If you have been offering animation services as part of your business, you have probably refined a process to deliver these projects to your client. You are confident that you can deliver a great video on time and budget and you know you have the ability to wow your clients. But how will your potential clients know that you can pull it off? They may see your portfolio, your beautiful website, but how do they know you have the chops to deliver a great product without complications or headaches along the way? Sharing your production process is an excellent way to gain some momentum with potential clients.
If you haven’t consciously thought through your process, getting it down on paper is an excellent way to clarify each step; not only to attract potential clients, but also for yourself. Last spring, I created a new web page to explain my process and since then I’ve discovered there are 3 major outcomes of establishing and sharing your process in an easy and approachable manner.
Establish Credibility
What better way to show your potential clients that you know your stuff than through a process. It’s clear, organized and well thought out. They can rest easy once they hire you because it’s very clear you can drive the bus and get them exactly where they need to go.
Display Professionalism
At every point in your interaction with clients, it’s crucial to be professional. With every phone call, email and delivery, a seasoned animation freelancer will consistently act in a way that invites business. Writing and sharing your process is a great way to further solidify your level of expertise and ensure that you are client focused.
Show Communication
Staying on top of client communications is a skill every freelancer must develop. You want to be responsive and manage all their expectations and concerns. After you meet with a potential client, send a follow up email and link them to your process page so they can immediately see evidence you’ve thought through every step. You’ll get bonus points for anticipating their concerns about how the project will turn out and encourage discussion before the project even begins.
This brings us to the process piece itself. When you are planning out the best method to communicate your process, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Keep it Accessible. Your process should be some part of your website. Whether it is a separate page that you have linked to from the main menu or it’s a blog post that you link to on the home page. Make sure it’s something easy to see and access. It should be one of the first things your client sees.
Keep it focused. Your goal here is to communicate to an audience who knows very little about your industry. Anticipate and address their concerns as you write and don’t start speaking in jargon or technical language. Nothing will make folks glaze over quicker than industry speak. If you aren’t sure about your copy, have your mom read it over and ask her to relay what she’s learned. This can be incredibly eye opening and helpful as you shape your process.
Keep it short. You want to get to the point as quickly as possible when you outline each step of your process. The last thing you need is for your process to confuse your clients further. Break down your process into concise steps and then explain each step with a sentence or two. Don’t go into too much detail. Clients don’t care so much about the minutia. Instead, they want to understand as quickly as possible that you know your stuff and can lead the project.
Keep it interesting. Be creative! Go that extra mile and present your process in a way that will attract attention. Write your process in a voice that reflects your brand and your personality. If you have some web development background, create an interactive design piece. If you have some illustration background, create a cool infographic. Have fun with it and you will produce something resonant for your audience. Consider this another opportunity to share your creative communication skills. Your clients will be sure to remember you.
There is huge value in sharing your process and you will be surprised at how much it will help formulate your own communication skills when dealing with clients. I hope this post encourages you to start sharing. I’d love to see how you share your process, so go ahead and leave a link in the comments and I’ll check it out.
