Creative and logical side of the brain

“For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.”Those six simple words, commonly attributed to Ernest Hemingway, represent a perfect narrative gestalt. Within that fragment lie hope, tragedy and a sense of moving on. It is an extreme but brilliant example of effective storytelling because it establishes all the foundational elements required of any coherent narrative, while satiating the reader’s appetite for intrigue and drama. By its nature, it draws you in and leaves you demanding more – the exact desired effect of any quality piece of marketing content.The legal industry is so rooted in the logical that you would think there is little need to appeal to the emotional. But the law’s reliance on logic does not mean that the legal industry can succeed without pathos.By its nature, law is a person-driven business. After all, we call it “professional services,” because – unlike consumer product companies that manufacture widgets – the law is built … [Read more...] about Trending: Why Storytelling Is the Hottest Legal Marketing Tactic

Color shapes our perception and mood. Most of us are aware of this in some capacity, especially if we have had negative reactions to retail or restaurant environments. Color psychology affects us all. Color-Based Decision Making Have you ever walked into a restaurant and immediately decided you didn’t want to eat there based on the décor used and the “feel” of the dining area? You’re not alone. According to the Institute for Color Research, “Within 90 seconds, consumers make an unconscious judgment of a product or environment. 60-90% of that judgment is based upon color.”Other research indicates that consumers experience their first impression of sight memory for products within 0.67 seconds. The first impression, which comes from colors, dominates 67% of the purchasing process (Chang and Lin).These same principles of color-based-judgment apply to your Web presence. Using different colors can send unique messages to site visitors and shape … [Read more...] about Color Psychology and Online Marketing for Law Firms

More creative is cheaper.Stronger visuals cost less.Here’s why:See this ad? It’s one previously used by a client, Lorne MacLean, a small firm in Vancouver, BC. Nice guy, great lawyer, handsome photo (man in suit looking at paper), and a simple message that is clearly detailed in the text.The style and structure makes perfect sense, right? It must, because it’s what most law firms tend to use. It’s a very common category of law firm marketing materials, both print ads and websites/blogs — uninspired photo and too much text.Law firms hire a small local agency or web developer, or have their in-house team create something under specific instructions. It’s a lawyerly “Just the facts, Ma’am” approach, illustrated with a photo of one or more of their lawyers (or one of the 25 standard law firm cliches detailed here.). What could possibly go wrong?The problem is, it’s an enormous waste of money.Although perfectly logical, it fails … [Read more...] about “Good” Ads and Websites Don’t Work

We say success in America is about hard work and character. It's not really. Justin Merriman/Getty America generally believes the path to success in today's competitive job climate is through hard work, regardless of one's background or hometown. But Andrew Yang, CEO of Venture for America, says he received an education from Stanford and Columbia not by working hard, but because he was a good test taker. Yang believes intelligence and efficiency have become stand-ins for human worth in America, and the average American is being displaced in the workforce in what he calls a "war on normal people." The below is an excerpt from "The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income is Our Future" by Andrew Yang. I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who works for a real estate investment firm. We met at a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan. After catching up for a bit, I asked him if he'd bought any fancy hotels … [Read more...] about Success in America has nothing to do with hard work — and we’re in the middle of a ‘war on normal people’