It’s no secret that video is the number one marketing tool for businesses. More businesses are looking to incorporate video into their marketing campaigns, so if you’re interested in starting and growing your own video production business, now is a perfect time.

In this article, you’re going to learn how to start and grow your own video production business, how to promote your business, and how to find clients. 

How to Start a Video Production Company

Before you start trying to reel in clients, no pun intended, there are a few steps you need to take to get everything in order. 

You need to make sure you have a solid business plan, funding, team, and equipment.

Create a Business Plan

The first thing you need to do is iron out the details of your business plan. This includes creating a budget, defining your target market and business model, and branding your business based on who you’re trying to attract. 

It’s a good idea to brainstorm different sources of income. You may want to plan a stream of passive income so you’re still creating revenue in between clients or during the slow seasons, depending on your target market. 

You also want to take into consideration all the steps to make your business legal and legit. This includes getting an LLC and purchasing insurance. 

Funding

Once you figure out the budgeting and have an idea of how much money you’ll need to start your business, you need to brainstorm some ways to start funding your business. 

There are a few different ways you can do this:

• Fund the startup yourself, or get help from a sponsor or relative.
• Crowdsource your funding through social media.
• Get a business loan from a bank.

There are pros and cons to each approach, so carefully weigh your options before you decide. 

Get a Team or Crew Together

Running a video production company is nearly impossible to do solo. It’s important to have a team so you don’t get overwhelmed. 

If you don’t already have a crew in place, list out all the different roles that need to be filled in your company. When doing this, make sure you’re focusing on hiring people who are good in areas you’re not.

Equipment

Before you go crazy and buy a bunch of equipment, look at your business plan and list out what you need for the services you’ll provide. As you start, keep this at a bare minimum and only get the essentials. 

You can expand and upgrade your equipment as you start to bring in steady income. 

For now, focus on:

• A light kit
• A decent camera
• A tripod or rig — depending on the type of footage you’re wanting to create for your clients
• A good quality microphone 
• A computer and video editing software

It’s worth noting that sound is more important than video quality, so be wise in your spending and get a good quality microphone and recording system. 

Tips on How to Market a Video Production Company

Now you have a business plan, funding, your crew, and equipment, but it would all be pointless until you have a plan to get your name out there.

You need 4 online assets to help you get the word out. A website, a Google My Business profile, an email list, and a social media account to promote and network your business.

Again, this is something you can — and should — expand in the future, but for now, it’s better to focus heavily on the bare minimum instead of spreading yourself too thin across 5 or 6 different social media sites.

A Website

I cannot stress enough how this does not need to be high-end and fancy with difficult coding. You can get a simple website at Wix and use premade templates. 

If a website is not doable, you can start with just a Facebook page that functions as your website. A Facebook business page has all the essential elements to inform people who you are, what you offer, prices, and who your target audience is.

Get on Google

Set up a Google My Business profile for your business. It’s really easy to do and takes less than an hour. This is a great way to get your business to pop up on a search result when someone is looking for your services in your local area.

Set Up an Email List

An email list is an invaluable tool for every business, especially if you’re marketing to other businesses. Social media algorithms change and affect your organic reach to your audience, but your email list will always receive your latest news and promotions. 

You can entice your audience to sign up for your email list by offering them a coupon or promotional offer in exchange for their email address.

You can use a service like Mailchimp or Mailerlite. These services are free for your first 1,000 email subscribers so they are great for beginners. Be sure to send out weekly or bi-weekly newsletters so your potential clients won’t forget about you when they need video production services.

Set up 1 Social Media Account

If you decide to use a Facebook page in place of your website, you killed 2 birds with 1 stone. But if not, then you should choose one social media outlet to promote and market your business.

If you’re marketing to customers who are not a business, consider using a platform like TikTok or Instagram. However, if you’re marketing to other businesses, setting up a LinkedIn profile would be a better choice.

How to Get Clients for Your Video Production Company

Once you get your website, social media, email list, and Google My Business profile set, it’s time to start booking clients. 

Here are a few tips on how to get clients:

• Use targeted Facebook Ad Campaigns to target the right audience you want to market to.
• Go to networking events for your target market. You can find these events through Meetup.com. 
• Use your existing personal social media account to ask your friends and family to spread the word. 

It’s also a good idea to hire a copywriter and social media marketer to help you with your marketing campaign.

Conclusion

The high demand for video services makes this a lucrative business. Whether you’re creating video ads, training videos, or filming a live event, the need for video services won’t be going away any time soon.