Improved Communication For Increased Custom Video Sales

In 2018 I had just one more custom video inquiry than in 2017, but I completed nearly twice as many custom video sales. How did I do it? The only real change I made was how I communicated with potential customers before they order, and during the filming process and video delivery. I’ve outlined my process below, including sample messages. These messages are what I actually send out, though, so be a sweetheart and modify them to suit your own style if you plan to use them, please!

The First Contact, Inquiry and Quote

I get two types of “first contacts” from clients interested in custom videos: messages through clip sites that offer custom video ordering, and through my own website. I have a contact form on my site with required fields that (for the most part) give me all of the information I need to create a quote for the client’s video. Messages from clip sites, on the other hand, tend to be very informal and often have missing information. I try to keep all of my responses fairly standardized and professional, using a copy-paste template from the get-go. It makes managing multiple inquiries easier, and makes sure that I don’t forget to ask for any information, even if I’m doing responses while watching sports on TV (which is when I handle most of my inquiries).

Response to a message without enough information:

Hey [NAME],

That sounds like a great idea for a custom video! Before I can give you a quote and move forward with your video, I need a bit more information. [QUESTIONS] Once you fill me in on the details, I’ll let you know what I can do for you!

Giving a quote:

Hi [NAME],

I would love to film a video like that for you! A X minute video like this would cost $Y (X min x $Z/min). If you would like me to use your name in the video, the price will be $A. I resell my custom videos (with names removed), but if you would like an exclusive video that will never be resold, the price would be $B. Turnaround time for a video like this is approximately C days from date of payment. To go ahead with your video, please pay [SITE]. Once you have paid, I will add you to my filming queue, and will let you know if I have any questions.

I look forward to filming for you!

Follow-Up With People Who Never Ordered

Something that has paid off for me recently is following up with people who inquired about custom videos but never went through with their order. Every 6-8 weeks I go through my sent folder in my email and clip site messages to find inquiries that went cold after I gave them a quote, or after I asked for more information. I find that about 1/3 of the follow-up messages result in an order within a month of the message, which makes the time taken worthwhile. It doesn’t take much time at all, and I only follow up once.

Hello again [NAME],

I just wanted to follow up on my last message about your custom video request. Did you want to go ahead with ordering a video?

Order Acknowledgement After Payment

It is really important to acknowledge payment from your customer. I try to shoot them a quick message within 24 hours of payment, but ideally within 6 hours. It’s just a short thank you, and a reminder of my timeline.

I got your receipt, [NAME], thank you! I’ve added you to my filming schedule, and we’re on track for C days. I don’t have any questions for you yet, but I’ll get in touch if I need any more info before I shoot for you.

Messaging After Order Delivery

Depending on how you deliver your videos, your customer may or may not get an automated message from the site. Because I deliver videos both through file-sharing when they order though my own site, and through clip sites that have custom video ordering features, I take two different approaches.

Video delivered independently:

Hi [NAME],

Your video is ready to download: [LINK] Enjoy! I really liked shooting [DETAIL].

Video delivered through clip site:

Hey, I’ve uploaded your video, it should be in your account now. Enjoy! I really liked shooting [DETAIL].

Feedback / Follow-Up

One of the best parts of making custom videos is positive feedback. Of course, some customers won’t be happy with what they got (you can’t please everyone all the time, and some people are a bit unrealistic in terms of what can be filmed). When it comes to getting feedback, though, I have found that it is best to reply.

Unhappy Customers: I choose not to reply to most unhappy customers, which is probably a bit controversial. If I have genuinely screwed up their video, I will absolutely get back to them and sort out getting their video fixed. Most of the time, however, unhappy customers are complaining about something they did not tell me they wanted (I shot from the wrong angle because they neglected to send me a reference photo for the angle they wanted me to shoot from is common). Either that or something I had told them before payment would not be possible, and that they had agreed to.

Happy Customers: I always respond to happy customers, though. Hearing that I captured perfectly what they had envisioned brings me great joy, and I save all of those messages to read through when I’m having a tough day. I love replying to them, telling them about my favorite part to film, or what I found challenging and rewarding. Fulfilling fetish fantasies is why I film custom videos, and satisfied customers make the filming frustrations and editing snafus all worthwhile.