Since many of the users here run their own businesses, I thought it might be useful to get a thread going about marketing and promoting video services. So I'll start off with a few specific questions as follows:

• If you were to define the most viable target-market for promoting your services...what would that be? (please be specific).
  
• What do you believe would be the most efficient and effective methods to reach that specific market? (examples might be direct-mail postcards, opt-in email, telephone solicitations, web site, yellow page ads, cold calling, etc.)
  
• What are you doing now to promote your services?
  
• What kind of networking to you currently do? (clubs, associations, etc.)

Also...please categorize your responses according to the type of work you are pursuing...i.e. films, corporate video, wedding/event video, music videos, etc.

This will initially be a sticky for two weeks while we gauge the response it generates.

I work strictly by word of mouth. Having worked in "Long Form" Documentary editing for the past 15 years  I have made alot of "contacts".  This has put me in the lucky position of having Producers and Directors asking me to work on their projects.

 

CD

Good question.  If I ever figure it out, I'll let you know. 

1) TV Watchers - Since I do commercials, the work itself promotes my business. Usually, an advertiser sees the ad on TV, and either calls the station or the client to find out more . .

2) Word of mouth (Kinda) - I do ads for a very large furniture retailer, and every so often I get written up in the furniture trade papers or a local TV station will do a story on the commercials themselves. I get a fair amount of business that way.

3) I'm in the fortunate position that #'s 1 & 2 provide me with an abundance of work.

4) I go to a few of the local Ad Club functions, but mostly I schmooze with TV sales reps, who can steer a lot of business your way (especially if you pay them a vig)

My advice to woulld be commercial makers is to concentrate on getting that first client, and do a bang-up job for them. Then, the work should find you!

Adman wrote:

f you were to define the most viable target-market for promoting your services...what would that be? (please be specific).

Mid-end corporate clients, ideally high-end but that's not a reality yet for me. Looking mostly at budgets between $3,000 - $30,000.

What do you believe would be the most efficient and effective methods to reach that specific market? (examples might be direct-mail postcards, opt-in email, telephone solicitations, web site, yellow page ads, cold calling, etc.)

Cold calling is almost useless in this case, so is advertising. Every gig I've ever gotten has been because of either word of mouth or I already had some relationship with the person.

What are you doing now to promote your services?

I try to keep my website current, appealing and clean. That is where I usually send a potential client to look for info about our company, our website url is also our company name, it's a gimmick.

What kind of networking to you currently do? (clubs, associations, etc.)

I attended small busniess development functions and local media functions, which don't occur very often in my area. I do some training for people and I've given some workshops that have established relationships that might lead to work down the line.

My company is moving towards broadcast and we are developing numerous shows. My goal is to be a full-time production company making a good living and that won't happen with doing only corporate work in the market I'm in. We're developing numerous shows right now while still doing some client work.

Cold calling is almost useless in this case, so is advertising. Every gig I've ever gotten has been because of either word of mouth or I already had some relationship with the person.

 

Right!

Estimated number of cold calls I've converted:  .01%

Advertising doesn't work???? Well as an advertising man, I'd have to challenge that....lol.

Example...I sent a direct mail postcard to a list of about 300 companies. Three days later I got a call from the President of a regional chain...saying he got my postcard and that they were planning on doing a television ad program for a Super Bowl promo involving a Fortune 500 company. He asked for a quote...we set up a meeting where I presented the detailed estimates...they presented me with a $10,000 check as a retainer a few days after that to get started. The project included the development and production of a couple of TV spots and a $60,000 media buy.

Well, it depends on the kind of advertising. If you target right then maybe, but traditional radio/television ads does nothing for production companies. Our advertising is putting our post-card sized mailers out at events that we are a part of. We did some radio ads (cause we got them for free) that did nothing for us.

No, I certainly wouldn't recommend TV or Radio advertising to promote video editing services...or any business-to-business advertising for that matter, generally speaking. I'm not suprised that you didn't get any response.

Advertising is all about targeting and market segmentation...maintaining a consistent presence in the market (one time or sporadic advertising is a death sentence, lol)...you choose advertising vehicles that reach your audience at the lowest unit cost attainable...with the right message and with the right timing. Advertising is also largely about achieving the appropriate combination of reach and frequency. Any ad without sufficient frequency is like "peeing in the wind" so to speak.

