Video producers and web designers have a lot more in common than you might think. Some web designers offer video services and some producers offer web services. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense because video is needed on business web sites, right? I should clarify one thing – web marketing companies may be more aggressive in pushing video than web designers. But smart web design is about marketing and most web designers probably also offer some web marketing services along with pure design services.
When you produce a business video you know it’s probably headed for YouTube and Vimeo. In many cases, that’s part of your job – to get it on the web and promote it.
From the client’s point of view, it’s all part of the same thing so don’t you think it would be more convenient for the client and more profitable for the producer and the designer to cross promote each others’ services?
Start by getting to know some local web design/marketing companies. A small company, perhaps a one man or woman band is about the right size. They need to be skilled in web work and they need to be quite reliable. Ideally you’d be able to choose three or four of the top candidates and give them each a small job so you can see what it’s like to work with them. But your web site may not need that much work or you don’t have web job big enough. So the next best thing may be to buy them lunch and get to know them.
Of course you’ll want to have a carrot ready to offer them. I won’t tell you how to do this part other than to suggest a few possibilities:
– Goodwill for everyone: their customers, you, and the web designer.
– Produce a short video testimonial for the designer to use for free. (Make it a great-looking video.)
– Cash is always nice
– Cross Marketing (You add a link from your site to their web design site; and they add a link from their site to your site.)
It doesn’t have to be a strict quid pro quo (this for that trade), but it should be fair for all sides.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew you could recommend a web designer to your clients when they need that kind of help. The right relationship with a web company can bring you a video job every month or so. This is step toward the marketing agency approach whereby one company can supply all the marketing needs to a client.
For more great ideas on marketing for video producers see Professional Video Producer.
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