Best CRM for video production

As a video producer, managing multiple clients, coordinating production schedules, and tracking project progress can quickly become overwhelming.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system tailored for video production can help you streamline your workflow by organizing client communications, tracking leads, automating follow-ups, and managing project timelines. With the right CRM, you can focus more on delivering exceptional video content while ensuring your business operations run smoothly.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for video producers like you, highlighting tools that will help you stay organized, improve client relationships, and scale your production business.

Why you need a CRM

Having the right CRM in your tech stack can empower you and your team to manage projects efficiently, ensuring no detail is overlooked. It can have a direct impact on both your client relationships and the way you streamline your operations.

Challenges without a CRM

There's a big chance that you might already be facing the following challenges without realising how much time it takes you away from other business priorities.

• Disorganization: Scattered information across emails, spreadsheets, and notes leads to confusion and wasted time.
• Missed opportunities: Without a centralized system, tracking leads and follow-ups can be inconsistent, resulting in lost business.
• Inefficient processes: Manual tracking and coordination can slow down project timelines and increase the risk of errors.
• Lack of insight: Limited visibility into project progress and client interactions hinders strategic decision-making.
• Inconsistent communication: Disjointed communication channels can lead to misunderstandings and unmet client expectations.

Benefits of a CRM

Fortunately, once you have the right CRM in place, you can expect some benefits that can make an direct impact on your day to day operations and client relationships.

• Centralized information: All client and project data is stored in one place, making it easy to access and manage.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automated workflows streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up time for creative work.
• Improved customer relationships: Detailed client histories enable personalized communication and better service.
• Better decision-making: Real-time insights and analytics support informed business strategies.
• Increased sales: Efficient lead tracking and follow-up processes boost conversion rates.
• Consistent communication: Integrated communication tools ensure clear and timely interactions with clients and team members.

How to boost your efficiency as a video production company with a CRM

A CRM can help you streamline your process across several areas. From your workflow to your client relationships. Below are a few ways you can use one effectively.

1. Map your process

To streamline your video production workflow, it's crucial to map out your process. Define each stage from initial client contact to final video delivery. Use your CRM to create custom pipelines that track every step, ensuring no task falls through the cracks. This helps you visualize progress and allocate resources effectively.

2. Lead qualification

Assessing and qualifying leads is vital for focusing on high-value opportunities. Use your CRM to segment leads based on criteria such as budget, project scope, and timeline. Implement scoring models to rank leads, ensuring your team prioritizes the most promising prospects. This targeted approach boosts conversion rates and maximizes ROI.

3. Outreach and follow-up

Automate your outreach efforts to save time and maintain consistency. Use your CRM to set up email and LinkedIn campaigns tailored to different stages of the sales funnel. Track open rates, click-through rates, and responses to refine your messaging. Automated follow-ups ensure you stay top-of-mind with potential clients, increasing the likelihood of securing projects.

4. Nurture existing leads and client relationships

Maintaining relationships with existing leads, customers, and investors is key to long-term success. Use your CRM to set up personalized communication plans, including regular check-ins and updates on new services. Implement strategies for upselling and cross-selling, such as offering package deals or exclusive content, to maximize the lifetime value of each client.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs to choose from, it can feel overwhelming if you're unsure where to start, or what to prioritise as part of your decision making process. We've rounded up a few tips for you to keep front of mind to make sure you find one that's the best fit for your needs.

1. Define your requirements

When choosing the best CRM for video production, start by identifying the key features your business needs. Consider functionalities like project management, client communication, and integration with video editing tools. A CRM that offers customizable workflows, task automation, and real-time collaboration can significantly enhance your team's productivity and streamline your video production processes.

Key features of a CRM for video production

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows, freeing up time for creative endeavors. From scheduling shoots to sending client reminders, automation ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds leads, customers, and investors' email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency. This feature helps maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date contact database, crucial for networking and client management.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks leads, customers, and investors through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness. A well-structured pipeline helps you visualize your project's progress and manage your team's workload more effectively.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences. Personalized email campaigns can nurture leads and keep clients informed, improving overall engagement and satisfaction.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly imports contact information from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Instagram, X and more and leverage your network and social sales strategy within the CRM. This integration allows you to leverage your professional network and streamline communication, making it easier to build and maintain relationships.
• Analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning. Detailed reports on project timelines, budget tracking, and resource allocation enable informed decision-making and strategic planning.

2. Budget considerations

Balancing cost and return on investment is crucial. While some CRMs might offer extensive features, they could also come with a hefty price tag. Evaluate whether the CRM's capabilities justify its cost by considering how much time and effort it will save your team, and how it can help you manage client relationships more effectively. Look for scalable solutions that can grow with your business without breaking the bank.

3. Selection process

Researching and choosing the right CRM vendor involves several steps. Start by reading reviews and testimonials from other video production companies. Look for vendors with a strong track record in the industry. Request demos or trials to see the CRM in action and assess its user-friendliness and compatibility with your existing tools. Don’t hesitate to reach out to vendors for more information or to ask about specific use cases.

