How Do You Start an Animation Studio?
The animation industry is one that has a bright future ahead, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Creating animations is far more accessible today than it was in the past, just as queuing in cafes to access the internet is now history.
Close contact with computers and better internet access allows anyone to start in the animation industry no matter their background or skills.
As the animation industry evolves, the global demand for animated content shows steady growth, with some segments growing 2-3% every year. Awesome right?
With this comes a stream of endless opportunities for anyone and everyone - such as learning how to animate or even starting an animation studio.
Think of it this way, you were interested enough in animation to click on this article, (and trust me, you will even if you weren't at first); you already possess the traits that make an extraordinary animator, but now what?
What do you do with these interests and traits? Do you establish a freelance career in animation? Should you start an animation studio? Where do you even begin?
These are big questions to be answered. But not to worry, after reading to the end of this blog post, you will very much find it easy to answer them.
This blog post explains how to start an animation studio, from determining whether or not running an animation studio is a good fit for you, to taking the first steps towards creating your animation studio, to what you need in order to attract clients to your business.
Surely, a large client base is one of the main goals of every business, and with a large client base comes profit.
Working as a Freelancer vs Becoming an Animation Studio Owner
Before getting to the part on how to start an animation studio, let’s clear up the difference between an animation studio owner and a freelance animator. You don’t need to assign a title to yourself right away, as you can figure out what path you want to take down the line.
These two careers have similar steps in the beginning but may end in different destinations.
As a freelance animator, starting an animation studio doesn’t have to mean you hire a team right away, or even at all! Being a freelance animator comes with the flexibility and freedom of being your own boss. You’re in charge of the direction your animation business takes.
Additionally, it is also important to establish a level of professionalism when conducting your animation business as a freelancer, so that potential clients don't see you as a novice who would take their job for a practice opportunity.
Registering as an animation business will help potential clients take you seriously, separating you from other freelancers who simply animate as a hobby.
On the other hand, you can start as a freelancer and eventually grow your business into an animation studio with a dedicated team. Owning a studio has its perks, such as allowing the flexibility for more free time, since you’ll have a team to help do the work.
One of the wonders of our digital world is that you don’t need to know how to animate in order to be an animation studio owner. You could simply be in charge of hiring the right people fit for the jobs that you need.
However, this comes with the responsibility of managing your team and leading them in the right direction, so your animation studio can prosper.
The next section outlines the first steps in both journeys. You may start as a solo act, but grow your animation studio to be as big or small as you desire. But first, grab a cold drink of water for reading this far. Done that? Now let’s get into what it takes to start your own animation studio!
The Right Mindset To Start An Animation Studio
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Before you even put a business plan in place, ask yourself if you have the right mindset or desire to lead your animation studio to success. Note that your mindset is key to everything.
Microsoft, Amazon, even Promoshin, and all the top companies we hear of today would never have left their incubation stage if they didn't have one thing in common - a mindset for growth.
Having a growth mindset dedicated to perseverance and effort is essential for any animator wanting to start an animation studio.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your animation studio, so don't expect it to be like magic. The right mindset requires that you be patient and see challenges along the way as an opportunity for growth.
Your eyes have to be set on making your dream animation studio come true no matter what! Yes, determination and focus are the keywords here.
There are countless resources on how to get into the right mindset and ensure your desire and vision for the future coincide. These include animation books to podcasts about the animation industry and everything in between.
Here are five tips you can follow to change your mindset:
- Change your negative self-talk, be affirmative to your own self.
- Surround yourself with the right people. Yes, the mindset of those you dine with and share your ideas matters.
- Practice gratitude
- Try and experience new things. Don't be hard on change so you don't get outdated.
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Set SMART Goals Before Starting an Animation Studio
Starting an animation studio can be overwhelming. From all the paperwork and setting up the foundation of your animation studio - you must always remember to set SMART goals for yourself.
These SMART goals that you set for your animation studio will keep you focused throughout your journey. To reach your goals, you need to set objectives.
Every objective you hit, such as “I want to acquire 3 clients this month”, eventually pushes you closer to greater goals like “I will have 30 clients by the end of the year”. And remember to congratulate yourself when you successfully hit your targets, it builds your self-confidence!
