobile web usage grew by an astounding 148% worldwide last year, according to TechCrunch. A huge number of consumers therefore access the Internet through mobile devices and this is expanding rapidly. It is imperative firms have a smart mobile site that displays highlights of the firm designed for the small screen.

    We’ve got deep thoughts about every page of your website, including the 404 Error page. If you want help soul searching your current site, why go it alone when we are here to help?

    Visit our Brand Thinking Blog to find out about G/B’s past five years of website design. Also see our suite of professional service website development capabilities.

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  • Social Media Tools Communicate Brand Measurably

    By and

    Posted on February 23, 2012 at 12:09 pm



    Trying it vs. Liking it: changing perceptions to social media and ROIMore and more marketers like social media as a tool for demonstrating return on investment.For much of the last decade, social media was something most firms experimented with, tentatively, instead of investing in wholeheartedly. Firms tried social media as another tough to measure tool to raise awareness or make connections. They created a presence on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, but with a healthy skepticism about ROI. More often than not, they dabbled in social media because they feared falling behind, instead of aiming to move measurably ahead. Corporate presences on FB and LinkedIn only happened in the last few years.

    Also, we could always measure social media, but the tools were not as well integrated and as descriptive as they are now.

    A new report by Marketing Sherpa, 2011 Social Marketing Benchmark, details a number of findings that show perceptions of social media as little more than a time draining experiment are changing. And changing fast.

    Marketing Sherpa interviewed over 3,300 social media marketers. The report notes an important distinction in marketers’ attitudes that are directly related to how evolved a firm’s social media program has become. It breaks down social media programs into three stages: trial, transitional and strategic. “Achieving or increasing measurable ROI from social marketing programs” between CMOs in the strategic phase (63%) and those in the trial phase (35%). Strategic phase social marketers are much more likely to have the monetization of this channel under way.

    The report found that investment in social media has been steadily increasing over the last few years: “Twenty percent of CMOs said that social marketing is producing a measurable ROI for their organization, and that they would continue to invest in this tactic. This percentage has nearly tripled from 7% a year ago and the perception of social marketing’s value continues to improve.” (http://www.meclabs.com/training/publications/benchmark-report/2011-social-marketing)

    Firms who have come to see social media channels as ways to build brand and save on many of the costs associated with research, recruitment and advertising are far more likely to understand its actual value. Amy Jo Martin, writing in the Harvard Business Review, suggests looking at social media as a communication conduit as essential as the telephone: “Truth is, companies monetize the telephone quite well, and if you don’t think so, take away your company’s phones and see what happens to your top and bottom lines. Likewise, companies can monetize social media, but they have to stop thinking about it as a way to market products and start thinking about it as a way to communicate brand.”

    You may think this trend is limited to products-based sellers. After all, using social media to expand the reach of traditional media, run promotions, offer discounts to loyal followers or use Twitter as a focus group is now common for companies like Nike and Coca-Cola. But the fact is that professional service firms are also stepping up their social media efforts. A recent Martindale/Burson Marstellar study noted that law firms are increasing their social media output, often creatively: “these range from using Facebook with supporting YouTube videos for graduate recruitment to leveraging LinkedIn’s public and private discussion groups for employees.” (http://blog.martindale.com/think-social-media-is-a-waste-of-time-your-competitors-don’t.) This trend should not be surprising. Law firms thrive on personal relationships – for repeat business, referrals, word-of-mouth. Social media provides a myriad of avenues to connect personally, providing direct, timely and cost-effective ways to communicate with current and potential clients. Likewise, accounting firms have also escalated their input, finding social media programs increase referrals and word-of-mouth. CPAmerica International likens taking advantage of social media to handing out business cards, attending events and other forms of networking professional service marketing staples. (http://blog.cpamerica.org/tag/social-media-2/)

    As confidence in the utility and measurability of social media continues to grow, expect to see more professional services firms use the medium in recruiting, promoting expertise, monitoring reputation, conducting research and, of course, deepening the client relationships that are the cornerstone of professional service work. Also, expect more and more focus on demonstrable return on investment.

    Who wouldn’t like that?
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  • ROInterest

    By and

    Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:25 pm



    Like many of you, we’ve learned that the highest immediate return on marketing dollars is realized in interviews with existing clients.

