I’m writing this blog 40,000 feet in the air, getting paid to head to a Riff Raff show in Atlanta, where a client of mine will be performing. Just last night he performed in Boston with Gucci Mane’s label – 1017 Eskimo Records, to my delight – he killed it.
As a 22 year old entrepreneur, I have learned to look for opportunity everywhere. It is something we hold as a core value at Top Group Media.
In 8 months of operations we have been fortunate enough to work & collaborate with major & independent record labels, nationally ranked 4 star charities, Grammy nominees & Oscar nominated songwriters.
How?
Because we live by the statement ‘no rocks unturned.’
Moving out to southern California with nothing more than a team & a dream, we knew we must be different in order to yield different results.
Fortunately, for the modern entrepreneur there is no shortage of tools you can use to leverage yourself & your business. If it wasn’t for a DM on Instagram I wouldn’t be 40,000 ft. in the air heading to Atlanta right now.
You never know where you can find a client or better yet, opportunity.
Our first client came from a DM on Instagram. I was followed by a Boston based music artist. I checked out his page, saw that he had a solid fan base & messaged him offering a free music video. He accepted.
After a lot of planning, collaboration & savvy resource alignment, we shot our first music video. Our client was ecstatic with the outcome. So happy in fact that a few weeks later he asked me to personally manage him. He said his decision to ask was based off punctuality, professionalism & embodying the go getter mentality.
Cost of client acquisition: $0
That served to be a defining moment for us. We saw the effects of what ‘others’ would consider an unorthodox & unprofessional approach to client acquisition. We determined these unorthodox approaches to be very efficient & cost effective. Being a startup with no financial backing we didn’t have much of a choice.
Another client of ours also stemmed from a DM on Instagram.
We were direct messaging the studio manager of an independent record label & he invited us to film a studio session with a rapidly growing hip hop artist. We jumped at the opportunity & that ultimately led us to build rapport with the CEO & the artist himself.
After working together a few times, the CEO & artist agreed we were the best fit to film the visuals following up a viral hit he released a few months prior.
We were ecstatic to hear the news they chose us. But it paled in comparison for what was about to come.
A few weeks after shooting the music videos, we met with the artist for another round of edits. It was at the post production meeting he told us he just signed a deal with a ‘major.’ His music & our videos would be picked up & distributed by a major distribution label.
Cost of Client Acquisition: $0
Bumble
If you are a single millennial chances are you know of the dating app, ‘Bumble.’ Well, what many people don’t know or just flat out ignore is that Bumble offers a business section for networking.
Admittedly, I was hesitant to leverage this app for networking purposes because I thought it was downright foolish. As it turns out, I was being downright foolish.
As a result from the Bumble business platform we have networked & partnered with brand owners who have extremely high value networks.
We partnered with a successful tequila company who now chooses to work with us exclusively. Not only are we working with them exclusively but they refer their network to us whenever possible.
Due to this recent partnership we have been invited to private celebrity birthday parties in Hollywood Hills, RIAA Platinum Plaque presentations & much more.
Cost of Client Acquisition: $10 (2 cups of coffee during initial meeting in LA)
Craigslist
We decided if Instagram & Bumble business are proving to be viable options why not check out Craigslist?
So we did just that.
We saw an advertisement that was looking for a videography crew to film a music video. We replied with our rates & were invited to a private studio to film. The gig was for a Dj crew that is currently exploding. They were thrilled with the results from the initial shoot & we are now working with them on a weekly basis.
At a recent shoot for the same Dj’s, they informed us they landed a residency in Las Vegas for the summer of 2018. They just asked us to be their traveling content team – we gladly accepted.
Cost of client acquisition: $0
These unorthodox methods of client acquisition have positioned us for success while minimizing costs. Each team member reaches out daily on a certain platform & is always ready for opportunity. As a startup we took anything we could get. That helped us develop into where we are today & we are not taking our foot off the gas.
We pride ourselves in doing things differently in every aspect of business. It sets us apart from the competition & helps opportunity find us.
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