4. Get a demo

Once you have shortlisted potential CRMs, conduct a thorough evaluation. Utilize free trials to test each platform’s features and performance. Pay attention to how intuitive the interface is, how well it integrates with your current software, and the quality of customer support. Gather feedback from your team to ensure the chosen CRM meets everyone’s needs. Finally, compare the pros and cons of each option to make an informed decision that aligns with your video production goals. Get started with a demo of folk.

4 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage it's time to get excited about your shiny new CRM! To help you make the most of your onboarding experience, we suggest using this time to explore how your new CRM can be personalized according to your needs.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM can be seamless if you import your existing data correctly. Start by exporting your data as a CSV file from your current CRM. If you're using HubSpot, follow the instructions provided here. For Pipedrive users, you can export your data by following the steps outlined here.

2. Create your first pipeline

Once your data is imported, it's time to create your first pipeline. For video production, tailor the pipeline stages to reflect your workflow. Typical stages might include "Lead Generation," "Pre-Production," "Production," "Post-Production," and "Delivery." Customizing these stages will help you track projects more effectively and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

3. Explore its integrations

To fully personalize your CRM and make it work for you, make sure you explore the integrations your CRM comes with – noting in particular any that are already in your existing tech stack and workflow.

4. Onboard Your Team

Finally, onboarding your team is essential for successful CRM implementation. Conduct training sessions to familiarize your team with the new system, emphasizing how it can streamline their tasks and improve collaboration. Provide resources and ongoing support to help them adapt quickly and efficiently.

The 5 best CRMs for video production

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Instagram, X and more to bring all your contacts within folk and leverage your network, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook, access templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your workflow by allowing you to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money.
• Customizability: Custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation, and workflows.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: Currently lacks reporting features, but there are plans for future implementation.

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

Hubspot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations efficiently.

Key features

• Marketing hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for attracting and nurturing leads in the video production industry.
• Sales hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, helping you manage clients and investors effectively.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, ensuring smooth communication with customers and investors.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency, crucial for identifying high-potential clients and investors.
• Operations hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, streamlining your video production workflow.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: HubSpot is known for its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for users of all skill levels in video production.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, making it ideal for small video production startups.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: HubSpot integrates smoothly with its marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for managing leads, clients, and investors.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing, lead nurturing, and sales workflows, helping video production companies save time and improve efficiency.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Allows users to create customized dashboards and reports to track metrics and gain insights into business performance, tailored to the needs of video production.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: HubSpot’s pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small video production businesses as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for growing video production companies.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features, such as custom reporting and workflows, have a steep learning curve and may require additional training.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in the free plan is restricted by limits on the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for video production businesses with larger lists.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features, like advanced CRM capabilities and integrations, come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost for video production companies.
  

Price and plans

Prices and plans for HubSpot's CRM suite on an annual subscription are as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month.

3. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with a strong sales focus. It has journey orchestration, sales process management, and workflow automation features. There's also something for marketing teams, including event management and customer segmentation.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management, deal tracking, and follow-up actions, crucial for managing leads, customers, and investors efficiently in video production.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows users to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth analytics, helping video production companies track project progress and client interactions.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage customer interactions, ensuring seamless communication with clients and investors.
• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted campaigns, essential for nurturing leads and maintaining client relationships.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort, allowing video production teams to focus more on creative work.

Pros

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing, making it accessible for video production startups and small businesses.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow video production companies to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields for project details and client preferences.
• Integration with Zoho suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products like Zoho Projects, enhancing project management capabilities.
• Multi-channel communication: Supports email, phone, social media, and live chat, enabling video production companies to manage all client and investor interactions from a single platform.
• AI-powered features: Zia, the AI assistant, provides intelligent insights and task automation, helping improve efficiency in managing client relationships and project timelines.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: The extensive customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant time investment to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for video production companies without technical expertise or dedicated IT resources.
• User interface: Some users find the interface to be outdated or cluttered compared to other modern CRM platforms, which can affect usability.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets or complex operations, can hinder productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: While Zoho integrates well with its own suite of products, integration with third-party applications can be limited or require additional effort.

4. Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is a user-friendly customer relationship management platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a clean, intuitive interface that helps users manage customer relationships, track sales pipelines, and organize tasks and communications efficiently.