So, what are SMART goals anyway, and how are they different from your normal goals? First created in 1981 by George Doran, “S.M.A.R.T goals” is an acronym for a simple method of planning. Originally, Doran defined SMART goals as follows:
Specific
- There must be a specific area for improvement. Be particular about what has to be done. Don't beat around the bush.
Measurable
- Make sure that indicators of progress can be quantified. Have smaller pictures that you can easily capture while gunning for the bigger one.
Assignable
- Tasks must be assigned to people. Practice division of labor, you can't do everything yourself. Ask for help when you need it.
Realistic
- Results should be achievable with the use of the proper resources.
Time-related
- The time when results can be achieved must be specified. Set timeframes for your goals.
From Freelance Animator To Starting Your Animation Studio
Animation Skills and Niche Selection
Now that you have the right mindset and SMART goals in place, you can work on your animation skills. There’s no such thing as a finished product in the world of animation.
Successful animators, you read that right - successful animators - know there’s always room for improvement so they never stop honing their skills. If you want to keep your mind sharp, you start by constantly learning.
Depending on your interests, learning can include everything from a new animation style to sharpening your business skills as an animator.
While the idea of learning all the animation styles may seem appealing, it is also important to pick your niche. Don't be a jack of all trades. Take the time to analyze what works best for your long-term goals - will you generalize or specialize in a field as an animator?
There are key differences between Generalist and Specialist Animators. If you want to start an animation studio we recommend that you find your niche and position yourself as an expert in your field.
You’ll be able to align your goals and efforts to your chosen niche and develop your skills from there.
Finding the right niche for you doesn’t have to take years. Here are 7 questions to ask yourself to find your animation niche as it will give you answers to how to find your target audience and what to do after you decide on your animation niche.
Whatever your choice, building your animation skills takes time and dedication, so be patient and trust your process. You need to make sure you keep yourself current: Not just with the animation styles and trends, but also with techniques and software.
Business and Communication Skills for Animators
Animators need to know many important skills, but your animation skills aren’t the only skills you need to work on. To start an animation studio, you will also need these essential business skills:
Communication Skills
Words are essential, and how they are communicated matters. Having excellent communication skills is one of the most essential skills for any successful business.
Effective communication through verbal, written, and visual means is a must to understand your animation clients. Be sure to always improve your communication skills with your animation clients as well as your collaborators.
Negotiation Skills
Negotiating like a businessperson when learning how to animate, is something that is not usually taught. Understanding how to negotiate rates with animation clients in addition to setting your prices is important to make sure your studio is paid fairly.
This can be tough, but the only way to master it is through experience. However, always be courteous and considerate during negotiations.
Leadership Skills
Whether you hire other people to work for your animation studio or operate it entirely on your own, you will still need the ability to lead. Leadership is not about telling people what to do.
It is about motivating others—including yourself—to work together towards a common goal by listening and inspiring those around them. While it may feel good to be bossy, to be the one everyone listens to with nobody to refute your orders, that isn't leadership.
Let's cast our minds to the movie, Little, the bossy Jordan Sanders had to go back to being "little" to learn to stop acting the "boss", because honestly, being bossy comes with zero rewards.
Delegation Skills
Being able to delegate tasks efficiently is vital to the success of your animation studio as a business. Having the right people for the job will save you so much time and improve the quality of your work.
That’s not all; you can also focus on other things for the benefit of your business, and even pursue your personal interests! Always ask for help when you need it.
Time Management Skills
Good time management skills positively influence every aspect of your life. Ever heard of “work smarter, not harder”? If you want to work smart, you have to learn how to improve your time management skills.
Time management can help create a sustainable schedule for your animation studio so that you can avoid burnout and increase productivity.
On Your Way To Starting A Successful Animation Studio
Now that you’re consciously working on your mindset, setting your goals, and honing your skills, you are now on your way to a successful career in animation. But before you can start promoting your animation studio, you need to create it first!
Creating a business may seem intimidating and complicated, but it is a lot simpler than you may think. By reading this post, you are already off to a good start if you have the proper steps in place!
