Google AdWords and Keywords

The factor that's killing quality services these days is that this is the MP3 generation, where 'just good enough is adequate'. Last July, I was invited to a client's to discuss making a '18 roses' video of her daughter's 18th birthday. It was to be a grand event, with limousine trips to/from the lake, multiple shoot locations, followed by a grand reception and dance party at an elite catering facility.
I showed her my DVD demo reel, which looked and sounded great.
Then she showed me her 2nd wedding vowes ceremony video, shot in 1995. It was shakey hand-held camera work, on camera VHS linear audio omni mic that picked up more noise than vows, and.. get this--she said she loved this video and was hoping her daughter's video would be produced something like that!
Anyway, we haggled over price for an hour. I knocked $400 off my price, despite this being a FULL 7-hour shoot with multiple locations. Then she finally said "I'll think about it and call you in a week." Then she motioned us to come to the window. She pointed out a brand-new black Mercedes S550 in her driveway, informing us that she took delivery yesterday. She was bragging about her $180,000 car that she just bought, but crying poor that our $1100 price for shooting and editing her daughter's event was too much! I said "have a nice day" and walked out while I could still keep my temper under control. A week later, she called to say she couldn' t afford our price.

So the lesson learned is, video is a luxury, even to the rich.
Unless you're in a life-saving business, or the food production or medical/pharmaceutical industry, you're disposable. Has anyone ever died because of a lack of video production? Probably not. Has anyone died for lack of food? You bet!

I've been to a few networking events and have given talks on a volunteer basis. I was 'hired' a number of times because I was doing it on a volunteer basis. Not a single piece of work resulted from any of that. I got plenty of people calling me up afterwards, asking for technical advise/support, but no one willing to hire my services for pay.

The sad thing is that the tax man always finds me before the clients do.
 
If a prospect tells me that she wants shaky camera work, I'll give her shaky camera work... in a good way, and with good audio. Handheld has an appeal to a lot of people. It's energetic, it's raw, it's rebellious, you know. Having said that, what a cheap ***** that woman was huh? Though $1100 still seems a bit high for a one day non-business/non-wedding event. I mean, how many hours do you think you'll need to edit that?

You really haven't gotten any paid work from networking???
 
Initially, I'd told her a ballpark of $750, as she had only mentioned a reception. I figured 3-4 hours and then editing. But when we sat down and went over the details, what she wanted was on the par with what we do for a full wedding affair. Multiple location shooting, edited together in a style like those celebrity shows on TV, and all the dressings. When I leaned it would be a 7-hour shoot, that's when I decided to price it like a wedding. There would still be 30-35 hours of post production involved, part of which is the design of a theme-specific DVD motion menu, packaging, as well as the elaborate editing and sound track work that I normally put into wedding videos.
$1100 is nothing around here. It's two months' worth of electric bills.

Nope. Not a single paid engagement from networking at in-person events and talks that I've given 'gratis' for computer user groups and other events.
 
Ok.. did the client ask for a theme-specific DVD motion menu? packaging??? what would she need packaging for? And while I don't watch much TV, especially celebrity shows (whatever they are), what elaborate editing do they require?

While networking, did some people show some interest in hiring you (for money)?
 
I would never simply hand a client a hand-written in magic marker, DVD title with no menu system for an event that has multiple chapters. I would never allow something so bare to have my name on it, for if anyone else saw it, they would have a low opinion of the quality of my work. A well-designed package, a nice menu that augments the viewing expectations, and a well organized prodution with event-specific menus is a must for these things. This isn't the 80s where you could just through a hand labeled VHS cassette at a client and expect them to accept it.

During those networking events, the only interest I received was in the form of people wanting to ask technical questions and pick my brain. No, no one came to me and said "I have a project for which I'd like to hire you".
 
Bass,

Also, hope you don't mind if I critique your website design a little:

Home page:

why is your page so small in margins? The 4 pics are really cool but they are not centered. The font for "We bring you...." can use a more modern look, not to mention a different colour. If I were you I would get rid of it altogether.


Wedding:

why a separate site altogether? for branding?


