You just hit a milestone. Since you’re here its safe to assume that you’re at a point where you want to gain more clients. It’s exciting to make your business legitimate. Along with a business comes a discipline of acquiring and maintaining good relationships with your clients. Know that you must be consistent with your marketing, both digitally and word of mouth. This post will cover what to do in order to build your clientele and start shooting for customers.
Shooting content for free is what I’ve discovered is the fastest way to build a solid portfolio so you can have something to show to keep moving forward. Clients will ask to see your work, and if you have no good samples to show, thenmost likely they won’t trust you to handle the job. I’ve shot content for free just by going into the establishment with my camera, introducing myself, showing a sample, and letting them know I could do the same for them, for free. Businesses love free work that may drive them some foot traffic or digital engagement.
It can be hard deciding what to charge clients if you’re just starting off. Often times we may question our own skill sets and undervalue ourselves. Check in with other creatives who are in the same industry as you and see what their pricing looks like. Take into consideration your location, the demand for what you offer, the competition you face, and how much you would like to profit. These four things are important because it’ll help you create a good price range that’s comfortable for you. Make sure your portfolio is up to par in what your client wants, in order to correctly receive the value that you deserve. Create half-day rates and full-day rates; of course, you can apply that to different types of events if you want. For example, your full-day rate may be more for a wedding than an event recap, or maybe it’s not. The choice is completely in your hands; it’s your business. Make sure to do your research so you won’t lowball yourself or place yourself in a box with extremely high pricing for your area.
After shooting a couple of free shoots, try using the referral reward system to lock in more clients. Rewarding a client with a discount for bringing you more clients is a win-win for both parties. The client receives a discount and a finished high-quality product that will drive their business forward, while you receive more clients and more work. This will bring in revenue and portfolio content. Remember, one happy client can always bring in more.
Always keep in mind how important it is to use your resources, the people or things that you already have access to. Tap in with some of your local service providers that you are already familiar with. Examples include: real estate agents, DJs, event planners/coordinators, venues, etc. Start by sending a simple DM or email, greeting them and letting them know what your intentions are. Something like “I specialize in helping brands look more professional on social media. I would love to refer clients to you as well. Would you be open to having a conversation?” can go a long way.
Instead of introducing yourself as a videographer/photographer, introduce yourself as “one who makes brands stand out on social media”. Phrase it so that the client is aware that you’re offering more than just visual content. When you reach out to potential clients, reach out with some value. Compliment a post along with the DM for example, “Hey, I saw your recent event and loved the energy. I specialize in event photo/video to help brands get content they can reuse for marketing. If you ever need coverage, I’d love to connect.” You see how using terms like “need coverage”, and “reuse for marketing” emphasizes that we have more to offer the client. We are covering a story to tell and we want to tell it the best way possible in the formats that the client needs.
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