You can also consider reaching out to business mentors or even signing up for business programs specifically designed for animators to help guide you through the process.
The First Steps To Starting Your Own Animation Studio
GIF by MichaelShoatesSr via Tenor
1. Registering Your Animation Studio And Banking Information
You wouldn't want to scare off your potential clients with what they see on your account details or business information, therefore, your first step would be to register your business as a legal entity, and set up a separate bank account for your animation studio.
Research is also a must to determine what types of business entities or which banks you should choose when starting your animation studio.
The type of entity that you register your animation studio with will impact how you file taxes, what you are or aren’t personally liable for, and many more aspects of how you can legally conduct your business.
To be safe when registering your business entity, look into your local trademark registrations to avoid potential disputes later on.
Setting up a separate business bank account from your personal one will also save you from hassle in the long run. While starting a business is an investment in yourself, you do not want to get your personal and business expenses mixed up.
Besides organizing your animation studio’s financial records, having a separate bank account with your business name attached shows your animation clients that you take pride in operating your animation studio with a sense of professionalism.
This is also a great time to consider what your starting capital is. Starting an animation studio even as a standalone freelancer definitely requires a bit of capital; probably the purchase of necessary licensed software or paid training courses.
Whether investing in yourself or approaching investors, you need to be smart with where you spend your money. The cost depends on how much you want to invest in it, and it might not even cost as much as anticipated.
Don’t put off getting your animation business’ financial structure in place from the start as every minute spent organizing is an hour earned in the future. You don’t need to have a level of financial literacy to understand your business’ finances.
A basic calculation of profit and loss would point you in the necessary directions on how to handle your finances. But starting an animation business will help develop your skill of managing finances over time.
Once you have the paperwork out of the way, you can turn your attention to the fun part - making your demo reel, building a social media presence, and setting up your website.
2. Making An Animation Demo Reel
As an animator, your demo reel is essential. Think of it as the cover letter to your CV. It needs to be short, impactful, and leave a lasting impression. This is your chance to showcase your abilities as an animator so take the time to plan out the ideal demo reel.
Don’t be tempted to add all your work. Give your clients just a taste they can't resist so they would come back asking for more. You need to consider what your target client wants to see and what you’d want them to see, so only include your best and most relevant up-to-date work.
Think of this as another project and opportunity to craft another creative masterpiece rather than a business formality.
When crafting your magnum opus of a demo reel, look at your options and stitch your work together in a way that tells a story. Remember that this “story” shows your personality and what your animation business is all about. Be tactful and find the right balance of personal and professional.
The audio of your demo reel is just as important as the visuals. Choose background music that will enhance your demo reel. Allow music that conveys emotion and engages your viewers to pay even more attention to your work.
Once your video is complete, ask for feedback. Send it to colleagues, friends, or a mentor to point out areas you can improve. Make them relate to your video like they are your clients so that their honest opinion can be conveyed.
Before uploading your demo reel online, the final touch is to add your contact information so prospective clients can get in touch with you. I mean, that is the point of a demo reel right? To be contacted by prospective clients.
3. Building Your Animation Studio Social Media Presence
While a website is essential, keep in mind that social media marketing can be a cost-effective approach to market your animation studio, find potential clients and engage with your target audience.
Based on the animation niche you have chosen, you can set up a persona for your target audience and locate what social media outlets they use. Pick two or three platforms that will ensure you can create audience engagement.
Even though social media can have a casual element to it, you need to ensure that your social handles can easily be linked back to your animation studio business. Make sure people can see you and what you do.
Also, it’s important that it is an extension of your brand identity. No one can track down your animation studio if your social media handle is completely unrelated to the name of it.
You can make managing social media platforms even easier by using available social media management tools. You don’t need to spread yourself thin among your platforms. Instead, make it easier for you to focus on the ones that actually matter.
While it is important to drive social media engagement, you should also remember that social media is an important marketing tool for animators.
At the end of the day, a social media presence allows more people to discover your animation studio, proving its value for marketing and engagement. So, while you make it casual, don't get too relaxed that you aren't taken seriously.