Key features

• 1 sales pipeline: Manage your leads, customers, and investors efficiently.
• 1 project board: Keep track of video production projects and tasks.
• 30,000 contacts: Store a large number of contacts for your growing business.
• Task management: Assign and track tasks to ensure timely project completion.
• Workflow automation: Automate repetitive tasks to save time and increase productivity.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Capsule CRM offers a clean and intuitive design, making it easy for video production teams to navigate and quickly access important features.
• Contact and sales management: Robust tools for managing leads, customers, and investors, helping you maintain a clear view of your relationships and sales pipeline.
• Customization options: Customize fields, tags, and pipelines to fit the specific needs of your video production business.
• Integration capabilities: Integrates with popular third-party applications like G Suite, Microsoft 365, and Mailchimp, creating a seamless workflow.
• Affordability: Competitive pricing with affordable premium options, making it accessible for small video production businesses and startups.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks advanced features such as in-depth analytics and comprehensive automation, which might be needed for larger video production companies.
• Basic email marketing capabilities: Built-in email marketing features are relatively basic; third-party integrations might be necessary for more advanced needs.
• Limited customer support: Primarily offers support through email and an online help center, which might not be sufficient for users needing immediate assistance.
• No built-in phone or SMS integration: Does not have built-in phone or SMS functionality, which could be a disadvantage for businesses relying on direct communication with clients.
• Scalability concerns: While suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, rapidly growing companies might find the platform less scalable as they expand.

Price and plans

• Starter plan: Starts from $21 per user, per month.
• Growth plan: Starts from $38 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $60 per user, per month.
• Ultimate plan: Starts from $75 per user, per month.

5. Streak

Streak is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that integrates directly with Gmail, allowing users to manage their sales pipeline and customer interactions from within their email inbox. Designed to simplify CRM tasks, Streak offers features such as email tracking, mail merge, task management, and pipeline visualization, all seamlessly embedded in Gmail’s interface.

Key features

• Advanced CRM: Manage leads, customers, and investors with ease.
• Shared pipelines: Collaborate on project timelines and client management.
• Email tracking and snippets: Monitor communication with clients and investors efficiently.
• Google Workspace integrations: Seamlessly integrate with Google Drive for easy access to project files.
• Mobile access: Manage your CRM on the go, ensuring you never miss an update.

Pros

• Seamless Gmail integration: Manage CRM activities directly from your email inbox, streamlining communication with clients and investors.
• User-friendly and intuitive: Operates within Gmail, requiring minimal training and making it accessible even to those new to CRM software.
• Customizable pipelines: Tailor pipelines to fit various workflows like project management and client acquisition, offering flexibility for video production processes.
• Email tracking and automation: Features like email tracking and automated follow-ups help manage communication more effectively, ensuring timely responses to clients and investors.
• Collaboration features: Real-time collaboration allows team members to share pipelines, emails, and notes, enhancing teamwork and project visibility.

Cons

• Limited advanced CRM features: Lacks detailed analytics and advanced reporting, which may be necessary for larger video production companies.
• Reliance on Gmail: Not suitable for businesses using other email platforms, and any issues with Gmail can impact Streak’s functionality.
• Basic mobile experience: The mobile app offers a limited experience compared to the desktop version, which might be inconvenient for users needing comprehensive CRM access on the go.
• Integration limitations: Fewer integrations with other software tools, potentially limiting effectiveness for businesses relying on various third-party applications.
• Potential email clutter: Managing a large volume of CRM data within Gmail can lead to clutter, making it harder to maintain an organized inbox.

Price and plans

• Pro: Starts from $49 per user, per month.
• Pro +: Starts from $69 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for video production can significantly enhance your workflow, client management, and overall business efficiency. Among the top contenders, each CRM offers unique features tailored to different needs. Folk stands out for its intuitive interface and robust LinkedIn integration, making it ideal for networking and client outreach. HubSpot provides a comprehensive suite of tools for larger teams with its extensive automation and marketing capabilities. Zoho offers affordability and customization, suitable for startups and small businesses. Capsule CRM excels with its user-friendly design and task management, perfect for small to medium-sized companies. Finally, Streak's seamless Gmail integration offers a convenient option for those who prefer managing everything from their inbox. Evaluate your specific requirements, budget, and team preferences to select the CRM that aligns best with your video production goals. Try folk for free here.

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a video production company use as a CRM?

Video production companies often use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Zoho, Capsule CRM, and Streak. Folk is particularly favored for its customizable pipelines and AI-driven tools, while Hubspot and Zoho are known for their comprehensive features. Capsule CRM and Streak offer user-friendly interfaces and seamless integrations, making them popular choices among video production professionals.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process. If you manage multiple projects, clients, and team members, a CRM can streamline operations, improve client relationships, and enhance overall efficiency. It helps centralize information, automate tasks, and provide valuable insights, making it easier to scale your business and deliver high-quality video productions consistently.

How much does a CRM cost?

The cost of a CRM varies widely, typically ranging from $15 to $1500 per user per month. Entry-level plans, like those from Hubspot or Zoho, start around $15 per user per month, while more advanced plans, offering extensive features and customization options, can go up to $1500 per user per month, as seen with Hubspot's Enterprise plan. Folk's pricing ranges from $20 to $60 per user per month.

Does folk’s CRM respond to video production needs?

Yes, Folk's CRM is well-suited for video production needs. It offers customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools for managing contacts and relationships, and seamless integrations with over 6,000 apps, including LinkedIn and Gmail. Its intuitive interface and automation features streamline workflows, making it easier to manage projects, track client interactions, and enhance overall productivity, which are crucial for video production companies.