In the past, our Social Media Spotlight series has shown how companies use social media to market to their consumers in a more efficient way, but what happens when a freelancer needs to pay the bills? This week we are proud to introduce Parker Detchon, a freelance digital filmmaker based in Venice, California. Parker, who for the last 4 years has worked with various clients from VH1, MTV, National Lampoon, Break Media and The Ski Channel to individual clients, like aspiring actors and directors. Parker is, well let’s face it, he is a one man band. His skill set allows him to not only write a script and edit the final product, but also direct the actors and shoot the video. He is what Hollywood would call a “preditor,” a producer, director, and editor. Parker also understands that his work includes not only figuring out the clients’ wants, but what they need. Here’s what Parker had to say:

What social media platforms do you currently use?

P: I am currently using Tumblr in conjunction with Facebook a lot. They have integrated the two via a basic app for Facebook so that whenever I post to my blog on Tumblr,  it automatically pops up in my news feed on Facebook. The link on FB connects straight to my Tumblr site where more content and information live. It pulls people from the friend zone into the business zone. I also post my availability on Craigslist services, but I’m not sure if that qualifies as a social media platform in the same sense. It definitely brings in a lot of random new business because the C-Listers see my Tumblr and then contact me directly with the job in hand for me to do. Then we become friends on Facebook during or after the gig and the whole thing comes full circle. It is much more efficient than applying to a billion listings and getting one or two.

What value, if any, does social media provide to your business?

P: In entertainment it’s all about who you know. Whoever came up with that little turn of phrase wasn’t kidding. In my case, there are so many people cranking out great work that it becomes difficult to stand out in the crowd, especially in Los Angeles. I feel like the value from using social media in the way I do comes from keeping my name in people’s minds when they have to think of a friend who can bust out great videos. So when someone in their lunch group asks “Does anybody know a video guy?” I’m first in the mind of my buddy who can chime in and say, “Yes, his name is Parker and his website is packed full of stuff, I see it on Facebook all the time.” In short, social media helps me brand myself and stay in the limelight on a regular basis, for free. I worked around the old school advertising model in this way.

Which social media platform works best for your business?

P: Vimeo, Tumblr and Facebook are my go-to platforms. Vimeo has outstanding video hosting quality, customizable players, and as a producer that needs to show revision after revision, I opted for the annual membership which gives me more than enough uploading space, preference when waiting in line for compressions, and HD playback. I use it to password protect videos and have clients view my work remotely for notes and drafting. All this work to make a final product, which ends up on my Tumblr and automatically posts to Facebook.

How has social media impacted your business in terms of ROI and sales?

P: Very positively. As far as a return on investment the only thing I’ve paid for is Vimeo Pro. At sixty dollars a year it has most certainly paid for itself many times over. The other stuff, as I said, is all free. The one element is time. How much time do I spend dealing with posts to Tumblr, and how many new projects will it bring in? It becomes hard to gauge, but I have definitely had a lot of clients tell me they checked out the portfolio on Tumblr before hiring me. Plus, with the linking between sites and posting remotely I have cut down on that time commitment.

Do you have any advice for companies who are on the fence about social media?

P: First and foremost, it depends on the company’s business model, but I would say if your company would benefit the smallest amount that you should come on over to the dark side. Every marketing director who knows anything is using social media and web marketing as a huge element in their strategy. It’s cheap; you can literally target specific demographics and monitor effectiveness with a click through script that tells you which ads bring in the most people to your page. Much better than tossing a loose net like buying a billboard or something. It’s all about interconnectedness these days.

Is there any social media strategy that you would like to improve or do differently?

P: Yeah, tell Tumblr that their mobile platform needs to support Vimeo embedding. Step it up Tumblr, I know you can do it.

I would like to thank Parker for taking the time to talk with us. He certainly has a full plate when it comes to freelance work in the movie capital of the world, Hollywood. Parker has a well-rounded understanding of how social media can help push his work forward and we love to see people using simple tools to integrate social sites together, like Parker has done with the auto posting to Facebook. It definitely does cut down posting time, and yet still allows your fans on all sites to view your updates. We look forward to seeing more of Parker’s work, and if you would like to find out more about him, you can view his Tumblr here.