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Why so down on Craigslist?
Granted, there are some ridiculous postings, but out of the $7k I made this month, $4k came from Craigslist connections. Maybe that’s chump change for some of you, but for me, that’s not bad. Only 1 out of 10-15 Craigslist responses ever comes to anything, but for someone who is “marketing challenged” like me, Craigslist is a welcome boon.
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18 Replies
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We’re talking bad about the other 99%.
I tried responding to posts for 30 days to give it a fair chance and it was always someone looking for a professional job in exchange for a credit or a copy of the finished work or maybe just the thrill of working with some famous director or whatever.
Some have said “But we’ll be working with all of these great, half naked girls”. Yeah, I’ll just run that by my mortgage lender and see if he’ll take that instead cash for my house payment. Come to think of it, that might just work with my freshly divorced web guy. Hmmmmmmmmm
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut Pro systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck -
I also need to mention that I’m glad this works for you. If your company is at a price point that meets the clients needs then go for it. It’s just that some of us have got to stay at a certain level just to break even. Back when I was a one man operation with no everhead. many years ago, I could have probably made a living from Craig’s list.
Good luck on that.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut Pro systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck -
I totally understand that. That’s exactly what I am right now; a one man operation working in my basement studio. I do have standards though; just this week I turned down two cable tv ads for $500 each. I refuse to compete with the likes of Comcast Spotlight and other high volume, low budget producers. I never stop trying to take my work and my clients to a higher level.
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So what’s the phone number for those ads? Hey, a guy’s gotta eat.
Just kidding.
By the way, you might try the phrase “I’m always looking to take my work and my clients to a higher level” It’s just a more positive way of saying what you’ve already said. 1. Dump the negatives in your life. 2. Always shake your head up and down, never side to side. 3. Always charge enough.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut Pro systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck -
One man band or full orchestra, repeating client or brand new client – doesn’t matter for me, I always get 1/2 down payment before starting or completing the work.
“The biggest difference between a good Producer and a great Producr is a great Producer has been burned more often.”
Bruce
Bruce Bennett,
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC – http://www.bmmp.com -
Think like a SERIOUS prospective client for a moment. If you truly need a professional (or even medium quality) video produced, you probably already have a good idea of what you need and why, and would want to find a studio that specializes in or at least does a good job with that specific type of work. As a serious buyer with real money on the line, you comparison shop and, at the very least, you would want to look through demo reels and check out people’s credentials. After looking around in your local market and comparing, you reach out to the 3-4 companies that seem most capable within your budget range and choose from there.
Now, compare that to the Craigslist strategy, which tells me the following:
1. That they are even posting such an important, costly need on CL tells me they are too lazy to actively seek out a production company, much less one that specializes in their needs. That laziness probably isn’t limited to their search method.
2. It also says that they probably don’t even KNOW what they need or they would likely be more selective, rather than soliciting bids from a free classified ads message board.
3. They don’t know enough about purchasing professional services to properly find and evaluate a production company on their own. This makes it very likely they are first-timers, NOT working for a company with any kind of budget, and a likely grinder in the making.
4. Such a casual approach might tell you something about their budget. If you were looking to buy a new $400,000 home, would you just throw up a classified ad saying “hey, I need a house. Send price and maybe a photo to lazylou@grinder.com.” No, you would actively seek out a home that fits your needs and put a little effort into it. If, however, you were looking to buy a $20 used fax machine, your strategy would probably be more akin to these prospective clients.
5. The “come to me” approach does not bode well for your new relationship with these clients. They won’t respect you because they didn’t contact you based on your hard-earned skills and credentials. The bargain power is all theirs. In the end, they simply throw up all the bids they received and choose on price. Congrats, you’re the lowest bidder, now get to work. Sure, respect doesn’t put food on your table, but it sure can take food OFF of your table if they work you to death, expecting endless freebies and chopping your bid to pieces. They call them Grinders for a reason…
6. Because it can’t be overstated, the fact that they are floating it in a message board hoping to get bids thrown at them, with no effort on their part, says they are probably looking to compare responses based on ONE SINGLE CRITERIA – COST. Have fun competing against the hundreds of desperate students and amateurs who are willing, no EAGER, to do full-day video shoots for a pizza lunch and a “credit.”
Ultimately the bottom line is simple – if you can make a comfortable living from CL postings that’s great, and our negative experiences should not discourage you. A time may come, however, that you realize you are working much harder for the same money than if you buckled down, learned the basics of marketing, and pursue clients outside of the grinders-gone-wild Craigslist scene.
Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com -
[Flowmotion] “out of the $7k I made this month, $4k came from Craigslist connections.”
Interesting. I’d like to know more.
How many Craigslist connections yielded this $4k? How many months has this happened? Did you just get lucky with one or two, or do you regularly get a number of good leads?
If this is truly a trend, then I wonder why your experience is so different from those of so many others. Do you do a high volume, or are you in some remote market area, where you have a competitive advantage by being the only game in town?
Bob C
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Last week I saw a local ad on our local craigslist. “Why waste thousands of $$ on a video. I will shoot your event for $100 an hour. I have good video graph (sic) skills and a Sony HandyCam. Video is my hobby”.
I sent him/her an e-mail saying I often have a need for free-lance shooters. I’d like to see a sample reel…and hopefully for that amount of money she/he would at least have a basic 3-chip cam/tripod.
Too bad…no reply. I really would like to get some decent shooters on board that I could rely on….
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I shot in Releigh in 2006 and hired this guy. He’s good and reliable. I think we shot on Betacam SP or DVCAM.
Joe Frieda
Smokin’ Video, Inc.
7103 Eastridge Drive
Apex, NC 27539
PH: (919) 810-7386
joefrieda@yahoo.comBruce
Bruce Bennett,
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC – http://www.bmmp.com -
While I don’t see the kind of money from craigslist that Flowmotion shows in one month, I too make thousands of dollars from craigslist. That’s from both my own advertising and responding to others.
You show your demo and hold to your price line and you get jobs. People on craigslist are “shopping” of course but if they see the quality difference then some are willing to pay your price. Showing experience also helps. Keep in mind those shopping on craigslist may be very insecure and they’re getting lots of responses from obvious newbies. You show quality and experience and some will pay your price . . . and yes you can toss the rest away.
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