Corporate:

Did you have all these capacities listed for SEO purposes? Or are you trying to trigger something in your prospect when they see these capacities? The DVD cases are really cool. At the end of the day there is nothing wrong with displaying all these little different services, but...

Portfolio:

If you are going to tell people you do all these wondering corporate videos, you should have some samples to back you up. There is nothing but orchestra and rock concerts here. The Halo video is repetitively edited and while the cloud video looks nice, not sure who you are trying to impress. I know you said you have trouble getting the rights to showcase your work, that is something I find hard to believe as most of the time unless the video has paid content (ie, secrets of picking stocks), my clients would love it if I use their video bits as my own promo, it promotes them at the same time. I do what I can to promote my clients' causes, and in most cases it's just a link, but they appreciate it nonetheless. Also, back to your portfolio page, if someone clicks on an image, the video that corresponds to that image should start playing without further action by the viewer. The viewer shouldn't have to click 'play' again on your Flash player. And why is there a blue rectangle around your Flash player? Your Flash screen is not even centered.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it sucks to give a seminar for free and have people picking your brain afterwards, and NO leads prospect!

Sir, not sure which editing system you use but it takes no more than one afternoon to make a DVD menu with full chapter selections etc, on a DVD Studio Pro template. But sounds like you are offering more. And I still don't see why they would want packaging beyond a printed DVD disc. They are not selling the damn thing at the store.

The point I'm trying to make is: if somebody is only willing to pay so much money for a product, then she is only gonna get a product that is worth so much money. It sounds like you are trying to up sell her on things she does not want. My apologies in advance if I'm wrong.
 
The people making money with Google are the ones doing SEO of their ad farms and optimizing the interface on their landing pages to entice folks to click the links (your ads) when they are in fact looking for useful content. Test for yourself by putting your AdSense terms in a Google search and see what shows up on page 1 of the search results. You would be better off writing useful content that causes Google to find articles you've written when your target market is searching for information relevant to what you're selling. Giving something away generates traffic that you can then market to, e.g. if you are a wedding videographer you might write an article that explains how to work with a videographer to get the best results, etc.
 
I was going for a clean, professional look. I wanted the landing page to be uncluttered. The photos are centered on IE7. What browser are you seeing off-center images in?
I can use a more modern font, but a font that displays because I have it on my system is no good if it isn't on the system of people visiting my page who get font substitution with something even worse.

The wedding site is separate because a bridal consultant told us you don't want wedding clients to know you don't specially EXCLUSIVELY in weddings or they'll think you're no good.

Corporate: These are all the types of video shoots I'm geared up to do. I've had one medical seminar last spring, but it was all regulatory stuff proprietary to the medical industry. Maybe I might try adding it later. I'm really pushing to get more corporate work as it pays much better and is a lot less stressful to work those types of shoots than weddings.

The problem with the inability to use some of the stuff I shoot is that I have to sign an agreement that no other copies will be made of a particular event. I cannot even put it on my web site. I did a really cool timelapse video for a client who has signed over his rights to HIS client, so I can't use that video for my own promotion. I have to honor my promises on anything I don't have rights to. The orchestra I work with most often makes you sign a contract that gives them the right to go after me legally if any distribution of the orchestra's performance is detected.

I realize the Flash stuff is a little weird. I'm a videographer/editor, not a Flash expert. Flash is rather convoluted and I was lucky to get those clips published with a template I'd made earlier. Have been dealing with a series of emergencies for the past year and haven't been able to sit down and refresh my skills on Flash to redo a lot of this stuff.

I get annoyed when I do these talks, gratis, for organizations and yet nothing happens. I even bring a stack of brochures to have out by the registration desk. Out of 300 copies, only about 4 copies were taken. The other 296 were still there at the end of a recent talk.

I often go around town, shooting events. That's how I got the rock concert gig. I was able to get $500 to do that video. Found out that venue hosts big shows like Charlie Daniels Band and Chuck Mangione, so I contacted all of the upcoming big acts' managers, each and every one of them. Two were nice enough to respond. None of them took me up on my offer to cover an upcoming concert.

