Respect for our client’s privacy
At Rust Belt Films we take a different approach when it comes to spreading the word about what we do. Of course if you dig deep into our portfolio or social media accounts you might be able to figure out who we are working for or with. Those with experience in media or advertising know that it is not always clear who hired who. Rarely is it clear what person, agency or organization is responsible for a project. Those who work in business development often earn business as a result of long-term relationships with clients who trust the individual as much, if not more, than the video production company. In many cases these are close, professional or personal relationships built on decades of collaboration and successful projects.
Non-disclosure policy
Out of respect for our client’s privacy we do not publish a client list. In addition we are cautious about posting details about shoots or work-in-progress on social media. While some clients ask us to sign a non-disclosure agreement we have decided as a company not to disclose any project details until well after the project is complete. Of course in a sizzle reel or portfolio page there may be some name-dropping as many projects feature recognizable brands, companies or organizations. In these cases the shelf-life of the project has expired or the client has granted permission to showcase the video.
Social media posts
Our social media strategy revolves around posting and promoting content that educates followers, viewers, visitors or subscribers. Many of our posts are intended to share information about our camera gear, our crew and our video production capabilities. When we are not talking about our gear or our services we like to share helpful video production tips or video production industry trends. There are enough topics to discuss along these lines to be posting weekly if not daily. Content created with the goal of informing or educating the reader are worth a lot more to followers and subscribers than posts that brag about an exotic shoot location or posts that may inadvertently reveal private client information.
White labeled Video Production Crew
There is no name on the side of our production van. When we are on a video shoot our crew will avoid wearing shirts with our company name on them. One reason for this is that we frequently shoot video for advertising agency clients. In other cases we shoot video for production companies or producers who are from out-of-town but hire us to be their local video production team. Some of our clients would prefer that we are professionally discreet. Most fully disclose that they are outsourcing or contracting a video crew but few want to be upstaged. Vans draw attention. Branded shirts may be viewed as distracting self-promotion. We want to make it clear that we embrace our role as a white-label video production crew. We also respect the boundaries and our client relationships. We would never want to give the appearance that we are interested in poaching a client from our client.
Who owns the story of the project?
When the work is done and it is time to tell the story of a successful video production project it is important to consider who owns the success story. If a client comes up with a great concept and we shoot and edit the video then the client owns the story of a successful concept. We want to give credit where credit is due and represent the story accurately. In many cases we will pull video clips from a project to highlight our shooting capabilities rather than show the entire finished video. Our discussion or comments in the post are related to the camera gear used, lighting techniques or shooting style. We want the client who came up with a great concept or directed the show to tell the story of the success of the video concept.
We want to earn your trust
Our belief is that before we can earn a prospective client’s business we have to earn their trust. In all cases we want to do the right thing, even if no one is looking. As social media developed we noticed that many of our clients were not following us or subscribing. With that it would be possible for us to go against our strategy or policy and post a bunch of pictures that reveal the details of what we are shooting. Most clients wouldn’t see it. Some may not care. But we care. We want to protect our client’s privacy and with that earn their trust. There is no need to post a bunch of pictures that brag about some exciting shoot. As the great football coach said, whether you score a touchdown or lose the game, act like you have been there before. That’s the sign of an experienced professional.