1. Zero-in on your buyer persona, establish your
niche, and design a website that makes it crystal clear what your company is
about.
what I’m trying to say. As an expert drone pilot, you
could make money in a variety of ways—landscape surveying, real estate
photography, and wedding photography, to name a few. You may very well have
completed a variety of these projects in your efforts thus far.
But the reality is, the sooner you can focus in on
one particular type of service, the stronger your business will become, the
easier it is to market, and the quicker you’ll scale.
Take a look at your website. Are you offering “aerial
photography services,” or are you offering “residential real estate aerial
photography for realtors in Nashville ,
TN Nashville
I’m not necessarily saying you should ignore other
business if it comes your way, but the more targeted and specific you can get
with your marketing messaging, the easier it is for your prospects to identify
with and to trust you.
2. Learn a bit about SEO.
At the end of the day, the fundamentals of optimizing
your website for search engines, AKA search engine optimization (SEO), isn’t
all that tricky.
First, you think about your target customers, then
you brainstorm a list of potential keywords they might type into Google, and
then you make sure those keywords are showing up throughout your website in an
optimal way. Yes, it can take some time to learn the nuances of SEO, but those are
the basics.
Keep in mind, many of you are likely focusing your
business within a specific geography—in your keyword research, don’t forget
that people may be typing in things like “aerial photography Nashville” or
“hire drone video Las Vegas.” Use those local area terms to your advantage in
your SEO strategy.
3. Use lead magnets to reel in business leads.
Very few people who visit your website are ready to
buy. A “lead magnet” is something that you offer for free to your prospects in
exchange for an email address (and maybe some other basic information).
As a small business owner, your contact database is
your most precious asset, and you should be doing everything you can to
increase the number of email addresses you’re adding to your list each week.
Even if these folks aren’t ready to buy now, they might be sometime soon.
Examples of lead magnets include eBooks, checklists,
case studies, webinars and email series. If you’re targeting real estate
brokers, you could create a short, downloadable offer called 9 Ways Real Estate
Brokers Can Use Aerial Videography to Boost Business. You’d deliver that offer
to your readers in exchange for an email address.
4. Nix the “contact us” language.
I’ve never seen a “contact us” page perform that
well.
Instead, use targeted landing pages to promote your
marketing offers and to entice your website visitors to interact with your
company. The sole purpose of a landing page is to convert your website visitors
into leads, so make sure you’re creating a page without too much distraction, a
page that promotes one particular action a user is supposed to take.
Over time, you’ll have different landing pages for
different actions you want your users to take: “request a quote,” “ask an
expert,” “download an eBook,” “register for our free email series,” etc.
5. Use email marketing to nurture your leads.
According to the Direct Marketing Association, for
every $1 you spend on email marketing, you get $42 back. That’s a heck of a
return!
You’ve done all this work to capture the attention of
your prospects. Now it’s time to keep the relationship alive, to stay
top-of-mind and to continuously offer value with every email you send.
Share your successes, additional tips, fun news about
the drone industry, special promotions or discounts. Send emails on a regular
basis to your list, and monitor your open and click-through rates to understand
which content performs best.
Oh, and don’t forget to register your company at
JobforDrones.com!
Do you own an aerial photography or videography
business? What tips would you add to this list?
Alan Perlman is a drone hobbyist and marketing
consultant who runs UAV Coach, a website that helps to push the drone community
forward with educational and inspirational content and training.
Create YouTube Videos to Promote Your Business
Create an eBook on Amazon to Promote Your Services
Create YouTube Videos to Promote Your Business
Create an eBook on Amazon to Promote Your Services
Here are just a handful of ideas on how to make money
with your drone to help you get started. From beginner to professional there
are numerous opportunities out there for any pilot. Anyone seeking to use a
drone for business purposes in the USA
Aerial Inspections
Many drone pilots are already offering aerial
inspection services around the world. These range from cell towers to bridges
and even gas pipelines. The bottom line is this: Drones give you the chance to
reach places that might traditionally be pretty dangerous for a crew of
inspectors.
But as well as being safer, drones armed with high
definition cameras can often complete the job a whole lot quicker, too. Just
think how much pipeline can be covered by a drone compared to a man, or how
quickly a drone can reach the top of a cell tower.
Inspections of various structures are expected to be
among the most lucrative opportunities for commercial pilots, so why not get
your license, FAA approval and get involved?