I've also contacted Cricket Cappuccie at Crews-Control. They won't even talk to you unless you've got ten years' corporate shooting, and numerous awards.
Then I tried some of the poor man's video hiring networks like TurnHere. I joined, attended their Webinars, and waited and waited, but never got a signal assignment, despite a few e-mails asking for work when many months had already passed. Such networks are a joke. Why bother?

The wedding videos that I do become example pieces for my portfolio. I consider it imperative that they are elegant, not just Helvetica 14 pt across a white disc face. I avoid templates like the plague because they make everything look the same. Each wedding couple is unique and deserves their own custom look and feel, not an off the shelf template.
The other thing is that we're in CT not AL--prices and cost of living is about the highest in the nation.

About content, how would I add articles to a web site that is but a catalog of services that I offer? Would a Blog be appropriate to add here?

I DO have a paper newsletter that I send out every few months, to clients, but it hasn't produced any re-orders for new gigs.
 
Then I tried some of the poor man's video hiring networks like TurnHere. I joined, attended their Webinars, and waited and waited, but never got a signal assignment, despite a few e-mails asking for work when many months had already passed. Such networks are a joke. Why bother?


Don't give up too quickly on Turnhere. I got an average of 2 jobs a week from them for about a year. Then around March 09 the bottom fell out. Recently I started getting calls again. Now, they have a deal going where you drum up you own business, by offering small business owners a 3 month free trial of a profile video. All you have to do is get them to agree to the free trial, no further obligation, and Turnhere pays you to shoot the video. I find Turnhere videos easy to shoot, the only real work is the paperwork and uploading.

I also suggest calling (not emailing) the Turnhere "dispatchers" once a week, getting to know them, and asking if they have anything in the area. It helps to be willing to drive 50 miles or so.

No luck with stock footage? For me , volume is what does it. Takes a lot of time, but for me , on Revostock and Istock, every thousand clips uploaded generates something like 2-$300 a month. A lot of work to be sure, but once done, the income is still coming in years down the road.
 
Last edited:
I didn't give up on TurnHere. They gave up on me. I joined them nearly a year ago. How long before you got your first gig with them? Was it more than a year?

I can try calling their staff, but I had called them several times in the past and I think they were growing tired of hearing from me because the last time I called, they hung up on me.

I have 31 pieces of stock footage on RevoStock. Only two of the clips have sold, but they have sold a couple times each. So I see $21 income every 3 months on average there. If one scaled is up, I'd need about 3,000 clips up there to theoretically be making $700/month in stock sales. It's not easy to shoot really good stuff though. I sift through hundreds of hours of footage to find a few really good clips. So much gets scrapped because of copyright/identifyable people/signs/buildings, etc. and so much else because of camera shake. I'm getting the powerful sense that a Steadicam is going to be mandatory to get good moving shots. I have not given up on stock footage, but the existing stock footage houses are really low-paying and don't do anything to showcase my footage.

Some footage I shot at an air show two years ago of the Shockwave jet-powered truck flipping over at 360mph was spectacular, and I've received e-mails from Discovery Channel about it, but after sending them a requested screener of all the footage, I have not heard from them in the five months that passed since sending the screener. I've gotten the bright idea to contact some major stock footage houses, sent them the footage as a screener too, but have not had any interested buyers who want to license it and put there money behind that request.

Ultimately, I need to get out and shoot lots more footage. Admittedly I've been a bit hesitant, with all the anti-video attitude of law enforcement lately, but perhaps I have to learn to accept being arrested and released as part of the job. After all, I can't limit myself to shooting wildlife scenics forever.
 
Good ideas here guys! I need to look into Turnhere and istock.

Is there a market for DVX quality footage on istock? I still don't have a HD cam yet. Plus to accumulate stock footage I should use a reusable media like the SD card or something.
 
Bass,

blogs... people say it's a good idea but my jury is still out. I like to try one and it's gonna be either 1, about marketing small businesses or 2, Final Cut Pro tutorial
 
I wouldn't think that a blog geared to other videographers would do much for creating interest to clients of videographers though.. My newsletter talks about how I use video and audio technology in new and innovative ways, for instance. It is not a tutorial on Adobe Premiere. That would be targeting the wrong audience, would it not?
 
chart


And the non-hits just keep on coming!
 
basspig said:
I wouldn't think that a blog geared to other videographers would do much for creating interest to clients of videographers though.. My newsletter talks about how I use video and audio technology in new and innovative ways, for instance. It is not a tutorial on Adobe Premiere. That would be targeting the wrong audience, would it not?
Click to expand...

