--- title: "Appointment Setting for a Pittsburgh Video Production Agency: Belkins Case Study" description: "A referral-only video agency tested outbound in higher education, e-learning, and corporate markets and booked 43 appointments in 5.5 months." url: "https://belkins.io/case-studies/9000-leads-and-43-appointments-for-a-video-agency" --- ![NDA](https://belkins.directus.app/assets/70eef861-640d-4913-ad84-c018b207daf4?fit=inside) # Lead generation for a video production agency Department-specific email outreach opened a new client channel for a referral-only video agency - 43 appointments in 5 months - 9,000 leads generated Category Appointment setting Industry Media Production Headquarters Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Company size 11-50 employees ## Impact of our partnership: 43 appointments from outbound Before the engagement, every new client came through referrals. Over 5.5 months of outreach, the agency booked 43 appointments across higher education, e-learning, and corporate campaigns. - 43 appointments in 5.5 months across all campaigns - 68% open rate and 12–25% reply rates on the initial campaigns, with each of the four department categories landing at a different point in that range - 62.25% open rate and 7.5% reply rate on follow-up campaigns to prospects who hadn’t replied the first time - Up to 9,000 leads generated for the campaigns - A tested outbound channel alongside referrals, plus response data showing which departments and segments engaged Two conditions shaped these numbers. Higher education budgets are tight, which slowed replies and brought some negative responses. Institutions also take 9–12 months to decide. Because the sales cycle was longer than the engagement, appointments are the right measure for this campaign. The opportunities they opened stayed in the client’s pipeline for continued nurturing. Responsible team Account manager: 1 SDR: 1 Copywriter: 1 Lead researcher: 1 ## The context: New business limited to referrals After 25 years in business, the video agency still relied only on referrals from existing clients to win new ones. That limited growth to the reach of its current network. To expand its potential client base, the agency needed a second acquisition channel. ### Partnership objectives The client wanted a client acquisition channel beyond referrals. Higher education came first, and other segments were tested as the campaign went on. ## Strategy and implementation The campaign ran on cold email in four steps: defining the ideal customer profile (ICP), launching department-specific campaigns, re-engaging prospects who didn’t reply, and testing new segments. ### Defining the ICP The team targeted colleges and universities with 4,000 to 25,000 students. Within each institution, it focused on four departments: Admissions, Marketing, Athletics, and Advancement. Target titles were VPs, AVPs, Directors, and Athletic Directors. The client’s work for digital scoreboards and social media matched what athletics and admissions teams buy. Outreach started in Pennsylvania and then expanded across the US. ### Department-specific campaigns Each department got its own email templates, built around its concerns and vocabulary. On top of that title-based segmentation, the team used two approaches: - **Local outreach in Pennsylvania.** Prospects in the client’s home state received messages built around the local connection and the option to meet in person. - **Referral asks in every template.** Each email asked the prospect to point the team to the right colleague in their department or network. In higher education, decision-making authority varies from one department and institution to the next, so a referral often reached the decision-maker faster than another cold email. The initial campaigns across the four categories reached a 68% open rate and reply rates between 12% and 25%. ### Re-engaging prospects who didn’t reply Prospects who didn’t respond moved into follow-up campaigns. These kept a 62.25% open rate and brought a 7.5% reply rate. ### Expanding into e-learning The team then targeted the same universities with campaigns aimed at different titles, and reached out to e-learning platforms with tailored video content offers. ### Testing new offers and markets To find more opportunities, the team tested three directions: - Corporate product demonstrations: pitching the client’s experience in product video directly to corporate companies - Professional training and coaching: testing several industries with offers for training and coaching content - In-person meetings in Pittsburgh: moving corporate outreach toward face-to-face meetings in the client’s home city ## Challenges Belkins encountered - **Slow responses.** Tight higher education budgets led to slow replies and occasional negative feedback. Follow-up campaigns kept those conversations open. - **Shifting decision-makers.** Even with department segmentation, results varied across departments and institutions. The team kept testing titles and used referral asks to find the person who actually made the decision. - **Bureaucracy.** Long negotiations and approval layers are standard in higher education, so the team adapted its outreach to how institutions buy. - **A 9–12-month sales cycle.** Few decisions could close within the engagement, so the team followed up continuously and kept opportunities moving through the pipeline. ## Lessons learned - **Segment by department, not just by institution.** Admissions, Marketing, Athletics, and Advancement responded differently, and reply rates ranged from 12% to 25% across the four categories. - **Ask for referrals inside cold outreach.** When buying authority is spread across departments, asking for the right colleague shortens the path to the decision-maker. - **Plan the follow-up before the first wave ends.** Prospects who ignored the first campaign still replied at 7.5% to the follow-ups. - **Start where you have a local advantage.** Pennsylvania outreach used the client’s home-state connection before the campaign expanded nationwide. - **Fit.** Higher education outreach suits companies that can wait 9–12 months for a decision and keep nurturing after the first appointment. A company that needs closed revenue within a quarter or two should start with a segment with a shorter buying process. - Reading duration 10 min - Published 8 Mar 2024 Want 100+ qualified appointments yearly? Let's map your winning lead generation strategy. Contact us to unlock your growth potential Want to get 100 to 300 opportunities yearly and 10x your ROI? Book a call with Belkins experts to pick the right strategy and tactics that brings your sales to the next level. [clutch /](https://clutch.co/profile/belkins#reviews) 4.9 score 230 reviews [g2 /](https://www.g2.com/products/belkins/reviews) 4.8 score 93 reviews Discover more case studies [Browse all](https://belkins.io/case-studies) [How Belkins helped an IT outstaffing company book 75+ appointments in 5 months](https://belkins.io/case-studies/lead-generation-for-it-outstaffing-company) 75+ appointments booked in 5 months 100% avg. 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