Companies like Sky Futures offer inspection services
for certain industries, such as Oil & Gas. They combine drone services with
cloud software, allowing clients to access, analyse, host and share all of the
information gathered during a flight.
Earning potential: $200/hr
Mapping
Drones can come with some pretty clever software
these days, some of which allows for accurate 3D maps to be produced
from aerial video footage. Mapping services are needed in the agriculture,
mining and real estate sectors, and a birds-eye view offers a quick and
effective way of doing things.
As software gets even smarter, it won’t be long
before pilots are simply turning up, pressing a single button and watching as
their drone gathers all the data – easy!
Keen to delve further into the world of mapping and
aerial surveys? Check out Future Aerial.
Did you know?…
It’s not just about high definition video and imaging.
LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping instead depends on a laser scanner
mounted onto your drone. This technology is can measure the height of points on
the ground below. Equipped with a LIDAR scanner, you can cover huge
expanses in just a few hours, and use the data gathered to develop detailed
digital models of landscapes. LIDAR sensors also have the bonus of being able
to penetrate dense forests and vegetation, making it possible to scan ground
that would be invisible to satellites or standard imagery.
Earning Potential: $250/hr
Banner Advertising
“Hey, that
thing can fly. Let’s attach a message to it and parade it over a large number
of people!” This seems to be the logic behind drone banner advertising and,
although it’s simplistic, there’s certainly a market for it. Having said that,
regulations in many countries currently forbid flying drones over or near to
crowds of people, so it’s probably going to remain a niche sector for now. But
hey, that doesn’t stop you from charging your buddy a few dollars to strap
“Will you marry me?” onto your drone and fly it over him having dinner with his
girlfriend. Precision romance.
Companies such as DroneCast are
starting to spring up, dedicated to creating marketing campaigns and promotional
moments with the use of drones. This can be something as simple as flying a
banner with a message over an event, to managing an aerial light show above a
music concert.
Precision Agriculture
Speaking of precision, farmers are making use of drones
more than any other industry. On top of making the most of aerial mapping
services to accurately mark out agricultural land, farmers have found a number
of more ingenious solutions.
For example, drones can be fitted with a range of
sensors and cameras that can accurately assess how healthy crops are. Heat,
infrared light and levels of moisture can all be measured from the air,
allowing farmers to make smarter decisions and target areas in need of
attention.
Want to find out more about drones in agriculture?
Read our feature here.
But that’s not all, as regulations are gradually
lessened to include flights out of sight of the pilot, we may see a revolution
of agricultural drones, such as the Agras M1 from DJI, which can spray crops
with pesticides autonomously.
PrecisionHawk is currently leading the way, in terms
of both hardware and software. The company’s software allows farmers to look at
all of the information gathered in phenomenal detail, while it’s hardware can
either be bought or rented as a service.
Want to make money with your drone? Why not offer
package services to farmers, from aerial mapping to crop health assessment.
Did you know?…
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International, along with several other industry research reports, has
predicted that in the next ten years drone agriculture services could account
for 80% of all commercial drone use.
Fishing
Okay, this one might be a little ambitious, but
there’s definitely foundations to it. Fishing and drones don’t sound like they
should mix, but it’s possible, honest. It also gives us an excuse to include
the awesome video below.
Drones are already being used at an industrial level
by large fishing vessels, to track shoals of fish and target areas of high fish
concentration. But on a smaller scale, perhaps drones could help out amateur
fishermen in the future, both by scouting out the water from above, and also by
carrying bait out to where the fish are.
Pilot Training
As long as there is a market for drones with commercial
applications, there is going to be a huge need for qualified drone pilots.
Whether that’s flying for agriculture, search and rescue, real estate mapping
or aerial photography. With regulations slowly being implemented, it’s likely
that in the near future the rules will not change regarding the need to have a
license if you’re flying for money.
Because of this, there will always be demand for
skilled teachers who can share their experience and expertise with the next
generation of flyers. Why not be one of those?
Professional photography
Obviously, there’s a huge market out there for
professional photography. Being armed with a drone should be enough to help you
stand out from the crowd. Here are a few ideas to help get you started.
Weddings
Weddings are an absolute goldmine, and wedding
photographers can expect to make hundreds of dollars an hour. Add in some
spectacular aerial photography and you’ve got yourself a fun, varied and
exciting job. Looking for some inspiration? Check out Sky Vantage, a company
which combines aerial wedding shots with a team on the ground to make sure all
angles are covered.
Did you know…?