But I would argue that there are many, many kinds of traditional advertising besides TV and Radio...including trade advertising and of course, direct mail (and opt-in email, and not so traditional podcasts, blogs, etc.) which can be highly targeted to a specific market(s) (and individual decision makers). Success of direct mail is also dependant on targeting the right message to the right audience at the right time, and of course, with the right reach and frequency levels (a general rule being reaching your demo with a 3x frequency as a BARE minimum, within a relatively short time frame). Direct mail response rates tend to be in the 2-3 percent range...and is most effective when used consistenly with a consistent brand image. Direct mail is an excellent way to brand your image and to generate traffic to your web site.

 

I should have been more clear when I said advertising is useless  I meant traditonal radio, print and TV ads, because it is too broad of a range to reach your target audience.

H'mm...I would think that print ads in targeted publications would be effective...including print ads and listings in creative directories (and business directories). I've made several new business pitches over the past few months to clients who saw our paid listings in local creative industry publications.

Working with medium size business, and some broadcasters which is a different market. Direct telephone calls for making an apointment is the best way to get new customers.

The appointments is usualy with interesting firms. There are several response. - Not now, but call me within 9 mounth. - Oh, we has never thougt about this, it is very interesting. -We know we have to do something, but has no time now.

One interesting by product is that a good presentation can lead to an indirect effect, there a customer who does not want to buy anything today can tell a friend about You. It is important that people know and understand what You are doing.

Also, if You do something e.g. for television, make the lokal paper write about it.

Thanks for the input Berga...that kinda leads into a discussion on presentation, eh? What materials to you use in your presentation? Do you just show them a demo reel? If so, on what medium...portable DVD player? etc.? What is the format of your presentation? Also, on average, how many calls do you have to make to get an interview?

Personal telephone calls are expensive when you consider the time it takes. Do you narrow your list before making calls? What about sending a postcard or a DVD in advance of the call to "break the ice?" Or, better yet, a series of postcards and a DVD? Any other ideas? (btw...do you prefer to present the demo reel in person or are you comfortable sending it "blind.")

Also...where do you get your leads? Who is your contact person's (title)? How do you qualify them?

There is no secrets.
I deside which industry and how large firms I want to meet. I made some presumption that this industry and that size of firms can afford and can use our products. There are several registers here where You can buy the name and telephone number of firms. I often made a check at their website before I call to see if they need us. If they have several videos on their website, I do not give them a call. It is not sciences, it is more about feelings.

I call the general number of the firm and ask for the managing director (This is not GM!). When he answer, it can take some days and some phone calls, I tell him who I am and what we are doing during about 30 - 45s. After that, I ask for a meeting. He can say yes, or call my marketing director ... (That nice call, You boss tell me our offer can be interesting for You! (sorry for my unpolish english).) or thay say no. I try to make some calls during spare time, what it cost not so much. Sometimes You can call 5 calls during a day and everyone ends in a meeting. Othertimes, You can call 50 without a meeting.

At the meeting, I give them a short presentation of my, my colleges and our firm. I show them some of our DVDs and CDs we have done. (You must show them some physical thing even if You sell services). After the intruduction, It takes 3-5 min. I ask them about their firms and how they communicates. Sometime they already have an idé how thay can use our service, and the discussion start there, but in most case, they have not a clear idea. This part can take form 5 min to 55 min. Sometime they show us the facilities. After the talk about their business, I may have some ideas how we can help them solve their problems and I tell them we can do somethings for them. I tell them I will think about it and asking for materials. I will also ask for a new time for a meeting. I give them our demo-dvd when I leave.

Before the next meeting, I have wrote down a suggestiong for a solution for them. Because we want our products will give our customer value added, we often talk to friends with other communications expertice and give them a large solution there our video is a part of the communications. Everything depends on the problems the firm have. Sometimes, we have done a project like that I suggest, and I demo it shotly. I use my laptop for that. It is good because it can be used for both rom-material and video material.

When, after some meetings, we get a deal, and hopfully several other deals laters.

I will almost never give out demo in advance. I think it is my rights to have a meeting if they got my demo.

This works also because lots of our customers can be classified as either "I never thought video is something for me, but it maybe!" or "We have talk lots of these questions but we have no time to do anyting about it" or "We want to do this, but we never know who we would contact". These customers would never call us after reading an add or a postcard (if they read the postcard).

Thus far, the best leads I get are from organizational memberships where I have the opportunity to meet a potential client in person BEFORE they need my services.  That way one doesn't seem like the pushy car dealer sort.  Establish a good casual, friendly relationship with them first, and they will call you when they need your expertise and are ready to pay for it.  Join and be as involved as you can.

The second is clients from outside the area that don't already know anyone locally.  They haven't established a relationship with a company yet, so to them, we're all on a level playing field.  Typically, these people find me listed somewhere on the internet.

Keep in mind, I still run in the red.  So take this advice with a proportionate level of caution.