4. Creating Your Animation Studio Website
To have a successful marketing strategy, you need somewhere to direct people so they can find your portfolio, contact details, and information about why you are the best choice over your competitors. These days, this ‘place’ is expected to be your website.
There are many benefits to having a website for your animation studio, but the main focus should be to showcase your service offerings, build credibility, and convert prospects into clients. The website you build will be the well-designed hub that connects your potential clients to your services.
Your website is usually your first real point of contact with potential clients and should leave a positive impression - recall what they say about first impressions? It lasts longer. Based on your skills, time, and budget, you can either build a website yourself or hire a website designer.
It can be stressful handing over the responsibility of creating your website to a designer, so make sure you look around and ask the important questions before you hire a web designer for your animation studio.
Before developing your website, plan out your approach:
- Make sure you have a logo and brand guide in place.
- Know what content you want on your website for launch.
- Have a portfolio and/or an impactful demo reel visible.
- Make it easy for potential clients to contact you. Maybe even consider the benefits of having a live chat solution.
- Determine the goal of your home page and/or animation landing pages.
Before starting an animation studio, you must also take into consideration your domain name and your hosting options. Running a website will have recurring costs due to your domain and the website hosting, so do research and make the best choice for your needs and budget.
You don’t need the most powerful hosting solution - at least not right away. But rather you need to do the following:
- Be aware of the up-time guarantees - your website is only useful if potential clients can access it.
- Know what the load speed limitations are, if there are any - no one likes to wait for the loading icon!
- Make sure you have access to support. If there is a problem, how fast will you be able to get help?
- Check to see if your hosting service offers daily backups, and if so, for how long are these backups kept?
 | Looking to Elevate Your Business Skills as an Animator? |
Unlock your potential with our FREE Masterclass Our free masterclass is the perfect opportunity to do just that. You'll learn what you need to take your animation business to the next level. | |
5. Data Tracking And SEO For Your Animation Studio
Your website will never be 100% done. It will constantly need improvements and updates based on how your animation studio grows and how your users are engaging with your website.
To find out where you can improve, make use of the benefits of Google Analytics on your animation studio website. These analytics tools will give you data that can help you improve your website Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Understanding how to improve your Google ranking as an animator will help your potential clients find you before they even get to see your competitors. That last part surely sounds cool.
There are many ways to rank higher, but a good place to start is by doing keyword research and scoping out the competition to see how your competitors optimize their pages for SEO.
For optimizing technical components of your website such as navigation, page speed, language setup, and website responsiveness, you might want to consider the assistance of a web developer or designer.
Although these may be the first steps towards starting your animation studio, some things such as Data Tracking, SEO, updating your demo reel, website, and social media presence are a few things you have to do regularly to stay ahead of your competition and attract new clients.
You wouldn't want to go stale in the animation industry.
Launching Your Animation Studio
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Social Proof For Animators
Your website is a great place to showcase your social proof. Through social proofing, you will be able to build your animation studio’s credibility and earn the trust of potential clients.
Social proofing shows that your company has a history of satisfied clients from before.
There are many types of social proof such as testimonials, Google or Clutch reviews, case studies, awards, certificate badges, and even showcasing well-known companies you’ve worked with before on your website is considered social proof.
You surely have to flaunt a bit for other potential clients to trust you. Think of it, who wouldn't trust an animation studio that has animated for Microsoft, Cisco, and the likes?
You can reach out to companies within your niche and offer your services in exchange for a testimonial if you’re just starting to build your social proof.
It’s a win-win situation where they get a video at no financial cost, and you get a testimonial in return. Who knows, they may even hire you or establish a partnership later on.
Asking clients for testimonials to build social proof may seem daunting. But take pride in your work and practice how to ask your clients for powerful testimonials, especially when you know you've earned it.
There are even tools to make this process less intimidating like TypeForm or Google Forms. Remember that this is an investment in the future success of your animation studio.
Marketing Your Startup Animation Studio
We’ve covered why social proof is important to your animation studio, but your digital marketing strategy shouldn’t end there. In this day and age, marketing is a huge umbrella for many different methods and avenues to explore.