Wedding days are supposed to be unforgettable, and
this is proven by the hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars regularly
spent on photographers. An aerial video will be appreciated for years to come,
and could be the perfect way to elevate – no pun intended – memories of the
day.
Sporting Events
Several sports events, particularly in the world of
snowsports, have already embraced drone technology for filming purposes. Even
coaches across the major European soccer leagues are using drones to film and
assess training sessions from above. Interested in both sports and flying? Why
not set up an aerial photography business dedicated to sports?
Did you know?…
This category doesn’t just apply to big media
organizations looking for aerial camera operators. Sometimes smaller is better,
and you’d be surprised how many amateur extreme sports fans would appreciate a
few hours of awesome drone footage.
Real Estate
The world of real estate is quickly emerging as a
go-to business opportunity for professional drone pilots. Not only are drones
used to provide accurate aerial surveys for people buying and selling property.
But they are also being used to help create incredible marketing videos, as
naturally, views from above offer an ideal perspective for looking over luxury
real estate.
Get a few luxury realtors on your client list and
you’ll be making money in no time. American startup Above Summit
Did you know…?
It’s not necessarily just realtors that are keen to
appeal to customers with aerial video of property. Your clients could include
universities wanting to showcase the campus from above, or a local golf course
looking for promotional media.
Security and Surveillance
Security services, police and private investigators
could all be using drones in the near future. When it comes to staking out a
building or surveying someone from above, drones provide an effective,
unobtrusive way of doing so. It’s a niche market, but a market nonetheless.
Hotels and Resorts Marketing
Just as realtors are increasingly using drones to
promote luxury property, hotels and tourism companies are a great bet for
pitching your piloting services. Not only will they want similar, awe-inspiring
video that only a drone can provide, but you might also get a few trips on the house!
News Footage
Just a photographers can build up freelance
relationships with a range of media outlets, you can easily do the same from an
aerial perspective. Alternatively, approach a local news station and see if you
can provide them with some bird’s-eye footage. This is a market currently being
held back by regulations due to privacy concerns, but it shouldn’t be too long
before it’s a viable business opportunity.
Racing, obviously
The holy grail for many a drone pilot will be a
professional contract as a drone racer. FPV drone racing is a sport beginning
to take off around the world, with a number of domestic leagues in the US
Earlier this year a 16 year old from England won $250,000 at the first ever Drone
Grand Prix in Dubai
A top tip
JOIN A MARKETPLACE
More and more drone marketplaces are popping up on the
web. They are places pilots can be hired, and customers can find just the video
they are looking for or need shot. Some of the sites below are a few examples
of places you can register as a pilot and show off your reels (if you’re
selected) in an effort to be hired by potential customers. Most sites will
review every pilot before approving them as a pilot to ensure they have
obtained an FAA 333 exemption, which is required by the Federal Aviation
Administration to commercially operate a UAV, or drone.
Under this exemption, the PIC (pilot in command) must
hold either an airline transport, commercial, private, recreational, or sport
pilot certificate. The 333 exemption is the backbone to the rule book on flying
drones commercially. If you want to get paid, the FAA requires you obtain your
333 exemption. To learn more about the exemption, click here. If you are able
to obtain it, you’ll have plenty of great opportunities at your fingertips!
The prices on drone marketplaces such as Droners.io
can vary drastically. Customers offer everything from $300 for a promotional
video to more than $10,000 for a professional gig for a TV show with editing.
Droners.io makes money by taking a percentage from each transaction: 10% with a
maximum of $1,000. You could even setup your own marketplace.
DroneTrader - Buy Sell Used Drones |
December 2016
Best Drones For Sale List
5 Things You
Should Know Before You Buy a Drone
2016's Top 5 Drones - Our Top Pick Will
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Other rules in the FAA framework for small drones also make it
hard to work in New York
Where
can people fly drones legally in NYC?
MAP
As drone technology continues to
improve in leaps and bounds, many industries are using them to create stunning
visual content.
Drones are everywhere. Whether you
love them or hate them, drones (also known as UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
are surging in popularity and are increasingly being used in a wide range of
industries. From the Real Estate industry to Wedding Photography, drones are
are entering mainstream content strategy and into diverse marketing
initiatives.
While there are a lot of UAVs on the
market, models that offer 4K video and beautiful still photo capture
technologies are helping marketers tell new types of stories. However, while
drones may seem like an exciting new way to create content, marketers who are
looking to break into aerial storytelling need to be aware of certain
regulations.