    Think about it. The cost of interviews with a professional interviewer is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500 per client. Let’s do the math. $1.5k is less than a quarter-page ad in a glossy trade or a table at a charity event. Hmmm. Nothing against ads or the rubber chicken dinner circuit (we do each regularly and believe in the long-term value of both), but for immediate returns, smart marketers also invest in client interviews.

    Done right, client interviews are a demonstration of genuine interest. They show that you listen, they strengthen bonds, discover growth opportunities, reveal service issues (large or small), unearth personality conflicts or broadly spot cracks in the relationship foundation. In short, they have a direct link to preserving and increasing revenue. Don’t take our word for it:

    “The fact that they are even bothering to conduct this interview with me makes me think much more highly of them and makes me think they truly value this relationship, which bodes well for the future.” –Law Firm Client

    “They are the only outside firm that does this client interview and that’s very valuable to me. And quite honestly, with the cost pressures I face internally, it’s easier to talk about that with you than with them directly.” –Law Firm Client

    “Just asking, ‘Are we doing a good job? Is there anything else we can do?’ They learn about the business that way.” –Accounting Firm Client

    “We’ve been a client for decades, we even share the same building but rarely see each other … in ways we feel like we are taken for granted, like an old marriage where you drift apart under the same roof.” –Law Firm Client

    I’d like to do interviews, but face the “over your dead body” issue.

    There are too many on the client front lines that don’t understand (or fear) the difference between their chats with a client and an in-depth interview designed to elicit deep-seated emotional reactions and root causes of problems.

    We’ve often heard partners and managing directors dismiss formal client feedback programs with, “I keep in touch with my clients; I’d know if there were a problem.” Unfortunately, it is too often the case that they only think they would know if there were a problem.

    Keeping in touch with their clients, while critical, tends to be social or issue-specific. Not rising to the level of a formal client interview, it fails to address details of problems or even potential business opportunities.

    How do you overcome “powerful” internal objections to client interviews or satisfaction programs? That’s a management issue, not marketing, but maybe we can help. If you can’t get backing from your firm’s top leadership, a champion from the partnership can still help you get started. With the right advocate, it takes only a success story or two to get the ball rolling.

    I’m going to do (or do more) interviews; how do I do them right?

    Assuming you can get the program launched, how do you make the most of your investment? Here’s some guidance:

    Choose the right technique
    Sounds rudimentary, but client interviews need to be interviews. With the best intentions, many firms, in lieu of interviews, elect to send anonymous mail or web surveys. They drop a survey in the mail. Or send out a web survey as a link in an email. Write ‘em up. Send ‘em out. Easy, right?

    Wrong.

    Your clients are sophisticated decision-makers who expect your personal interest. Something faceless mail or a web survey can’t provide. A mail survey does little to reassure a client that you really care about what they think or are prepared to act on their response. If you’re asking them to remain anonymous, that’s precisely how they’ll feel.

    Moreover, with anonymity, you can’t take specific action. You don’t get to ask a follow-up question. And the lack of personal interaction prevents the client from telling you about a lurking issue your initial question may not have anticipated. In a good phone interview under the right circumstances, you’ll find out information you didn’t anticipate discovering. That is, if you’re asking the right questions the right way.

    Treat the interview as a conversation, not a questionnaire
    When firms are looking to survey their clients, they spend a huge amount of time and resources designing the questions they want to ask. They want to be able to draw statistically valid conclusions about their client base, therefore eliminating any chance of “interviewer bias.”

    Certainly, having objective feedback is important. But when the people matter as much, or more, than the end product, then the manner and method of the interview are at least as important as the questions that are asked!

    This is about relationships, not statistics, (although you can have both). But no matter how beautifully designed your questions, to be effective they must appear to your clients as a conversation; colleague-to-colleague.

    Ask questions the right way
    What do you really want from your clients in interviews? You want the truth. You want them to be forthcoming. How do you get that? Imagine your best friend just found out that their father was admitted to the hospital with a form of cancer. You can question your friend as a friend or as an interlocutor at a call center. Here’s how the latter works:

    “I just heard about your father. What hospital is he in?”
    “St. Luke’s.”
    “When was he admitted?”
    “Late last night; I was still at work.”
    “Who is his doctor?”
    “Dr. Know-It-All. I don’t like him, but everyone says he’s the best.”
    “What’s going to happen next? Will they run some tests?”
    “Yes, he’s scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow; that’s kinda scary.”
    “Are you optimistic about the outcome?”
    “Yes.”

