need some serious business advertising advice

[Victor Boyko]

I am at a crisis point in my life/business I've been a professional wedding videographer for about 3 years now. I'll keep this short. As of now, I only advertise in one place: the knot
This provides me about 10 weddings a year while word of mouth provides me another 8 to 10 weddings a year. This is a large number only because the market is really poor here I'm upstate new York so I am forced to charge cheap for my semi cinematic work. I know I know.....

Anyways, I have to start getting my work to really party the bills here. What do you guys recommend as far as advertising goes. I was thinking of going throughout all of new York And trying to partner with some vendors. My problem is I've never done this before. How do I deal with vendors? Any suggestions on other advertising methods? I feel like there is no market for cinematic videos here where brides will pay what you are worth.

I realize now why there are almost no wedding videographers in my area.

[Chip Thome]

Victor, you need to sit down and analyze what you are currently doing and why you feel it won't work at a higher rate. You could be very right and the amount of money available to pay you, after the other wedding expenses, just doesn't exist. But first, you have to see if you can determine whether you are right about that, or not.

One way to start with that is try and determine, somewhat closely, what the budgets really have been for the weddings you have shot. If you have a good relationship with several of your brides, where you can ask them, start with those and use what you learn as a barometer for the rest you have done.

You also need to find out what photogs charge in your area. These same brides, hopefully can give you some insight on that as well. Tradition is that video guys don't get as much as photogs, but it should tell you if budgets are similarly smaller in your area for photogs and their services.

When you get all this figured out, then you have to see if it might have been a situation where those who DID book you, may have booked you EVEN at a higher rate, if you had marketed yourself and your product differently.

You might already know this info or maybe you don't. You can't assume though that the money is not there to cover a higher rate for yourself. If it's not there as it sounds like you assume, then it's just not there. At that point, expanding your market is your next best option.

[Travis Wilber]

Are there a lot of wedding planners in your area? I would hook up with them to help build up video content for their website. If they like you and your work then you can get business thru them. The other thing would to maybe hook up with venues and create videos specifically for the venue (helps if you did a wedding there), and get on their preferred list.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Victor

There seems to have been a HUGE migration from traditional online wedding directories to facebook and let's face it (no pun intended) that's where the girls hang out and at the wedding planning stage the girls do 99% of the research and work plus they chat amongst themselves.

I have always found that an online directory that has a forum was a good place to make yourself known but even these are getting less visitors. It seems that if you can get exposure on certain Facebook Groups that seems to be where the ladies discuss us!! Quite often however they won't allow suppliers in!!

The bottom line is that you DO need to talk to upcoming brides (not grooms) and they tend to congregate in Facebook groups to discuss just about every aspect of their wedding with other brides.

Anyone on Facebook having good contact with brides or exposed to bridal groups??

Chris

[Victor Boyko]

Thanks for the helpful info. I just see new companies such as Urbane Wedding Company that charge very little and it seems like they almost work for nothing?