Knowing where to start and design your digital marketing strategy may be overwhelming. Thankfully, there are programs out there that can help you dive more into marketing your animation studio.
A good option to learn and kickstart your journey of marketing your new animation studio would be by reading our free Animators Marketing Handbook. From here, you’ll get a comprehensive view of what we’re about to discuss for the next few sections.
Free Marketing for your Animation Studio
If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, free marketing avenues are the place to start with your digital marketing strategy. These include cold emailing, social media, SEO, and so much more.
Never underestimate the power of email marketing. When starting your animation studio, your budget may be limited, and focusing on the benefits of sending cold emails to potential animation clients may be worth the time.
There are also great tools out there in helping you find email addresses for sending cold emails, such as RocketReach and Hunter.io. Cold messaging on LinkedIn is also a great place to start as it is a network for professionals and business decision-makers.
It is worth mentioning social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and more, as they don’t necessarily have to cost you a cent and allow you to reach your target audience through curated content. Free and effective, a good combination.
Post your work or personal projects and use relevant hashtags to reach your targeted niche. Don’t forget to monitor your posts and track which works and which doesn’t to improve future content. Watch and nurture each of them because they are your little babies.
As these platforms are mostly free and contain a large demographic that will likely contain your target audience, be sure to connect and engage with fellow animators, studios, and potential clients. Ensure to network and mingle with those like you, they could teach you a trick or two concerning the animation business.
Paid Marketing for your Animation Studio
If you have the budget, you can also explore the various means of paid advertising, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or even Youtube Ads, to name a few.
Challenge yourself to think outside the box and see which platforms your target audience would engage with. For example, suppose your niche had a younger target audience.
In that case, you can focus on platforms with demographics that skew to a younger age and put your paid marketing efforts there to reach and engage with them.
If we had to talk about all the ins and outs of paid marketing, we would be here all week.
To see a return for paid marketing, you will need to constantly review your target audience, your chosen focus keywords, and the impressions vs. conversions.
Split testing (or A/B testing) is a great way to figure out what is and isn’t working. From there, you can go back to the basics of creating your advertisements and continually work on improving them until you find what works for your animation studio.
Give yourself time to develop a marketing strategy that works for your animation studio, your budget, and your target audience. Remember that marketing is a process of trial and error, so don’t let a few ineffective ads let you down - because there will be ineffective ads. Once you find your groove, it will all improve.
Partnership Marketing for Animation Studios
Online marketing can be characterized by its ability to connect like-minded people in a matter of a few clicks. This ease of access opens many doors to partnership marketing where individuals and businesses can collaborate with a mutual benefit for their marketing strategies.
Partnership marketing online hosts avenues of collaboration through guest blogging, affiliate marketing, joint webinars, guest podcasting, and the opportunities are endless in the online world.
If you’ve never done any form of partnership marketing, guest blogging might be a good way to dip your toes in. Guest blogging is when you write for another company’s website with the intent of directing their readers back to your services - a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
It is important to find companies with websites where your potential customers are browsing for content to ensure what you write is being consumed by the right people.
Instead of brewing competition, you can partner up with companies that share a similar audience with your chosen animation niche.
For example, if your chosen niche is the medical industry, consider reaching out to popular medical news websites or network directories to do a guest post about how short animated explainer videos can help patients understand complicated procedures.
Marketing is a world of its own and we could elaborate on it for ages. If you want a more in-depth look at how to implement various marketing strategies for your animation business, check out our Animation Business Accelerator Program.
Lead Magnets And Why Your Animation Studio Needs Them
Know that building a business, such as an animation studio would require you to do a thing or two to let potential clients know who you are. A lead magnet is a free offer made for your audience in exchange for their contact information.
Lead magnets often come in the form of content that will help provide value for your audience to engage with your brand such as free pdfs, webinars, masterclasses, consultation, and more!
We recommend that you take the time to consider how you can use lead magnets to help you generate conversions and give your potential clients added value, making you stand out from your competitors.
For example, at Business of Animation, we offer a free marketing handbook to help animators just like you learn more about free, paid, and partnership marketing.
