National Professional Videographers Association of New England

by Richard Talmage

I had a thought as we all gear up for another season on the road. Are things going as well as you expected this year? I am probably like most of you wishing that the phone was ringing more.

The question for each of us is what we are going to do about it.  For starters it is time to get more proactive towards marketing your services to the world.

This past month I have been wondering why some of us produce such beautiful work and yet the public does not understand the real value of video. Tim from the 4EverGroup was wonderfullast month speaking about our services and the value that will be appreciated in the future. The problem is that we all have bills to pay and we need to work, clients need to appreciate the value before the event.

Here is my solution. At least this is how I am trying to get the word out.

This past winter I revised my demo, just like many of you do, and thought about how I could present the work just a little differently. I picked up Adobe Encore DVD after hearing about it during Brett Culp’s seminar last year and gave it a workout. After 14 days of using it and making many mistakes I finally came up with a menu that looked good to me. Here is the difference I made happen this month: I sent out a demo to one of the reception sites on the Cape and the salesperson loved it. She said she would send out copies of it with her regular meetings with brides.

That got me thinking. What if I took out the clip of the first reception site and replace it with another reception site? That is what I have been working on this week. Time will tell but if it worked on the first one then it should work on the second one. I update you next month.
In addition, I had a meeting with a bridal consultant who also loved my work. She told me she is going to send my DVD demo out to brides to stress the importance of video for their weddings.

The point I am trying to make is if the phone is not ringing the way it should then it is time for us to do something to shake it up a little. I personally think that every wedding should have a professional videographer. If you find out that it is slower for you than expected then it is time to do something. Pass out your best DVD to as many new people as you can and get out and meet some new friends who could refer you. It is either that or you have to advertise like crazy and that is too expensive for the return. Here’s another great idea. Make your best demo and then show it to non-wedding people that you know. You do not want to show it to people you know because most of the time they are going to tell you how good you are. Set up a meeting with a creative person who knows nothing about video but may give you a creative idea or two that you may have overlooked.

Remember that the groundwork you lay down today will reap benefits in the future. If you do no groundwork then once it hits June and you are still slow you will say "Boy, this year is off," These are just a few mid-winter ideas to help you to realize how important it is to network and get your work out there. It is good for all of us.