Maintaining, Motion and Marketing
[by Carolyn Potts]
Both videographers and photographers are now actively pitching their clients on their new DSLR-HD capabilities. They’re sending out marketing messages inviting their clients to see them as a “one-stop shopping” solution when it comes to digital content.
But how do you take on a video project when you’re not an experienced video producer?
If you deliver a product that is any less professional than your mainstay service offering you’re cutting your own throat.
If you create a digital video that takes hours of post production to clean up, you weaken your client relationship, e.g. just like the videographer who “does not know what they don’t know” could screw up when it comes the file prep of a still image.
Most photographers fully understand the issues involved in image prep for usage on a billboard vs. in print. But that same photographer might “not know what they don’t know” when it comes to post-production issues related to creating motion content destined for broadcast vs. smart-phone video.
The ground under the foundation of your business relationship, starts to shift. Your relationship was built on the implicit assumption that as a professional photographer you can always meet your client’s needs. Delivery doubt creeps in. If a client asks you to shoot video “while you’re at it…” it may be wiser to turn the offer down. Better to refer them to a trusted video producer and manage that relationship on behalf of your client, if you can. From the client’s perspective you’d still be a great problem-solver.
Maintaining your client relationships while building your motion skill set requires a big commitment. To get far enough beyond the learning curve to start safely marketing video production services to your existing client base, you’re going to need a strategy for moving into new media.
As it’s been said before in many of the forums, producing a behind-the scenes (BTS) video is one of the best ways to start and stay close to your client.
First, create a BTS telling your business story. Build tech proficiency by taking apart videos that inspire you. Do shot-by-shot analyses. Look at the mix of camera angles, lighting, lensing, audio and music cues that move the story along, the pacing of the edits, and finally, how does the story start, build, and end? Do you have the necessary storyboarding skills?
Once confident in that arena, move to creating a BTS of one of your client’s projects. It’s the next logical step. And it keeps you close to your client.
For video BTS inspiration: check out http://fstoppers.com or search Google or vimeo.com for “BTS video photoshoot”. If you’re at the beginning and confused about what gear to get, here’s a good buyer’s guide http://bit.ly/photogvideoguide
Carolyn Potts, photo marketing consultant & former rep, shows proactive photographers how to get more work. Read her thoughts on video on her blog at http://bit.ly/FaceBookPottsConsulting or www.cpotts.com
