and Accessible Digital Audio Production! |
BlindProducers.org Guide To Careers and Technology Selling your services and your skills! Once you have obtained your accessible digital audio production system, you will need to pursue your plan of action to acquire customers (if you set up your own business) or to find a job (if you are seeking conventional employment). Let's consider the self employed business scenario first. If your target customer is performing artists such as musicians, singers, voice over artists, etc., you will likely be making demos for them. You will need to learn where these customers are. Do they attend local colleges and universities? Do they frequent local clubs, bars, and other performances venues? Do they take lessons at a local store or trade school? Which publications do they read? Which websites do they frequent? Try to determine why they use the current services they use. Who is your competition and how do they attract clients? Is there a sufficient nitch of some kind? Maybe the competition does not serve songwriters who do not play music. Maybe competitors do not offer instruments in their offers. Figure out where the customer is and what they need.
The same process should be followed regardless of who the target customer is. If you intend to provide services to businesses, ask the same kinds of questions. Which businesses need your services. Do they know they need your services, or do you need to teach local businesses how your services could give them an edge in their marketplace? Where do businesses currently go for audio production services? What do they currently pay? Simply pose yourself as one of these clients and make some investigative phone calls. Or ask a trustworthy colleague to do some investigation for you. Find a nitch, or provide better service, or offer something a little different, or beat the current going rate. You will have to decide how to sell your services best. Advertising your business is likely to be necessary. Should you take out ads in publications? Should you advertise on the internet? Should you send out direct mailers? Should you distribute flyers to establishments? Weigh out the costs. Consider your cost of acquiring just one customer. Consider where your customers are. Where would your target customer normally look for services such as yours? NOw, if you are seeking employment, you must market yourself. You must be creative in determining who might actually have the need for or might benefit from your services. Does the local college, university, or trade school offer classes in audio production? Might they need someone to teach or to run the equipment? Who are the local ad agencies? Certainly they must do some amount of in house production. They might outsource there production currently, in which case you can offer them the opportunity to use your talents and bring their production in house to control costs. All radio stations generally do in house audio production. Who is currently recording local radio ads? Then, there are local recording studios. Local clubs with live entertainment might employ a sound engineer. You might be able to create a job for yourself by proposing a cooperative effort between a club and a radio station to provide recordings from the club for air play on a radio show featuring local talent. Be creative. Sometimes, creating the job becomes your first job. Otherwise, dress well, speak professionally, be friendly and sincere, and go on as many interviews as you can. Create a demo of your work. Always provide a resume or vitae.
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