In a downturn, the first thing many video producers and independent videographers cut is marketing. They stop advertising, they stop sending out demos and generally, they cut down on their promotional activities -if not eliminating them entirely.
This may sound like a logical thing to do, but it’s a dumb move.
And it’s exactly what a lot of your competitors are going to do -if they haven’t already done it -which gives you a terrific opportunity to gain new business.
To give you an extra boost in these difficult times, I’ve written a short, easy-to-read little guide to helping you maintain your business in tough economic times.
And I want you to have a free copy.
“Marketing Your Video Business Through A Downturn” will give you some common sense guidelines for stepping back, assessing your production business, and applying practical, low-cost tactics for stretching assets and marketing spending further -in the right directions -for a greater yield.
And it’ll show you some great ideas and techniques to add a little extra to your bottom line, too.
The last time I put out one of these recession-busting reports, I sold it for $19.95. This time around, it’s free. No charge, no obligation.
All I ask is that if you like it and it’s helpful to you, pass it along to a friend or two. You can give them the link to the download page or you can just send the .pdf book to them by email. Or burn it to a CD and flip it to them. And if you’re in a local video association, feel free to let your fellow videographers know it’s available.
Fair enough?
Thanks. As always, I wish you the best of success! And go get your free copy right here.
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Time to hit the Panic Button? Boy, I’m close. My well-organized schedule has turned into a moving target! In between the normal spring cleanup tasks and finishing up a new book and a new audio program, I’ve been trying to move my office into our home. Which means more time spent sifting through things to see what gets moved, what gets stored and what gets pitched. And then to top it off, Jenny -starting her third year of college -decides she is ready to vacate her bedroom at Casa del Yanqui-Wolfe…so it’s pandemonium around here. I recorded a half-hour audio program yesterday in the “home office,” then broke all the equipment down so Gayle could do her thing last night…then when I sat down to edit the program this morning, discovered I had left out a couple critical paragraphs, so I have to set everything up again, and hope I can match the levels.
Well, luckily the chaos will only last a couple more weeks, so bear with me.
But if my refrain is far too familiar a one, you might check into my Success Without Stress video on how to manage a successful home-based video business. Details here.
Chaos or no, tomorrow I’m releasing my brand new book, Marketing Your Video Business Through A Downturn, to my Weekly Video Tips readers and to readers of this here blog. Make sure you’re here tomorrow or are a subscriber to get your hands on this when it’s released; it’s a free resource that will help get you through the hard times we’re all experiencing.
Remember the difference between “features” and “benefits.”
Your latest digital camcorder may have 28 chips but your average customer doesn’t know…and probably could care
less.
What he or she DOES care about is the benefit of that feature. Namely, that their wedding, seminar or other event will be captured in flawless high-resolution full color.
Blog popularity is due in large part to blogs’ simplicity. Hosting companies have made setting up a website uncommonly easy. Everyone - no matter what level of technical proficiency - is capable of setting up a blog site. Yep -even me.
I’ve found WordPress to be not only a user-friendly blogging tool, I also believe that when used correctly, it has the potential to be the perfect tool to use to generate an above-average level of traffic to your website. And that can translate directly into more dollars in your pocket!
Here’s why I like WordPress. First, the relative advantages are many; you don’t have to know how to design or program a site, you can automatically import images and video, you can easily customize your site, and yes, if you want, you can blog. Oh -and blog sites are indexed almost instantly by the major search engines. No more waiting for months for Yahoo or Google to recognize your site. It’s just not blogging software, either. WordPress is a content management tool that allows anyone to create a great-looking website.
Secondly - For those of you who are running blogs right now, you are on the leading edge. Web 2.0 is here, simply meaning that smart communicators are encouraging two-way dialogues. It’s no longer enough to build a site that talks to visitors without allowing feedback. Nowadays, people are looking for real people behind the pixels…people who will listen and respond to them.
