Corporate video
“Let’s break down the five most popular clients in the production of corporate video and discuss how to plan for their on-set and post-production needs.”
One of my favourite aspects of working in corporate video production is building positive partnerships with customers. And while a lot of corporate work can be relatively straightforward, and yes, even dull, good customer relationships can actually make projects more exciting and fulfilling.
Through investing in your clients, it is easier to turn them into partners (and even friends) with whom you can work as though you were part of the same team. In reality, I would recommend that anyone involved in producing corporate video should make it a serious goal to achieve this mindset of “same team” with their clients. Of all, as they say, the best customer is the one that comes back to you again and again.
Let’s take a look at five prototypical customers I met on my corporate video trip. We ‘re going to discuss the best ways to find them, how to satisfy their needs, and how to make them lifetime friends.
1. One-Off Productions
A lot of client requests are for one-off, single-role gigs when you start with film and video first. Those are your typical gigs about “at this place we need a videographer for two hours.” Or, “we need someone to cut a video from the footage that we captured a year ago together.”
2. Event and Live Streamers
When you’re in the development of corporate video then you’re focused on business meetings, conferences and symposia. Sure, these are by far the most repetitive – and also the most logistically demanding – of the video projects you might be called upon to make. Perhaps the most reliable and profitable they can be.
Any company, large or small, will hold meetings. They will have some days of professional growth. They will have conferences which will allow them to connect with their own prospective clients. If you’re in touch with a company searching for the video for their activities, or are at least considering the option, there’s a lot you can actually give.
My advice for these customer groups is to work early and often to make the video services an integral part of their events. Until now, many organizations don’t fully realize what video is capable of, or how robust it can be.
For example, if a client reaches out for live-stream services, add-on video projects can be provided. Here’s a couple of my go-to add-ons:
- Promote content to help spread the word
- An enterprise sizzle reel to reveal at the start of the event
- Any and all live coverage which they every need
- A wrap-up video showcasing the progress of the case (and which can be used to support the next one)
3. Social Media Marketers
Only by partnering with businesses and organizations that support social media video for their marketing campaigns, you can build a comprehensive client list.
It has been recorded that more than 78 percent of people watch online videos every week, and 72 percent of clients choose to learn about products or services via video. (Hot tip: share this stats with RIGHT customers now!)
As such, many of the corporate video opportunities that you’ll see going forward should concentrate primarily on video sharing in social media.
4. In-House Production Support
I used this “trick” on a number of occasions, both as a freelancer and on behalf of the video production companies I worked for. When you are trying to get in with a major customer who does a lot of video work, seek to get them to “hire” you as an extension of their in-house resources.
It’s no secret that the Fortune 500 businesses produce lots of video content up and down. Nonetheless, it is naive to believe that their in-house resources have enough staff, equipment and time to manage all their video needs.
A strong contact point inside a big-time company’s marketing or manufacturing department will easily become your best customer. When you’re doing good work and making their lives easier, they’ll call you when they need more help.
My recommendation with respect to this strategy is to network like mad. Try to meet the people you ‘d like to partner with inside the big corporations. Ask for introductions, show your expertise and highlight the positive benefits of using your business as “extra support” should there arise any needs. Hit it hard when the first call comes, and still remain available and ready to support.
5. The Creative Branding Partners
This might be the best client of them all. You should work to ensure that every single one of your previous clients views you and your company this way. At the end of the day, clients are going to come back to you because they have video needs, but also because they like you, respect your work, and trust you to deliver a quality product.
The aim is to cultivate relationships in a way that helps your consumers see you as a full-fledged brand-growing partner, rather than someone merely delivering a service.
Work hard, be honest, genuinely strive to understand your customers and find solutions. If you can achieve this level of collaboration with one client, you can create a genuinely profitable video production business and leverage the relationship and find new clients.
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