Thats one theory, but another theory says that by having tutorials or similar stuff on your page would 'position' yourself as an expert, and therefore get more sales from people who don't really appreciate your technical blog.
 
That's what one friend of mine keeps telling me. He even told me to write a book, get it published and that makes me a 'certified expert' in my field. Rubbish, I say! Clients want someone they trust (through a recommendation of a trusted 3rd party), or someone who can do the job within their budget.
Unfortunately, a lot of my clients are one-timers. Couples that get married ONCE. A rare medical panel discussion that happens once in several years. Similar unusual events. The only 'regular' clients I have are the ones I've been doing freebies for all along. They're your client as long as you don't charge. LoL..
 
Yeah, personally I agree with you. Becoming an expert is only valuable if you want to teach.

I notice that my repeat clients, not that I have many, are either hubs or people in the media sectors.

Hubs - sure couples only get married once, but the church/wedding planner etc get business over and over again. Have you tried to network with say a wedding planner?
 
'Been trying to network with wedding planners AND fancy inns that hold expensive weddings, but neither will return my calls. I've signed up with so many aggratator services, too, so now I get a mailbox full of spam. So in so has viewed your listing on Bridal whatever dot com and when I log in to get the contact, they want $35 just to get the contact info of the couple that browsed my listing. What a ripoff!

Things are so bad now that I'm taking a job, 2 hours per month doing maintenance for a university radio station. It's an hour commute each way, which makes it a dubious profit, but it's the only work.. not even related to video. When I'm forced to take such jobs, it's depressing because I feel that it's taking me away from my goal, in a completely different direction that won't get me closer to that goal of being a cinematographer.

Well a couple days ago I had ONE click through and that improved the scores for all keywords a bunch. But still no calls. So far 2010 is off to a dismal start. And no concert projects this year, even though it's peak concert season.

chart
 
My first Turnhere gig was sometime after I signed up, not immediate. As I recall you mentioned in a post that you lived in a small town - that may be the problem . They will tend to send the guys in the metro area so they don't have to pay them extra mileage.

Don't give up on the truck crash footage. Keep looking for just the right show to air it (at one time there were multiple shows showing clips of explosions, disasters, etc. ) Sooner or later it will sell. I once got $700 for security cam footage of people breaking into washers at my laundromat- you never know what will sell.

I have never gotten stock by sifting through stuff I already shot - as you said, too many logos, etc. I go out and shoot with stock in mind, avoiding logos and faces. If shooting toward a crowd of pedestrians, focus on the ones far in the back, so the ones in front are out of focus. Or shoot at knee level. Get creative and bring along an EZ slider or other tool to help your footage stand out from the crowd. Think out of the box when shooting - I've sold clips of bugs buzzing around a lightpole, burning cars, toast popping in slow motion, dripping water faucet, you name it. The stock sites will often post lists of stuff people need, go out and try to get it. All this should help you sell more clips. Spend a couple of months and see if you can get several hundred usable clips, so the whole thing is worth your while.

My solution to camera shake is not a steadycam (although I have shot a few clips with one). I simply get my shot, then don't touch the tripod. Let the subject do the moving.

Here are my clips on Revostock - click on the "order by" window and put them in most downloaded order. That will give you an idea what sells for me.
http://www.revostock.com/SearchResult-Empty.html?text=&st=&pool_id=&CatType=producers&length_from=&ProgramVersion=&length_to=&ID=4321&catID=&Camera=&ProducerName=&HasPRO=&HasPlugins=&SearchResultPagerPage=&SearchResultPagerOrder=u.%60Downloads%60+DESC&SearchResultPagerFilter=&SearchResultPagerQty=12&FormatNTSC=&FormatHDV=&FormatHD720=&FormatHD1080=&FormatPAL=&makeFavoriteProducer=0&makeNotFavoriteProducer=0
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top