Finally - Your customers are starting to ask about web videos. You have got to get with the technology to do this, as well as get behind the marketing strategies to sell them what they want. Thankfully, the technology is relatively easy…and if you’ve got some streaming software program and a working knowledge of WordPress in your toolbox, you can not only produce video clips for the web, you can hand your client a brand new, WordPress-based website featuring those clips. Better yet, you can do it in less than an hour, if you have to and, you can almost guarantee it’ll be in the major search engines in a matter of hours - if not sooner.
If you’re looking for more information on WordPress and how to use it effectively, I’ve added 20 video courses on the subject to the Members-Only section of the Video Business Advisor. The newest flight is “Advanced WordPress Training,” a 10-lesson series that covers most of the different aspects of WordPress that usually get answered with lots of technical jargon. None of that ’round here.
Each lesson runs approximately 10 minutes and covers the stuff you need to know, such as changing header graphics, CSS style sheets, using your blog as a Content Management System, desktop blogging, RSS uses and stats, and a few more -like how to customize your 404 pages for fun and profit.
Like the other dozens of helpful videos and hundreds of resources designed to help wring maximum profitability out of a video production business, they’re accessible to VBA members 24/7. There’s membership info here, if you’re interested. Check it out. Get a step (or two) ahead of the competition.
On one of our Video Business Advisor members-only discussion boards, VBA member Case Marsh remarked how, when he was preparing to graduate from college and just beginning his search for work, he came across one of the handiest resources he had ever used.
“One of the books I bought,” says Case, “provided a list of 20 questions that a job seeker should be prepared to answer quickly, calmly, and convincingly. This book offered the reason behind the questions the interviewer asked, and how a job seeker could use these questions to their advantage, as well as sample answers.”
Well – being the resourceful folk they are, VBA members got together early this summer and developed a list of 16 questions they most often encounter when approaching new client-prospects. And then came the fun part: They chipped in their ideal answers for each of the questions; answers that you can take and use for yourself while you’re out there building your own successful video production business!
Thus was born “Great Answers to Tough Questions” –a book that tackles all the tough questions, from “Why are your prices higher than other producers?” to “Can we just tape the stuff and bring the footage into you to finish?” This book will have you nodding in recognition and taking notes for your next encounter!
Currently, “Great Answers to Tough Questions” is available to VBA members only. It’s an exclusive resource that is going to give them a huge head start on their competition. If you’d like to be in the select group that will benefit from this uncommon book, join the VBA now, and you’ll have your own copy in about half a minute.
It’s a fact, Jack. (Or Jill.) You need customers; customers need your production and duplication and packaging services. It’s definitely a win-win situation. But -if your potential buyers aren’t aware that you exist, or they can’t find you…you’re certainly not going to have a roaring success on your hands. People won’t benefit from your services, and you’re not going to be collecting any money from them. No doubt about it that marketing is an absolutely necessity to keep your name on the tip of their tongues, and at the top of their minds. And don’t worry if you’re on a very limited budget -or even a very very very limited budget. There are still quite a few ways for you to promote yourself and your services. Here’s a dozen ideas you can use to get started.
“Marketing Your Video Business Through A Downturn” will give you some common sense guidelines for stepping back, assessing your production business, and applying practical, low-cost tactics for stretching assets and marketing spending further -in the right directions -for a greater yield.
Time to hit the Panic Button? Boy, I’m close. My well-organized schedule has turned into a moving target! In between the normal spring cleanup tasks and finishing up a new book and a new audio program, I’ve been trying to move my office into our home. Which means more time spent sifting through things to see what gets moved, what gets stored and what gets pitched. And then to top it off, Jenny -starting her third year of college -decides she is ready to vacate her bedroom at Casa del Yanqui-Wolfe…so it’s pandemonium around here. I recorded a half-hour audio program yesterday in the “home office,” then broke all the equipment down so Gayle could do her thing last night…then when I sat down to edit the program this morning, discovered I had left out a couple critical paragraphs, so I have to set everything up again, and hope I can match the levels.
