The decision to pursue a career in professional videography begins with choosing the best path from numerous options within the field. The decision you make is largely down to the level of work you’re willing to accept and what you like doing.
The world of video is vast and can be difficult to determine which direction to take when looking for jobs. Here are a few methods that have been used by people to create a robust client portfolio within the video production industry.
The first aspect to work on when a video production company near me seeking potential clients, is pitching. No matter if you’re currently working on scaling your video production business or just getting started. Your pitch (in the simplest terms) is your capacity to recognize the client’s needs and present them with a solution to their issue by using your expertise.
If you’ve just completed your degree in film, video, or media and you’re looking to gain some clients under your belt, you’ll need to construct an impressive portfolio. While every piece of work must (ideally) be paid for in terms of money, it’s also worthwhile to think about the long-term benefits that giving a little of your time and talents to the right customer can bring. Offer your services no cost, and with the long-term goal of using your projects as case studies to prospective clients can not only allow you to make use of and enhance your skills in videography but will also help you to develop relationships with companies. If they are impressed by what you’ve produced this week, they may recommend your services to someone they know or even call you back to discuss another opportunity.
After you’ve completed a few real-world projects completed now is the time to tie up and be paid. You’ll be aware of the aspects of videography are important to you to focus on and what aspects you do not like. With this knowledge you have the option of doing either of the following:
It’s not likely that you’ll be proficient in all aspects of videography, but the list of specialties in this field will be where you’re likely to come across paying customers:
Wedding films:
The wedding movie that’s appreciated by the person who is watching it is likely to bring you knew clients through referrals. Many wedding filmmakers begin by providing free wedding film “gifts” to those they know that are planning to get married, or offer their services on the internet (Facebook marketplace and groups is the ideal way to meet anyone seeking services). If you’ve already built your portfolio of wedding film and are seeking to expand your client base you’ll have to ensure you’re promoting your portfolio and small portions about your projects to prospective clients on the social networks (Facebook as well as Instagram) and creating your own website in order to allow the booking of guests. Further information on scaling is below.
Also, think about putting up a horror movie directors display in a wedding salon, or handing out business cards or flyers in places like bridal dress shops or getting your information into wedding directories.
Music Videos:
We’ve all been to a concert or two. Everyone has a friend who’s in the band (or are friends with someone who is who is in a band). Young artists and groups are seeking at investing in videos, particularly in the year 2019, where the creation of video content is booming! Go Google Google and search local bands. Look them up on social media and then follow their accounts (not in a literal sense… this could be considered illegal). You can reach out to them to offer your services (and praise the music they play) or if you’re highly entrepreneurially inventive, you could attend the gig and film an unscripted promo while you’re there. You could then include them in it to get their interest.
Corporate videos:
We’ve all heard that getting corporate video work can be quite a hassle and result with a boring and uninteresting project. However, it is able to make a difference!
So, how do you find an corporate video client? You’ll have to network with employees of firms – and inquire whether they have video production facilities? If they’re seeking. There are a lot of business networking events happening in all cities on a regular basis. take a trip to one and making an introduction. You can also search local businesses around you to determine what work they’ve produced in video in the past (if there was any) and then make a pitch to them.
Brand videos:
Brand-related videos don’t necessarily have to be associated with large brands. Since video has become incredibly well-known, there’s an enormous market for videographers who can create videos for emerging brands. It’s worth checking out if there’s any startup hubs or incubators within and around your local area. These are fantastic places to meet companies seeking videos for marketing their brand or products to be used on Instagram, Facebook and many other platforms.
Here are a few other kinds of work in video that you can get your hands on:
When you’ve got client work flowing in and your work schedule good, you’ll want to drive more expensive clients to your office to ensure that you reduce your hours and earn more. To achieve this, you’ll have to look at creating an identity for your brand on your site and social media platforms. Make sure to regularly post content on your social networks and post your content with Facebook filmmaking and videography groups. The more you are able to make your work visible the more likely it will be able to recognize your talents or suggest someone to you.
The other key aspect to scaling is to build a solid SEO rank. It doesn’t require an expert in SEO to realize that the more websites link to your site and the more visitors you’ll begin to receive (and you’ll be considered more relevant to specific keywords). For instance, if you’re a wedding film maker who has a website, you’ll need to ensure that you’re working to convince all websites and blogs that receive large amounts of traffic to their websites from those who are planning their wedding to link from their websites to yours. There’s lots of ways in which you can do this – by simply showing them your work and hoping they’ll like it enough to mention you or you could get more collaborative/creative with your approach and potentially offer a discount/free giveaway as part of trying to create a long term relationship that will help funnel their visitors to your website.
Whatever stage you’re in on your journey to becoming professional videographers, there are always new ways to increase your customer base. If you have any ideas or tricks to help you’ve boosted your film or video production business, please don’t hesitate to share your story with us. We’d be delighted to hear from you.
