Ok guys,
As a Wedding/Event Videographer moving over to the Commercial/Film world here are questions and ideas for everyone....

1) Website - I am getting my website together to make it attractive to the type of clients I would like. I have already worked on my demo reel quite a bit. Can anyone share their corporate website with me for ideas?

2) Logo, Business Cards, & Company Name - Right now, I don't really have a logo, and alot of times I simply use my name for the business and on business cards. Whats your take on this?

3) Company clothing and branding - Never done this but thinking about getting a polo shirt with my company name on it, and a few t shirts for casual wear/advertising (not on the job) that have my information. Suggestions on which websites to buy from, etc? Does this help you?

4) Brochures, media on hand, etc - Does this help you? Usually I meet the client with a clipboard and sample contract. Most of the time booking right on the spot. All this ONLY have they have veiwed my work online on the website.

Any other ideas, suggestions, tag lines?

All of the above is great but the only thing that gets you work is you out there selling yourself.

I wish I was a better marketer & salesman for my business because I will take a great salesman over a slick website etc... any day.

Pounding pavement and talking yourself up is the important thing, the rest is all a supporting role.

Consider this: you want people to hire you because of your skills as a videographer/filmmaker. If you are not skilled in marketing, you should expect to hire someone who is.

Some people are skilled in both but others are not. Marketers have hired me for videography, so why wouldn't I consider hiring them to do my marketing?

Thanks for the thoughts.

My intent with the thread was simply to IMPROVE.

I was recently impressed with a company that I hired to repair something - just the way they branded themselves and the professionalism in everything inspired me to try to do some branding for my company.
It just raises your clients first impression a little more.

Hi Silas, try this. Check around your business district and gather up all your potential competitors promotional material.

Give each of their items a grading, 1 - 10 for .. quality of website, logo, demo video, brochure, business card, rate card (if available) and return call time*, quality of return call, your impression of them on the phone, how many clients they give as references .. and anything else you can list.

When you list all this info, add up the totals and see which outfit wins. Study their operation and if possible talk to some of their clients for a reference as a possible client yourself. Keep your list and update it every 9 months.

All this should give you more ideas and reveal to you what your possible promotional costs might be and how good all your competition really is.

Cheers.

*call after hours, did they answer etc?