The Web...shamrock sightings, work showplace to strut your stuff
Paul Kyber -- Kyber Space
When it comes to promoting products or services on the World Wide Web, the rule is “disguise and conquer.”
When visitors come to your site, they shouldn’t think, “this is trying to sell me something, “ they should think, “this is fun,” “this is interesting” or “this is useful.”
Richmond’s Jerry Williams followed that Internet marketing Strategy when he decided to create a Web site to promote his work as a video producer and director.
“I didn’t want to just put my face out there and say here I am, and here’s what I do,” he said. “I needed a gimmick.”
Williams has been involved in the television and video industry for 25 years and is known around the local TV and entertainment production community as one of it’s most voracious gossips. And neither of the professional groups in the area, the Richmond Chapter of the International Television Association or the Virginia Production Services Organization, puts out a newsletter.So Williams decided to fill that void with an online newsletter (http://www.tvjerry.com) for the production community.
“Tales from the Grips” (grip is slang for a person who handles props or scenery on a stage or TV or movie set) offers the latest “poop” on what’s going on in the local entertainment production world. The news includes companies hiring or relocating, people changing jobs, and newcomers to the area looking for a place to rent.
Oh, yes, and there is a link on the front page to a short biography of Williams, his resume, a client list and a list of his latest projects.
“I’m acting as a clearinghouse for all that kind of information, “ Williams said. “And, in the process, it’s a tool to get people to see my face and click on a description of my latest project.”
Williams is best known for his “Man in the Dark” movie reviews on Channel 6, from 1974 to 1990 and in Style magazine from 1982 to 1992. He’s revived the reviews on his Web site."When I was doing reviews for Style and Channel 6, I felt like I needed to review every movie that came out here whether I wanted to see it or not,” he said. “Now, I can review just the movies I want to see.”
Williams estimates he will spend between $1,500 and $2,000 maintaining the Web page. “If I get one new client; if one person sees the page and says ‘we’re looking for a director, maybe we’ll look at Jerry for the project,’ then it’ll pay for itself.”
Updating the page each week is a couple of hours of work, he said. “Everything is faxed or e-mailed to me and I chunk everything to a minimal length, to keep with the readers’ short attention span on the Internet.”
But he acknowledges that if the page becomes popular, it could grow into more than he can handle alone.
“Friends have asked me, ‘What if someone wants to buy an ad?’ or ‘What if you get more information than you can handle?’ And I guess it could reach a point where I’ll have to hire someone else to help me keep up. But I don’t see it getting that crazy anytime soon.
One thing you wont see on “Tales from the Grips” is video clips of Williams’ work.
“For one thing, they take too long to download. I’ve been on the Internet long enough to know that it’s real frustrating to have to sit and wait a couple of minutes for something to download before you can see anything,” he said. “I’d much rather have them e-mail me so they can (a) see a good quality copy and (b) establish a relationship.
“This is a tool to get me in the door,” Williams said, “not give them the whole package.”