Worried about my branding...

Andrew Jennings · January 20th, 2011, 06:59 AM

Danny - I think I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the site to look like and it has kinda gone a bit off-track. I had actually forgotten where I was going with it until you said - so thanks.

Unfortunatly the only friend of mine that is getting married soon is my best friend and I am the best man. Don't think that would work out somehow!

Jim - that's a good idea, thanks. I was going along the competition route, but I was thinking of doing a prize draw (possibly after checking them out on Facebook; I would prefer aesthetically pleasing people in my first promo - is that wrong??? I suppose beggars can't be choosers!)

Danny - I understand that it is perhaps not beneficial to tell clients about techy stuff. Since I have a lack of existing work (and that is the only reason I have included this info), I wanted potential customers to know that I am not a 19 year old running around with 3 Flip cameras taped to his head. But I suppose I can tell people what I use etc when I meet them, if they are interested.

Chip - Ha ha, I would love to hear from the unicycle guy. Bet he gets some really steady shots. I would disagree that that is his 'brand' though. Maybe the definition of a 'brand' is different for different people?

George Kilroy · January 20th, 2011, 07:50 AM

Andrew, it the many years I've been shooting weddings I think I've only had a couple of occasions when any client has asked about the equipment I use.
As for branding, I guess that it depends on how big a market you'll be jumping in to. For the first few years of my business I traded and promoted myself by my name with video tacked on the end. I made a feature of the fact that I was solely responsible for the quality of my work.
I only "branded" the business when I started having to employ others to cover work; I felt I shouldn't still promote as such a personal service.

I now have completely separate and non-associated "brands" for wedding/family work and business/commercial work.

Danny O'Neill · January 21st, 2011, 04:58 AM

Best man at a wedding, PERFECT! our first ever vid was from a wedding I was an usher at. It gave us enough to produce a highlights and some bookings. Looking back now I have no idea how, it was awful but served purpose.

We started out by offering more then the 'pros' and charging less. Having full time jobs made it easy to do that. We couldn't have done this without our jobs to fund gear, training and making mistakes to learn.

We started just 4 years ago and the turning point for is was attending re:frame in Austin.

Shaun Foulds · January 21st, 2011, 03:41 PM

Thanks for the kind comments. I agree with Danny!! Pictures of camera/equipment/gear is not good and often a turn off for many. It's usually guys trying to impress other videographers!!

One of the the ways I first got weddings was offering free wedding videos in the forums. I was very honest about my experience and was inundated with opportunities. I picked what I thought were the best ones and then went from there.

With regards to your branding - this will develop all the time. It progresses as your wedding videos progress. As you get better your business will evolve and as you get work you will be able to invest back into creating your branding.

In the meantime get plenty of experience and collect some great footage and like Danny says - "show your work off". I love to show recent weddings as it's more honest as so many videographers show 1 or 2 weddings from the last however many years. Bride and Grooms love to see recent weddings and evidence that you are doing lots!!

Again all the best and it would be great to hear how you've got on over the next few years. I will log your site and get in touch sometime.

Beautiful Life Wedding Video and Wedding Photography
Wedding Video Blog

January 21st, 2011, 04:58 AM	#18
Danny O'Neill Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Northampton, UK Posts: 915	Best man at a wedding, PERFECT! our first ever vid was from a wedding I was an usher at. It gave us enough to produce a highlights and some bookings. Looking back now I have no idea how, it was awful but served purpose. We started out by offering more then the 'pros' and charging less. Having full time jobs made it easy to do that. We couldn't have done this without our jobs to fund gear, training and making mistakes to learn. We started just 4 years ago and the turning point for is was attending re:frame in Austin. __________________ mintyslippers.com

January 21st, 2011, 03:41 PM	#19
Shaun Foulds Tourist Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 3	Worried about my branding Thanks for the kind comments. I agree with Danny!! Pictures of camera/equipment/gear is not good and often a turn off for many. It's usually guys trying to impress other videographers!! One of the the ways I first got weddings was offering free wedding videos in the forums. I was very honest about my experience and was inundated with opportunities. I picked what I thought were the best ones and then went from there. With regards to your branding - this will develop all the time. It progresses as your wedding videos progress. As you get better your business will evolve and as you get work you will be able to invest back into creating your branding. In the meantime get plenty of experience and collect some great footage and like Danny says - "show your work off". I love to show recent weddings as it's more honest as so many videographers show 1 or 2 weddings from the last however many years. Bride and Grooms love to see recent weddings and evidence that you are doing lots!! Again all the best and it would be great to hear how you've got on over the next few years. I will log your site and get in touch sometime. Beautiful Life Wedding Video and Wedding Photography Wedding Video Blog

January 20th, 2011, 06:59 AM	#16
Andrew Jennings Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: UK Posts: 4	Danny - I think I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the site to look like and it has kinda gone a bit off-track. I had actually forgotten where I was going with it until you said - so thanks. Unfortunatly the only friend of mine that is getting married soon is my best friend and I am the best man. Don't think that would work out somehow! Jim - that's a good idea, thanks. I was going along the competition route, but I was thinking of doing a prize draw (possibly after checking them out on Facebook; I would prefer aesthetically pleasing people in my first promo - is that wrong??? I suppose beggars can't be choosers!) Danny - I understand that it is perhaps not beneficial to tell clients about techy stuff. Since I have a lack of existing work (and that is the only reason I have included this info), I wanted potential customers to know that I am not a 19 year old running around with 3 Flip cameras taped to his head. But I suppose I can tell people what I use etc when I meet them, if they are interested. Chip - Ha ha, I would love to hear from the unicycle guy. Bet he gets some really steady shots. I would disagree that that is his 'brand' though. Maybe the definition of a 'brand' is different for different people?

January 20th, 2011, 07:50 AM	#17
George Kilroy Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Midlands UK Posts: 699	Andrew, it the many years I've been shooting weddings I think I've only had a couple of occasions when any client has asked about the equipment I use. As for branding, I guess that it depends on how big a market you'll be jumping in to. For the first few years of my business I traded and promoted myself by my name with video tacked on the end. I made a feature of the fact that I was solely responsible for the quality of my work. I only "branded" the business when I started having to employ others to cover work; I felt I shouldn't still promote as such a personal service. I now have completely separate and non-associated "brands" for wedding/family work and business/commercial work.