Video Production Services: Advice for Startups (page 3)

Your customers are your number one priority. Mess up here and the future is dim.

Treat customers as if they were responsible for your existence--they are! In your hurry to race to the top of the video feeding chain, you may decide to prioritize the level of care customers receive. In other words, if someone is paying for a big job, they get the most attention. Small jobs orders get semi-ignored. Do not follow this practice. I'm telling you this from experience.

In my first few months, I landed a big wedding. Including the duplications, I would gross in excess of $800. At the time, I had a couple of film-to-video clients going, as well as a $200 anniversary. The anniversary was half-edited, as was the transfer job. I dropped work on both of these projects mid-stream to concentrate all my attentions on the big wedding. Both of these "little fish" got inferior treatment that resulted in late finish dates on their projects. In fact, the anniversary sat on my shelves for two weeks untouched!

I was unaware of the fact that both of these clients were somewhat "well-connected" in their respective communities. Bad word-of-mouth about my services spread like wildfire. Luckily, the wedding came out super, and those clients bragged me around to everyone too. But I'm unsure to this day how much damage my slackness caused.

Try to treat every customer, no matter what the size of the job, as though they were your biggest client.

What's the best part about owning your own video production services business? The great hours? The good pay? Maybe it's the fact that you're the boss and you can hire who you want. You can even hire a friend.

Mistake number one. It's very hard to reprimand a friend when he or she is working at a substandard level. What usually happens is that you'll take up the slack yourself, for a while. Resentment and bitterness builds, until the unavoidable explosion. A fight ensues, whereupon harsh words are spat to each other. No more friend. No more employee.

Make sure the person you hire is capable of doing the required job. Don't hire someone as a favor. Don't hire someone because you think she's cute. Don't hire a potential golfing buddy.

The manner in which you hire someone is another concern. Freelancers are often the best way to go, making for an almost hassle-free work arrangement. But finding a reliable, on-the-call videomaker is tough. Sure, you can get someone when they're out of work. Most people, however, want steady employment that produces steady pay. Look to colleges for qualified freelancers. There are many students that are willing to work the erratic hours at low pay just to build up their resumes.

If you feel your work flow is steady enough to hire a full-time associate, do a thorough background check on any potential candidates. I can't tell you how many people approached my company with little or no actual experience in video production services. Bearing falsified resumes, these potential employees would bring along a demo full of productions they've never touched. Luckily, a few phone calls usually took care of any liars.

In most cases, marketing is the key to your survival. Promoting your video production services to the community and other businesses is the only way to keep customers coming to your doors. It's easy to ignore advertising, especially in something as service-oriented as video production. You figure you'll get all the clients you need with an extensive personal selling campaign. Just call up some potential wedding clients, and sooner or later you've got one to shoot. Doubtful.

Many low-cost avenues exist in which to promote your video production services. Most of these should be taken advantage of during the beginnings of your business's life. In lieu of costly display ads in the local newspaper, why not try utilizing the tried-and-true flyer method? Create a small poster advertising your services, duplicate it and distribute to business, fast food outlets, community bulletin boards, parking lots, etc. Wherever a potential candidate may view the information is a good place to put a flyer.

Another "cheapie" is physical display advertising. Emblazon your company name on anything that comes in contact with the public. Car or van signs, signage on your place of business, personalized pens, matchbooks or note pads and even custom shirts to wear on shoots are all low-cost methods in which to promote your video production services.

Just keep in mind that the main goal is to put your company's name in front of the public as often as possible. Achieve this using any means possible. It's critical to your success in this formative period.

As a new business owner, your life is liable to undergo some drastic changes. That's fine, if the changes are positive. Often, however, these lifestyle shifts alter your personal life as well. I have four pointers here that are pretty self-explanatory: Don't let the business take over your life. Don't let the business go to your head. Don't burn any bridges. And don't forget your friends and family.

Starting a video production services business is, without a doubt, a risky affair, both financially and personally. Take it slow and easy, testing each step before jumping to the next level.

Plan on making your fair share of mistakes. But remember--mistakes turn into catastrophes only when you fail to learn from them.

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