Prizm as a Time Bandit? Ah, yes!

As we begin a new year, it occurs to me that I have spent a dozen years now with Prizm.  How can that possibly be?  After all, to contemplate 12 years in future tense feels like a much longer span of time than it does to look back on that same number of years.  And the scary part about it is that as I age, time seems to just go faster and faster.  But enough of that conversation, it could lead me down an entirely different path.  Hmmmmmmmm…Perhaps another blog?  Perhaps not…we shall see.

The purpose of this blog, though, is to give you, the reader, an inside perspective on Prizm, and why, as I look back over these past years, it is easy enough to recognize why time here passes so quickly.  There are a number of contributing factors, all of which could be a singular cause of time slippage, depending upon which angle one views life through, at, and with Prizm.  I have decided to list my top five in no particular order:

“Mispellings” help your brand (suffer)

I can’t imagine I’m the only one who is immediately disenchanted with an online source when I come across a spelling or grammatical error. Especially when perusing news articles, blogs, and, yes, even service- or product-related corporate websites, I throw out the brand as soon as I come across an error so obvious. To me, it makes the people behind the brand seem really lazy…or at least lacking in precision and attention-to-detail.

Even in the world of “LOL” and “:)”, good writing skills are a necessity regarding brand reputation. Having clear communication shows professionalism, accuracy, care, and it proves credibility. Not having good writing skills may lead customers to believe you are also not careful with your business, or that you are apt to avoid double checking work.

Luckily, at Prizm, we have two robots who crunch all of our writing for us. Just kidding. We do, however, pay written communication special mind to avoid cranky customers like me who frown in the general direction of grammatical malpractice.

Consider the following ways to watch your back:

What we learn from Picasso

Every day in every industry, we try to help folks understand the value we bring and why we charge what we do. Prizm isn’t the most expensive company in town, nor are we the least expensive. We do charge industry standard rates and bill for our expertise and experience to get the job done right the first time.

Because the production industry is objective and intangible, I thought I’d share a story about Pablo Picasso to help explain the difficult nature and experience necessary to provide an outstanding end result for Prizm clients. The story goes:

Picasso was sitting at a café in Paris one day, having a cappuccino and reading the paper. A woman approached him and forcefully said, “You’re Picasso. Oh my. Could you paint my profile?” Picasso slowly set his cappuccino down, folded his paper and picked up his sketch tablet. Without saying a word, Picasso motioned to the lady to have a seat. He positioned his subject for the right angle and light that would highlight the image he was about to capture.

The lady began to speak again, and Picasso hushed her, repositioning her, and began his work.

About five minutes passed as the master sketched the subject into beautiful colors and hues. Once he’d finished, he turned the painting around to show his subject. She exclaimed, “It’s amazing! I knew it would be incredible. How much?”

Without hesitation, Picasso said, “5,000 Franks.”

“$5,000 Franks? It took you only five minutes!” she exclaimed.

“No,” Picasso said, “it took me a lifetime.”

As with Picasso, you have to create your brand, your reputation, and the reason why people would be crazy NOT to do business with you!

With everyone searching for the lowest price, they sometimes forget quality, service, and value. Our goal at Prizm is to compete on those three elements of success. Happy shopping, and check us out online to see what we’ve created for other clients like Renzenberger, Indiana State University Foundation, Essential Knowledge, and many other great organizations.

The first crucial step to building a successful website

What really goes into building a website?

Prizm's website

What a loaded question!  While it may appear that certain websites you visit are just simple, straightforward pages, you might be surprised to know that the planning and development that goes into creating those seemingly simple pages is actually quite in depth.

It could even be stated that building a website is much like building a house.  Once the foundation has been poured, and the framing is done, it becomes a far more complicated task to add to, remove from, or dramatically change the layout.  In fact, if the changes are too demanding, it would be best to demolish what you’ve started, and begin once again from the ground up.

Perseverance

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder why some people fulfill their God-given talents while others just let their talents fade into nothingness?

Well, I have a friend who is the epitome of perseverance.  Her name is Denise and, boy, has God given her challenges along life’s journey.

What everyone should know about pricing professional video

What could possibly be so hard about pricing a professional video project?

From the outside looking in, it may seem simple enough to put a price tag on a professional video, but there are many considerations involved.  Having spent more than a decade working for Prizm, I have learned so much about the process of creating a professional video, and let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing simple about it!

I receive inquiries for cost quotes daily, and frequently find it necessary to help people understand how much really goes into creating professional, award winning videos.   I can’t tell you how many times I have heard:  “Just off of the top of your head, how much does it usually cost to…?” Although I don’t like to say it, there genuinely is not a “usual” cost when it comes to the creation of a professional video.

Capturing professional video for Extreme Makeover Home Edition

In order to receive a true and complete price quote on your video, you must be prepared to provide your production company with answers to some very pertinent questions like these:

1. How long do you want your video to be?
2. What style and quality do you envision for your final product?
3. What delivery medium (or mediums) do you intend to use?
4. What is your deadline?
5. Are you working within a specific budget?
6. Do you want professional actors and/or voice talent to be part of your video?
7. Do you need scripting services?

The answers to the above questions then create more leading questions, which largely influence pricing, such as: 

Video is a Large Part of Google+

Last week, Google introduced its latest attempt at social networking with Google+, a direct competitor to Facebook. Bloggers and tech geeks everywhere are quick to draw parallels and note plenty of differences between the two. Our own Creative Director, Doug Johnston, scored an invitation and has since been testing the waters.

One of our favorite differences (which may be a short-lived differentiator, according to this announcement by Facebook) is Hangouts, or group video chat.

Social Media and SEO

Many of our clients are confused about social media. Is it just a fad? Doesn’t it represent a casual or unprofessional environment? How will this help our business?

Many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, flickr, MySpace, Last.FM, blogs, SlideShare, digg, and more exist in the corporate world.

Allow me to tackle just one facet of the many benefits of corporate social media pages: Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Celebrating the small victories

Prizm is about to celebrate our 14th year in business. Time really flies when you follow your dream! It has been both rewarding and terrifying, exhilarating and depressing. Still, we celebrate the small victories.

Forbes: More C-Level Execs Seek Web, Video

Believe it or not, professionals whose careers have blossomed alongside the establishment of Netscape and growth of public Internet are at the age to reach the pinnacle of their work efforts: the C-suite. 

As 40-, 50-, and 60-somethings achieve C-level (CEO, CFO) executive positions, they are changing the face of business research and communication. A study by Forbes surveyed over 350 top executives at large American companies. (Large, as in $1 billion+ in annual revenue — just the type of prospect you’re after, right?) They found that America’s CEOs, CFOs, and COOs are relying more heavily on search engines and online video to research competitors, customers, and trends in technology and politics.