Brownstein Hyatt Faber Schreck, Barnes & Thornburg, and Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson: These law firms have what might be called The Midsize Edge. When the bubble burst, reports Karen Sloan in THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL, they were often insulated from the worst of the downturn. For instance, their smaller size gave them flexibility, particularly in fee structure and responsiveness. Away from the two coasts their fixed costs were less. Their specialties usually didn't depend on capital markets. And their branding is regional versus national.
So, as Hildebrandt International concluded, midsized law firms are strongly positioned for growth, especially domestically. That's the rub. Can they orchestrate the idiosyncratic kinds of marketing needed to harness that potential and sustain it? Unlike the blockbuster global brands, they have to create unique space in the marketplace and do that cost-efficiently. Halleland has been doing just that for about three years. That's why they are putting a toe in the water in using online video trailers. I tell 'em: Midsize firm, you need to get in there up to the waist.
See, with broadband and rapid technology developments such as Animoto, which is replacing MicroSoft Movie Maker, the online video trailer is becoming the next killer app on the web. Yesterday, I conducted a two-hour exclusive interview with Mindy Schwartz, owner of Full Circle's video services and more. Here is a sample of the boutique's work.
Let's cut to the chase. Schwartz [MSSPhotography@aol.com, 615-330-1305] tells me: An online video trailer can be done for $300 to $500 a pop, comes with three revisions [usually not needed], and can be wrapped up in a week. It can be formatted as 30 seconds or three or four minutes, with text, photos, and music [Full Circle handles the music copyright issues.]. The message as well as the tone and content to communicate it is determined through primarily phone conversations with the prospect and a form for the "specs" Book-BusinessVideoQuestionnaire.
Why is this the killer app? Schwartz explains it's a combo platter of low cost, quick turnaround, pull force of video, and the almost infinite ways it can be used and leveraged. To just get started, the apps include:
- An enhancer for any digital site, ranging from a webpage to blog, to twitter to social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn and social communities free to start on Ming.com. Eventually, just as publishing a book is the price of entry for personal services players, a video trailer might be expected. Not having one could become a competitive disadvantage.
- Inserted into digital media releases such as Pitch Engine and PRWeb. I bumped into Full Circle when I hunted for a vendor to do the video trailer for the e-release on my novel "The Fat Guy From Greenwich." Schwartz is working on it and I'm delaying the heavy promotional efforts until I have it. It can also be part of a press kit.
- Establish or reinforce the must-be-unique branding of a smaller organization, niche product/service, or leadership.
- Be part of a resume or presentation of self in a job hunt or search for new business.
- Given the low-cost, can be updated frequently. The rule of thumb for a smaller organization is quarterly. For large businesses, weekly updates seem wise.
- Test out a marketing message easily. Before the affordability, we usually did this with email, blogs, and tweets.
From [nervously] shopping around for a video trailer vendor, I discovered that newbies require a boutique, not a large company. Full Circle had the customer-service ethos to talk me down from extreme panic. Think Schwartz as Shaman. Very quickly I migrated from a toe nail in the water to a planning a comprehensive video strategy for my communications firm.
Question: Will BigLaw also adopt this killer app? My hunch is that large defense firms will embrace this when it is already a mature tactic.