Find your USP

“Every business needs a Unique Selling Point, especially in such a competitive industry,” says Nick Ogden, who runs video-production company High Six Media with his twin brother, Luke. Nick and Luke got into videography through a love of capturing extreme sports, and this has given their work, “a particular style and energy” for which clients now seek them out.

“You can get caught up in doing everything for everyone,” warns Harriet Jordan-Wrench of Video-Box. Understand where your passion lies and position your brand accordingly. Self-initiated projects are a great way to do this. Video-Box’s music website Secret Sessions showcases live acoustic performances by a variety of artists. “Secret Sessions itself doesn’t generate income but it builds Video-Box’s reputation as a reliable maker of music-video content,” says Harriet.

Grow your rep

In the early days, when you don’t have spare money for marketing, “You are your own advert,” as Nick points out. “So make sure people are speaking highly of you. Everyone you come into contact with could become your next client.” At the very least be “Professional, polite and on time”. Build your network so that, “If you can’t do a job but know someone who can [subcontract for you], then you can still say yes to a client and they’ll use you again,” advises Nick. “Find professionals with different skills to you and bring them on board.”

Dealing with clients

Your day-rate depends on a heap of factors, including what competitors charge, where you’re based, your level of expertise and the scope of the project. Nick recommends using the costing and pricing method found on the Design Trust website.  When you agree a job, always get it in writing. “Contracts are very important. They’re the only way to protect yourself and ensure you get paid and treated fairly,” says Nick. They should cover the standard of work, timescale and delivery, outputs and formats, your obligations, the client’s obligations, payment terms, ownership of the work and, of course, the price. “People say the customer is always right. That’s wrong,” says Nick. “Do what they ask for but manage their expectations and guide them through the process, making sure the project is in budget and feasible. Remember: they’re not the experts, you are.”

When should you do cut-rate work?

Most people work for free or for a cut rate at some point in their videography career. It’s all about judging when is the right time for you, say Jack Pirie and Alex Hylands-White, who run music-video production company Halcyon Nights. Some advice from them:

Do…

Use it to build up material for your reel

Take on small, interesting low-paid jobs for cool companies if it might lead to bigger paid work with them or other clients

Take the opportunity to gain experience of a new area of videography or to experiment with a new technique

Prove yourself by exceeding expectations

Don’t…

Be exploited; record labels sometimes lie and say that they have budget for future work when they don’t. Watch their other videos. Do your research

Do anything that devalues your brand – people will see it and people talk

Make a habit of it, or you’ll be seen as a company that works on the cheap and when clients have additional budget, they’ll go elsewhere

Reveal your budgets. Ever. Tell clients what it should have cost

Have a plan

Writing a business plan is vital, says Nick, otherwise, “You won’t know which direction to go in and you’ll get left behind.” If you want to get funding from investors or from your bank, your business plan needs to be up to scratch. Update it at least once a year. Get advice from business professionals who know what a good one looks like.

Make mistakes – but learn from them

As Nick (citing Rocky) puts it: “It’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” 

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Image: Joel Geleynse Music Video Shoot by Pat Dryburgh on a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.

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