    Now imagine you respond like a real friend:
    “Wow, I just heard about your father. How are you holding up?”
    “It’s really stressful. I’m worried to death about him.”
    “I bet. What’s your biggest worry right now?”
    “Honestly, it’s not his diagnosis, but I just don’t know this St. Luke’s hospital; I don’t know anyone who has ever been in there.”
    (pause) “You seem really worked up about that; it’s a big deal, huh?”
    “Well yeah, of course. I mean, he has Dr. Know-It-All working on him, but there’s just something about him … ”
    “Hmmm, so this doctor sounds like he really knows his stuff but something bothers you about him.”

    You may not realize it, but you can have this friend-to-friend (or colleague-to-colleague) conversation and still include standard questions and standard ratings. In the second example, the interviewer is engaged, curious about what’s going on, tracking what the other person is saying and present in the conversation.

    If you don’t have the needed interviewing talent in-house, an experienced interviewer can achieve the same level of empathy, strengthening the relationship between YOU and your client.

    Be prepared to take action
    One misstep we see firms take too often is spending the time and effort to gather client feedback, then ignoring the results. Big mistake. Perhaps the biggest.

    Why?

    Clients expect action. In doing interviews for our clients, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard the interviewee say that it was seemingly pointless to talk to us since “they expressed their issues last year and no action was taken.”

    Your program will pay off only when you acknowledge the raised issues. You are expected to take action with specific steps to correct identified problems and to take advantage of newly discovered opportunities. A best practice is to schedule a face-to-face meeting to assure clients that their feedback is understood and has been addressed.

    “Our firm won new work at top rates, new opportunities in an overseas office and new attorney introductions when our client service team acted on each potential opportunity uncovered by one client interview.” –Law Firm CMO

    Return on interest.
    In a world where ROI is questioned in all marketing activities, client interviews have many advantages, not the least of which is that they should pay for themselves. Beyond the numbers, they are highest forms of interest you can show in a client and they should yield many happy returns.

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  • ‘Tis the Season to be Budgeting

    By

    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 8:36 am



    Yes, it’s that most wonderful time of the year again, budgeting season—something to squeeze in among other merrier, turn-of-the-year activities. So we’ve decided to use this month’s Big Idea to share the most popular items many of our clients and prospects are putting on their project wish lists for 2012 and beyond. If you want to plug in the numbers, call us and we can give you a dollar figure within hours. Here’s what’s on the shopping lists we’ve seen in a flurry of year-end RFPs and other inquiries. Hum along to the titles if it gets you in the budgeting mood (or not):

    All I want for Christmas is my new web site, my new web site…

    If your website is more than three years old, you’re probably out of step with changes in search engine optimization and design opportunities created by improved coding technologies. Not to mention evolving best practices in content, content management, navigation, information design and web visitor expectations. If your site is four or five years old, you’re way overdue for something new. Already have a shiny new site? Don’t forget practice, industry or thought leadership microsites add-ons as part of your overall integrated digital approach.

    Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, websites visible on my phone…

    As we wrote in a Big Idea two issues ago, all the data shows that smart phone adoption in the business world is pervasive. Problem is, more than likely, your desktop website isn’t suitable for viewing on a mobile device. Think about the bottom lines of an eye exam and you’ll get the picture. Have you launched a mobile version of your site? Steve Jobs was not alone imagining a world beyond the desktop. The future is present. Time to get with the times.

    Do you hear what I hear? Do you see what I see?

    The Great Recession dealt a body blow to recruiting but the demand is coming back for recruiting sites and persuasive collateral materials that speak to today’s young professionals. We’re reading in the consulting and accounting trades about a renewed war for talent. Who would have thought? Nothing previews a firm’s personality better than video—not talking heads but creative video that appeals to all our senses. We’re also seeing smart firms adopt video in professional biographies, on industry pages, thought leadership centers and more. Read: video is not just for the campus audience.

    The weather outside is frightful and my collateral is not so delightful…

    If you’ve promised yourself to shape up your brochures, improve your proposals or make over ppt pitch material—rewriting, redesigning—then this is your year. Chances are that things have changed and new things have happened in the past few years in your organization, so why shouldn’t your collateral evolve with them? Speaking of evolution, it’s more than likely that your approach to collateral is text-based. And that needs to change. Research tells us that long-winded narratives—on the Web or in print—don’t get read. We’re all scanners these days. One way to respect scanners is to deliver substantive information in tables, charts, graphs, lists, process diagrams, illustrations or photographs.

