M&A activity has been explosive over the past several quarters, enabling large firms to strengthen their position in niche markets while simultaneously providing an off-ramp for small to medium sized business owners in pursuit of life’s next great challenge (which may or may not include retiring on a cruise ship).
As a professional services marketer, you know that there is no better advocate for your company’s services than a happy client, which is what makes the case study the holy grail of marketing funnel conversion tools. So now that you’ve got a client on board (that took a while didn't it), what’s the best way to approach the video case study to maximize the outcome.
Here is a 5 step framework to tell the best story with your M&A video case study.
Every exit has an origin story, who’s arc will form the backbone of the connection between your subject matter and the viewer. Your audience’s ability to relate to the individual they see on screen, either physically, emotionally or professionally is the key to increasing a viewer’s watch time. Did they walk barefoot uphill to work and back? Was the company founded out of the founder’s urgency to solve a problem in their own lives? What made the company’s mission so compelling? Get the opening hook right, and you’ve bought another 20-30s of the viewer’s attention.
Now that we have some context, the next step is to explain what’s at stake. If the seller, what will a successful transaction mean for their future? If the buyer, how will the acquisition embolden their vision (for world domination)? In order for the viewer to care about the outcome (ie the entire purpose of the video case study) we need to know what the alternative looks like, either explicitly or via inference. It’s at this point in the case study that your client becomes the hero of their own story that the audience roots for.
Now it's time to peel back the curtain a little bit….what did the deliberations look like? Let the viewer walk a few steps in the hero’s shoes and get inside their head during critical points of the negotiation. You told them to keep emotions out of it and think rationally right? Ok good! As the marketer, this is also an opportunity to drop some subtle hat tips (to your company’s auxiliary services), did you also provide A&A (audit and assurance) support for the transaction? If so, how did that help our hero negotiate? Thorough preparation and strategic thinking form the backbone of every successful transaction, so let’s give your audience a taste for what that looks like in action.
The deal is closed and your client is happy with the outcome…huzzah! You might think that now is the time for your client to thank you on screen, but I would urge you to hold off for about 15 more seconds. It’s important to remember that this is their story, not yours, they are the hero. You are merely a sherpa in their ascent to the top of the M&A mountain, who supported and guided them to make the best decisions possible. They did not succeed because of you, but did in part, as a result of your support. Although it can seem counterintuitive, (after all you’re paying the bill here), positioning yourself as a part of the supporting cast has much stronger optics.
Ok, now’s your time to shine, your client can thank you on screen with some kind words, and then you can show the world your logo. But keep the it concise, and don’t make the logo too big!
