I wanted to provide an update to this as I have been on quite a journey since posting, and it may be of use to others in the future. I have reached equilibrium, there is good and bad news however it is what it is and I know where I am at so to speak.
I started flying and doing all this in December last year, so I am at around 4 months in now. I have just successfully completed my first paid job, so I am giving myself a virtual pat on the back. However, I have put far too much time and effort into this in general, and despite this accomplishment, work is scarce and I suspect will remain so permanently. I have a full time job in London and I also have another driving job, so this for me is a 3rd job. I have put all my time into it though since Xmas to give it the best chance I can. Its kind of worked - I have a google business, a Youtube page and a following on my local social media groups, but I have found out this is too niche.for the following reasons:
âGo and speak to estate agentsâ. No - donât bother. These are the last people who want your service. Why on earth would a local estate agent pay you ÂŁ100 - 200 for a collation of stills or a video when they could buy their own drone instead and do it all themselves for no cost. And this is what they are doing. I have been in contact with around 20 local agents, a few have engaged but the rest havenât. They all have their own drone, and are self sufficient because it makes no business sense that they pay someone else to do what they can do for free. They only want simple quick shots for a listing, they donât need posh videos or colour grading, it is of no interest to them as their customers are quick clicking one after the other.
âWhat about roofers and local builders?â. Exactly the same as above. They all have their own equipment because it makes business sense, they can do their own surveys and fault finding instantly and at no cost. They arenât paying a third party hundreds to do this.
âPhotography and Weddings?â. Awkward. Go onto any local group and you will find 100 photographers all touting for business. Everyone is a photographer, or a hot tub hirer, or a pet sitter e.t.c. Weddings are only complimented by drone footage so you would need to collaborate with a static photographer, they seem unwilling to engage as why should they split their earnings? Weddings are also long gutty days where you would need to be available around 8 to 10 hours to capture everything. Nor worth it for me unless I was paid for it, but that would be a huge bill.
âResidential showcases / imageryâ. I think this is where it is at, however, you find someone that actually wants this. Not many people are thinking about a showcase video over their morning coffee. For those that are, they are generally higher earners who are not going to use local business on social media. They will just go to Google, which will throw up the big shiny website with the best SEO (search engine optimisation) and pay huge amounts for what will likely be a generic video (I have seen many and believe I can do better). So trying to make contact with your target market is seriously tricky.
âLocal Businessâ. I also think this is where it is at, but, obvious hurdles here. I have done some promo work at care homes, residential homes and lesiure centres.They all have their own marketing person, who in turn will have their own website builder and media contacts, so the relationships are already founded and for a newbie it is nigh on impossible to get a foot in. An example of this is my video of Northcote House, part of Audley Villages. They have an existing 2 min video of the location which is highly generic - straight line / bland / vanilla type video. They have seen my 4 min 30 version at sunrise, and thatâs all great, but they have existing processes in place and why would they change those? I could have gone to many of their sites nationally and delivered media for them, and likely at less than what they are paying, but the conversation isnât even there to have as marketing just isnât a priority for many businesses especially when they have their own process in place.
âAdvertsâ. This is where I have found the penny to drop. Supporting local business with local adverts. This is all well and good but the ceiling of opportunity feels low at the moment. That may change. For context I have had to spend a considerable amount of time making numerous demo videos simply to post as examples. I have been posting relentlessly across countless social media sites since December - and have had a couple of questions and one success. I am going to continue doing this as it is possible time of year plays a part, but it feels slow. I have also undersold myself which is a big lesson going forward. I have just created and posted 4 adverts on my channel, 3 minis and 1 long corporate one. I charged ÂŁ165 for this - however it has taken me weeks of work. I take responsibility for this and it is a learning curve, but going forward I need to up the price to reflect my efforts - site visits, footage, editing, presenting, hosting, adding to memory stick and delivering. I have posted one of the short vids below but you can see the others if you go onto my channel.
So in summary this is a tough gig. Google âDrones xxxxxxâ replacing xxxxxx with your location. I bet you find loads of them, as I have. A lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon - I have always said anyone can launch a drone but find me someone that can do the whole package well, as in fly well, edit well, be communicative, be efficient e.t.c. I believe I am those things but I donât know how to advertise myself efficiently. Paying for advertising doesnât make sense, looking at the costs I would be at a permanent loss. Or maybe I have it all wrong - who knows, you can tell me if you like I wonât get upset.
I am going to continue plugging away as it is still fun. I believe I only need one company to like what I do and offer me something a little more cyclical but who knows. I am also conscious that I predominantly lives in urbansville so I am trying to make average locations look great. I donât have access to sweeping expanse of stunning nature, but whenever I visit I will take my drone.
Hope this helps someone else looking at doing this more seriously. Good luck!
