We’ve all been there, editing for hours into the night. Downing caffeine just to keep our eyes open, so we can keep working. Exporting multiple times until the video is perfect. All of this, and then our client asks us to go back and remove a clip, then replace another, etc. You can keep doing this if you want, or you could stop losing time editing.
Those hours spent editing aren’t making you money, and they should be spent marketing / growing your business. You may be thinking, but if I outsource my editing, then I’m just losing money by paying someone else for something that I can do, and do a better job at.
Ok let’s make up some numbers real fast to help illustrate the point we want to make. Let’s say you charge $2,000 per wedding that you film, and if you were to outsource the 8 min video you usually make, it would be $100 (what EditSmart charges). Well that’s 5% of the $2,000, you say!! Who would give up so much for something, that again, you can do yourself??
But, how long do you typically spend editing? Let’s make up another number and say it takes you 6 hours to cull through the footage, cut out the best parts, put it together, sync your audio, pick out good music, stabilize your footage, color correct, and then export. So if you’re able to edit an 8 min video in 6 hours for $100, that’s $16.67 dollars an hour. And that’s assuming your client won’t ask you to change anything.
There are worse things than $16.67 an hour, but how much are you making an hour when you’re filming? Well if you spend 6 hours filming, no let’s say 8 hours filming a wedding, you take the remaining $1,900 and divide by 8. That’s $237.50 an hour! $316.67 an hour if you spent 6 hours at the event. Either way, that’s over 14 TIMES the amount you make editing. Read that sentence again. Still feel like editing? Read it again.
Now, we all like to feel productive, and editing is one of those tasks that make us feel like we’re working so hard! But it’s a total waste of time for you. What if you spent that 6 hours of editing reaching out to clients, asking for referrals, and doing other marketing activities? What if you spent an hour of that time putting together thank-you cards for your clients? I’m willing to bet that you’ll find at LEAST one more client within that additional time. And what does that do? It takes your $1,900 and doubles it to $3,800, AND, you now have another 6 hours saved that can be spent doing better things. So by outsourcing, you’re actually able to both save time and produce more income.
Marketing can be uncomfortable, I know. Especially when you’re used to spending your time behind the computer editing videos and reliving someone else’s special day. Weren’t those vows beautiful? Knowing how and where to spend your time is a real struggle. It’s something all business owners experience, and it’s OK. First, take a deep breath. Change is hard, but you’ve already done hard things! You started your own business, helped talked down angry clients, and for the lucky few, you’ve even dealt with bridezillas.
So here are some actionable steps:
1. If outsourcing is a pretty new concept to you, it’s okay to start slow. Outsource a single project, see how it goes, learn what you can do to improve so the next experience will be even better, and then keep trying. If the first experience is bad, don’t go back into your shell of I’ll-edit-everything-myself! As discussed earlier, this is a waste of time and money. And we’re not saying you need to completely outsource your editing 100%. You may like to add a few finishing touches to your video, and that’s great. Just remember to think about the cost benefit. So you might start by setting a goal of outsourcing 25% of your projects. Then 50%. Then 80%. Start with one project if you haven’t, and then move on to outsourcing more.
2. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. With the extra time that you’ll have, try writing a few client appreciation cards (How do you feel when you get one? It feels good!), take a client out to get something to eat or drink and pay for them, ask for referrals, write that blog post you’ve been putting off. Marketing is much more than just paying Google, or paying to promote a post on Instagram. Sure those are methods of marketing, but you’ll probably have much better results from talking with someone face to face.
3. Write down your goals. No seriously, write them down. Take out a sheet of paper, grab a pen, and write down your top 3. It can be more than 3 if you have them. Not sure what to write down? Here are some questions to help get those juices flowing. How much money do you want your business to generate for you? What excites you in life? Do you love traveling? When are you happiest? Do you like looking at old architecture? Do you enjoy soaking up the sun while sipping on a cool drink? Writing down goals is super easy to do. It’s also super easy not to do.
4. Go spend 30 min or an hour at a spa. Or if you’re not into that, go get your favorite treat. Change is a bag of emotions: exciting, frustrating, uplifting, scary. You may feel like Rapunzel from Tangled as you start to outsource and liberate yourself, but remember, you’re freaking awesome. You’re worth $300+ an hour.
It’s time to outsource your video editing! EditSmart has the tools to help you every step of the way. Click here to start outsourcing or to continue outsourcing! And just think, if outsourcing video editing can save you this much time and money, what other tasks could you be outsourcing to save even more time and money?