It’s another win-win situation where Business of Animation wins by getting leads, and you win by getting free information that may be useful for your marketing needs.
Again, while the world of marketing is a different beast, it’s necessary to grow your animation studio and keep people engaged with what you do. But after you’ve gained people’s interest in your animation studio, how do you convert them into a client?
How To Convert Leads Into Clients For Your Animation Studio
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| | Looking to Elevate Your Business Skills as an Animator? |
Unlock your potential with our FREE Masterclass Our free masterclass is the perfect opportunity to do just that. You'll learn what you need to take your animation business to the next level. | |
The Basics of Sales For Animators
Now that you’ve started to engage with potential animation clients through marketing - the next step is to convert them into long-term relationships for your animation studio.
Using a sales funnel, you should be able to visualize through stages how your animation studio can attract your target audience and turn them into actual clients.
Aside from visualizing this process, a sales funnel will help you understand the thought process and journey potential clients take before becoming paying clients. Analyzing these steps can help you direct your efforts into ensuring that every step results in as many conversions as possible.
There are various versions of stage funnels unique to different industries and businesses. The process from brand recognition and awareness to making a sale can be narrowed down to these four stages of the AIDA model:
Stage 1: Awareness
The first stage is where potential animation clients first become aware of your videos and services - similar to the marketing points we’ve covered previously.
They may hear about you from your social media or by word of mouth. How and why those prospects move down the sales funnel depends on your sales and marketing ability.
Stage 2: Interest
Once your potential clients have learned about your videos and skills, they'll evaluate them based on their interest level.
They'll assess the problem they're trying to solve and conduct competitive research to make sure what you are offering is the best fit - another reason your demo reel and website plan has to be done carefully.
Stage 3: Decision
Armed with information about your freelance animation business, your potential animation clients will dig deeper into your pricing and packaging options.
Your communication and negotiation skills come in here to make these potential clients decide to work with you. Portfolios and video calls are helpful in this stage to help sway prospects in signing up for a project.
Stage 4: Action
All your work comes down to this stage, whether or not your potential animation client signs up for a project. If they didn't, the opportunity isn't lost forever. Create various campaigns to make sure you stay on top of their mind.
Sales, Calls, Upsells, And Cross-Sells for Animators
Sales fundamentals are essential when starting an animation studio. To fast-track your success, our Animation Business Accelerator program will teach you the true art of converting clients and help you build a profitable animation business.
One area you can consider in the meantime is prospecting potential clients and scheduling sales calls. Don’t let the idea of calling scare you, know your pitch and how to deliver it. By practice and simple yet successful sales call techniques, you will have your first paying client in no time.
When approaching clients, it is also crucial to think long-term and determine how you can nurture an ongoing and healthy relationship. Think of how you, as an animator, can upsell and cross-sell your services and even provide animation video retainer packages.
To do this, you will need to understand your client’s needs. As well as ensure you know the 5 stages of design thinking for animators to ensure you can deliver on your production promises.
You can foster your client relationships by adding value to your services via upsells and cross-sells.
Upselling and cross-selling are great options to consider for both parties since you profit from having more projects under your animation studio’s belt and your client benefits from additional solutions you provide.
Types Of Animated Videos When Starting An Animation Studio
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Animation Video Types
While everyone’s animation styles may differ, the types of animation videos you can create for clients can vary greatly from project to project. Here are 5 types of animated videos you can consider offering your animation clients:
1. Video Advertisements
Animated advertisements don’t limit your imagination. With creative animation, a clear voiceover, engaging background music, and sound effects, you can help your animation clients deliver the right message to their customers and grow their businesses.
Story Insights Video Advertisement by Promoshin
2. Explainer Videos
In a world where everybody seems to hurry, getting a quick overview of a product or service is preferable. Explainer videos are one of the most recognized ways to relay information to your animation clients’ prospects and customers who might not have enough time to research on their own.
Nestl Space Explainer Video by Promoshin
3. Testimonial Videos
Testimonial videos excel at nurturing brand trust by letting the target audience know how a company has helped others. These can be approached in different ways with their unique edge and downsides.