    Should old acquaintances be forgot and never brought to mind…

    While the great recession led to a regression in advertising spending by most B2B and professional service firms, this does not mean awareness and preference building challenges have lessened. Recently, we’re seeing new interest in advertising, but it is not returning in the same way: that is, print-only campaigns are going the way of the printing press. Online Adwords campaigns (SEM) and banner advertising are now integrated with offline print (which should still be part of your mix). We’re also seeing smart use of radio, including, but not limited to, public radio sponsorships. Savvy firms are also using surprisingly affordable cable TV spots. Billboards and other out-of-home displays are also value buys this season. Yes, image and general awareness campaigns are still important, but equal dollars are now being spent in industry and service specific areas, closer to the leads. Of course, you can also advertise the unique events you wish to promote—the signature seminars, webinars and tradeshows where you can earn awareness and profile your stars.

    These are a few of my favorite…clients

    You should also consider reviving that annual review to bring clients up-to-date with changes in your organization since your targets last received an updated portrait. If you’ve not done an annual before, we recommend one highly and publish our own each year. The more creative your approach to describing your work, the more appealing you will appear both as an expert and as a business professional. The best annuals serve as temporal firm brochures. They can compliment a firm profile or, if budgets restrict more than one piece, serve as the one and only organizational overview.

    So that’s our list. Check it twice as you make your own. And enjoy the season.

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  • The Big Snore

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    Posted on November 10, 2011 at 10:42 am



    A Census of Video on Professional Services Websites

    We assume the rapid saturation of video across the Internet is not news to our readers. But if you need to embolden your organization’s truculent leaders to jump on the video bandwagon, more information might be helpful. We don’t want to drown you in stats that may be interesting but less than helpful. To wallow in data, go to 101 Online Video Stats to Make Your Eyes Glaze Over. Here you will learn the trend is up, up, up. Just two examples:

    • “82.5% of the U.S. Internet audience viewed a video online” (ComScore, February 2011).
    • Viewers watched 75% more videos online in December 2010 than December 2008 (ComScore, February 2011).

    It’s so tempting to drown you in facts, hoping we might convert unbelievers to the power of video versus words on the Internet – pay close attention: Not “over words,” but “over words on the Internet.” Remember the Internet is a medium in and of itself. Words are a medium within a medium. Video, this giant experiment in communication, has already taught us that communication speed outpaces other communication criteria. For example, beautiful writing in the New Yorker is a fine wine to be savored. We can follow its nose, its nooks and crannies over pages. The Internet is all, now. Maximum efficiency. Instantaneous.

    Efficiency

    This is a teaching interlude. Hang on – it’s worth it.

    Communication is hard. Some would aver that the single biggest challenge in organizational performance is poor communication. As a result, communication has been studied inside and out, upside and down.

    • We are organized into communication types (Meyers Briggs, DISC, Red/Blue/Yellow/Green, etc.).
    • We are taught communication strategies (Talk So Kids Will Listen, Situation-Behavior-Impact, Drama Triangle, Walk the Talk, etc.).
    • We learn that very little communication is accomplished through words.
    • We are nudged toward bulleted lists, tables, charts, maps and diagrams that communicate visually on the ancient premise that a picture is worth a thousand words.
    • We realize that few of us actually communicate well. That’s why only a few rainmakers exist in any organization.

    The most efficient communication delivery system is person-to-person, but even this is significantly flawed. A substitute, with the ability to minimize flaws, is video.

    Keep reading. This argument is building: One important goal of professional services marketing is to preview what it’s like to work with you. Short of meeting you, video comes closest.

    Another factor: There are no rational decisions, only emotional decisions. (There isn’t enough time in this article to prove this to be true. See Reptilian Brain in our Big Ideas on our site.) We connect person-to-person emotionally. A great video of you is a super-efficient sales tool.

    48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, resulting in nearly 8 years of content uploaded everyday. (101 Online Video Stats to Make Your Eyes Glaze Over, 2011).

    Over 3 billion videos are viewed a day. More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years. (101 Online Video Stats to Make Your Eyes Glaze Over, 2011).