Even though UAV regulation is in its
stages of infancy, the FAA has some pretty clear cut rules about what drone
operators can and cannot do. For instance, marketers will have to hire someone
with a FAA Section 333 waiver, if they’re looking to fly drones commercially.
The FAA also prohibits drones from flying within 5 miles of an airport and over
an altitude of 400 feet.
While you may be tempted to jump on
the drone train, it’s important that you do your homework and familiarize
yourself with local, state, and federal guidelines to avoid breaking the rules
and accidentally injuring others in the process.
Drones vs. Helicopters
One of the main benefits of drones’
HD video transmission is allowing users to see video in detail. Unlike
composite video, HD video is clearer, making it easier to get the shot you
really want to capture.
Drone aerial video and photography
is a great alternative to renting a helicopter, which can run anywhere from
several hundred to thousands of dollars per day. Imagine having to spend that
kind of money only to get in the air on a cloudy day. With drones, if you or
your company owns one, rescheduling a shoot by a couple of hours or even a few
days isn’t a big deal and won’t burn a hole in your budget.
Drone technology and its portability
gives you a lot of leeway when it comes to moving shooting locations as well.
It’s also easier and more cost-effective to reshoot scenes using a drone than
it is with a helicopter. Given these benefits, you may want to consider
purchasing a drone if you’re a freelance videographer or a creative agency.
Industries Using Drones to Create
Exciting and Memorable Content
As drone technology continues to
improve in leaps and bounds, many industries are using them to create stunning
visual content.
Architecture
According to ArchDaily, drones are a
cost effective solution for shooting aerial photography and video; certain
drones give artists access to software that allows them to map an area and
produce more accurate topographical visualizations.
Instead of performing costly surveys
of hiring high-end photographers, architecture firms now have the option to
incorporate drones into their visual mapping and marketing strategies.
After all, think about how much more
of an impact an aerial, 360-degree view of a new apartment complex can motivate
a purchase versus a floor plan or traditional static photos or video.
Real Estate
Zillow, a real estate site lists
several drone applications for the real estate industry; an aerial camera can
provide Birdseye view of a property or land,
detailed views of a neighborhood and local businesses in the area,
property maps, and much more.
Just like with architecture, buyers
want to get a real sense of the property and the area they’re looking to make a
purchase in. Giving them broader views of the area can help them determine if a
property is a right fit and help real estate agents connect with truly
interested buyers, saving them both time and money.
Wedding Photographers/Videographers
One industry that’s seeing a huge
surge in the popularity of drones is wedding photography and videography. This
type of technology is being used to capture beautiful shots of outdoor weddings
and other events in addition to traditional DSLR photography.
If you’re a photographer who wants
to differentiate yourself from others in your field, you may want to consider
adding an outdoor drone photography or videography option into your existing
DSLR or video package.
Other industries like travel and
tourism and sports are also using drones in their marketing initiatives. A
leading figure in the drone marketing world, CEO, Chris Bonnet of Drone
Dispatch talks about the various drone marketing initiatives that he and his
company have helped take to new heights”
“We have done many types of
marketing initiatives such as “dronies” from cruise ships, dropping swag from
our drones, Under Armour and Bulleit Bourbon online video campaigns,
livestreaming from our drones during a SXSW event, and many more. We receive
all sorts of unique requests from great companies who are looking to spice
things up with drones…
Using drones in your marketing
initiatives allows for more out of the box creative content from brands. The
dronie hands down is my go to favorite for engaging drone content. A dronie is
a 15 second video that starts level with the participant’s head and then pulls
out and up to hundreds of feet in a matter of seconds to showcase a festival,
event, or a scenic backdrop.”
Travel and Tourism
What better way to give prospective
travelers an idea of what your city or country has to offer than with a short
aerial video? As drone technology becomes increasingly adopted by marketers and
video production companies, we’ll be sure to see videos that not only capture
the beauty of a hotel and its surrounding property, but also give travelers a
sense of the place they’re visiting.
The video below was created by Drone
Dispatch and captures the Texan landscape, enticing visitors to check out
beauty and experiences the state has to offer.
Marketers are just scratching the
surface of how drone photography and videography can be integrated into their
current campaigns.
As multisensory marketing becomes
more prevalent in the coming years, we can expect to see drone footage being
incorporated into more national and international campaigns as well as virtual
reality and augmented reality experiences.
It’s an exciting time to be a
marketer, and if you want to stay ahead of curve, it’s critical that you don’t
let drones go under the radar.