Animated testimonial videos usually use the talking heads format, but they can also be done as mixed media with text and other effects
Testimonial Videos for Promoshin
4. Onboarding Videos
Onboarding videos are very important, not only for your animation clients but also for their new employees. Onboarding videos can be live-action or animated.
You can choose from different styles to create animated onboarding videos for your clients. For example, 2D or 3D animation, stop motion, or whiteboard animations.
Chief Customer Officer at Salesforce Onboarding Video by Promoshin
5. Sales Letter Videos
The main objectives of video sales letters are to sell a product or service and urge the customers of your animation clients to take action. This can be animated or done as a presentation video.
The format of the video is critical as this establishes trust and credibility while accomplishing the business goal of making the sale.
ItsaCheckmate Sales Letter Video by Promoshin
Animation Studio Production Process
The stages of production for each video are as different as the video type themselves. No project you ever work on will ever be the same and familiarizing yourself with all the processes of production and client interaction may take time.
Remember we talked about networking? This is where you may learn from others in the same industry of creating animated videos.
If you want tips from an expert, you can sign up for the Business of Animation Business Accelerator Program where animation studio veteran Ben Marvazi will fast track your success as a freelance animator or animation studio owner by teaching you everything he’s learned since 2011 that took his studio, Promoshin, to create over 7000 videos for bootstrapped startups to Fortune 500 companies and more.
The Animation Business Accelerator Program will give coaching, support, guidance, and ultimately keep you accountable as you kickstart your animation career! It’s better than an MBA program, but specially designed for animators.
As mentioned in some of the animation video types, you may need to occasionally enlist the help of other professionals such as scriptwriters (if you wouldn’t be the one to write the script or the client doesn’t have a script ready beforehand) or voice-over artists for your animation projects. Always make sure your voice-over is in sync with your videos.
When you do work with others, it is even more important to have the script and storyboard in place as it is vital to producing a quality animation video. The production process must be streamlined to deliver your quality animated video to the client as quickly and smoothly as possible.
There are many different steps in the production process such as creating the script, storyboarding the video, animating, editing, revisions, and much more. It’s important to find what process and tools work for you to create the best quality animated videos.
How One Can Start an Animation Studio Today
This may have seemed like all there is to know but this blog only covered a fraction of how to start an animation studio.
The basics of developing a growth mindset, setting SMART goals, choosing your animation niche, and improving your communication skills are only the beginning of what you need to do and prepare yourself as an animation studio owner and professional.
You wouldn't want to start what you can't finish - only once you find yourself ready should you set up the foundation of your animation studio by registering it as a business entity and setting up a separate bank account to manage your animation studio’s finances.
From there you can start building the foundation of your online presence by creating social media pages and a website.
Now, the website is important so you can establish your credibility with valuable content such as blog posts or posting social proof. In order to convert prospects into clients, you need to optimize your website for SEO and gather valuable data to help reach your target audience.
Alas, reaching your target audience is an art of itself as you learn how to market your animation studio through free marketing, paid ads, and partnerships.
The optimization of marketing strategies such as A/B testing or creating effective lead magnets to name a few are crucial for reaching prospects and may take time to master.
The work doesn’t end there as you need to convert these leads and prospects into clients through sales so that the expected profits can be made.
We’ve tackled the basics of sales such as creating a sales funnel for your animation studio, sales calls, upsells, and cross-sells all to foster long-term client relationships and add more value to the animation services you offer.
But what is an animation studio without animated videos? This is why you need to focus on the animation production process of your studio by assembling the right team of professionals to create quality animated videos.
These videos come in various types like advertisements, explainer videos, and more! There are so many more intricacies in the business of animation and how to run a successful animation studio.
These range from details like how to set up an efficient animation workstation, offering video promotion campaigns, writing effective project proposals, and all the complexities of how much starting an animation studio may cost.
Now that you have read the basics of how to start an animation studio, it’s time for you to take the first step and make your way to success!
To learn more strategies for starting an animation studio, you can take our free masterclass today. If you want to take that another step further, why not see if you qualify for our Animation Business Accelerator - a program designed for ambitious animators who are serious about starting and growing a successful animation studio.