    Study: What’s happening on professional services sites, with a close look at the largest 100 law firms?

    No surprise that professional services are slow on the uptake. If we were to guess, we suspect unfamiliarity with video is the culprit. Few have a videographer on staff or even in the neighborhood. That’s just the technology gap. The creative/excellence gap is, well, wider. Here’s the video adoption research we found with a census of law firm, accounting and consulting firm websites:

    Finding 1: Video on career pages dominates sites

    Big whoop, right? 26 of 100 websites had video on their website. 53 had no video. Video is trickling into “About the Firm” pages (9). Some smart marketers prepared videos for diversity sections (2) and client service (1). Three offered video on their homepages. Compare this to your experience on the sites you visit most often. Behind the times, right? One thing we’ve noticed in judging websites recently is that we compare them against all the sites we experience, not just those in professional services. The narrow vertical of our industry is not representative of our web experience, nor our website demands.

    Online video ad spending will swell from $1.97 billion to $5.71 billion by 2014. (Cisco Visual Networking Index, 2011).

    Finding 2: Video production values are slim

    Usually, Oscars are given to films with pretty high production values. If you ever had a friend who worked in the “industry” then you waited for the credits to end before you left your seat. A great film usually demands a lot of talent. But not always. Creativity trumps every technical skill, which is why Night of the Living Dead enjoys a perennial renaissance. It was brilliant and raw.

    Unfortunately, most professional services video is just raw. “Brilliant” walks among the damned. Hiring a videographer delivers video but not quality video, certainly no Oscar. So let’s outline the keys to great video:

    1. Creativity

    An idea. It would be nice to have an idea before we shout “roll camera.” Otherwise, your feature is a quick sequel to Night of the Living Dead, derisively known as the Day of the Talking Heads.

    Creativity comes in all shapes and guises. Creativity can be a videographic style, an organizing theme, an editing scheme, a pace, color, etc. But you can’t start without it.

    2. Videography (Cinematography)

    Woody Allen always works with cinematographer Gordon Willis for a reason. Author (auteur) and photographer (visualiste) are sympatico. The visions are aligned. But it is not the videographer who has the vision; it’s the director, the creator.

    3. Sound

    You don’t notice it unless you do, of course. Background music well done is invisible but it augments the emotion. Ever bought the soundtrack from a film? That’s just one production value that’s missing from professional service videos. The ping-ding of metallica is not only less than satisfying; it’s annoying. Original music is actually not that difficult to do or find.

    4. Length

    Again, with a well-organized script, it’s amazing the insight that can be shared in less than two minutes. If you feel pinched, look at creating a Part I and Part II as an alternative.

    5. Actors

    We left actors for last because your actors are usually the professionals. The variety of skill shown by each professional is mind-boggling. Some are naturals in front of the camera; some freeze and no resume can predict who will fight or fright. A great director can make all the difference between disaster and a great result.

    By 30 seconds into an online video up to 33% of viewers have moved on; at 1 minute 44% have left (regardless of the clip’s length) and almost 60% have abandoned by the 2 minute mark.

    Annotated Survey Results

    We matched these results against a similar survey from two years ago and found:

    • The average length of a video is wisely brief
      Length of Video     2.85 minutes.
    • Videos are still slow to load. As discussed, instant content wins.
      Average Load Time     <:10 seconds
    • Video stands alone. Link the video on relevant pages across your site.
      Doesn’t link elsewhere on site     100%
    • Videos offer solid information. Offer knowledge, expertise and useful content.
      Informational     93%
      Firm announcement     7%
    • Videos respect others around you.
      Click to play     97%
      Autoplay     3%
    • Videos fail to mention the firm name – a branding basic.
      Never     7.1%
      Once     14.3%
      2+ times     78.6%
    • Videos display the firm logo.
      Yes     64%
      No     36%

    What you should do next

    The truth is your budgets are stressed. I suppose everyone would like to hire George Lucas to take over the video project if they could. But you can’t. So you do what you can and that’s perfectly understandable. What we hope, however, is that you don’t skimp on the front end, the creative end, where it’s really important. Of course, you should call us but that’s not even the point. Our point is one we’ve been trying to pound home for 30 years:

    If your communications are second rate, your firm is perceived to be second rate.

    You get no video credits for having lousy video on your site. You get credit for what is persistently and perceptibly first class.

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