Advice on Finding Corporate Video Clients
Having trouble finding corporate video clients? Looking to make some extra income on the side? We share some good advice on how to book some more work.
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To be upfront, the best way to build your personal business is to do solid work in a timely and professional manner and to follow that up with being a good, enjoyable person to work with. You’ll get your best opportunities on the strength of repeat business and personal recommendations. That’s the only tried and true model for business development.
That being said, you will discover that “when it rains it pours” in both directions. You may find yourself swamped one week and completely free the next. It’s in those times that we usually try to drum up some new leads and find some new opportunities.
If you’re looking to build a client pipeline for yourself (or your company, perhaps), here are some different ways to put yourself out there and find some new work.
Networking
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Unsurprisingly, the best way to meet new people is to meet new people. Building your network is key to developing a rich and prosperous client pool. You’ll have to get out of your house/office and meet new people face to face.
For those who don’t consider themselves natural-born politicians, try to research networks in which you have a genuine interest. Meeting other people in the video industry is a great way to start – you’ll at least have something to talk about. From there, branch out into similar fields — advertising, marketing, start-ups, whatever.
A good trick for those who are serious about networking with a purpose is to set some goals and make a game of it. Try and meet seven new people, get five business cards, set up three coffee meetings and get one new client. It just might work.
Your Online Profile
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Depending on your personality and/or where you live, you may or may not have lots of opportunities to connect in person. If you’re looking to find more client relationships remotely, you’ll need to do as much as you can to control your online image. This includes management of much more than your LinkedIn profile.
Everything from your Facebook page, your YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitter accounts and any other public social media is capable of reflecting on you in either a positive or negative way. First impressions are key – so without knowing when and where yours may happen, you’ll need to cover your bases thoroughly.
If you’re serious about your career, you’ll want to make sure all of your profiles and pages are uniform and clear about what type of opportunities you’re looking for and what type of skills you possess. If you’re looking for editing work only, don’t let your LinkedIn say you’re a DP while your Twitter say you’re a part-time assistant editor.
Perhaps the best way to put your best foot forward would be to create a personalized website which you UPDATE REGULARLY. This would be your most professional option and allow the most customization and control over the information you’d like to share with potential clients.
Lead Generating Resources
Please be careful (if not cynical) when looking into some of these “services,” but there are platforms available which will actively pursue opportunities on your behalf. Some of them are paid, but many of them take a cut once transactions are confirmed.
The ones I’d recommend looking into are Thumbtack, Mandy and ProductionHub. You can also find work through creative services and talent acquisition agencies like Creative Circle, Vitamin T, and Artisan Creative (big cities only).
Cold Call/Email/Message
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The final — and most intimidating — method would be to cold call, cold email, cold message or straight up cold walk in. If you’re set on working with an ideal company or individual and you don’t have any “ins” with anyone who can directly introduce you, you might consider biting the bullet and reaching out.
Messaging through LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook would probably be the softest way, as it gives the quickest access to your face and profile. Hopefully you won’t look like a spam artist. An email is always nice but can easily be ignored. However, a phone call with a short connection or answering machine message would be the most direct.
If you are in the calling mode, be sure to be concise, to the point, practiced and confident. Try it out loud several times. Maybe even call a family member or friend for a dry run first. Follow this formula (or something similar):
Hello, I’m _______ and calling about [your line of work]. I’d love to connect sometime to learn more about some of the projects you have coming up and to share how I think I could help. Please give me a call back at [phone number] so we could set up a time to chat – thanks!
They say in sales (which this is at the end of the day): You have to strike out nine out of ten times to get a hit. So be prepared to put yourself out there and get rejected before you get those new clients.
Have any other advice to share on finding clients? Let us know in the comments!
