By Jay Webb
Previously: Indiestreet Post #5: Indieconomies of Scale: Distribution
Indieconomies of Scale, Part 4 (of 4): Marketing
The DIY marketing of an Independent film has always been an overwhelming, and somewhat foreign prospect for an artist. For me it’s one of those things that seems to be more of a “Where do I even start?” type of problem, especially in today’s fast paced environment. There are new free to use marketing/networking platforms that pop up everyday, but how do we know what will work? And even more importantly, what will work for our film specifically? While the internet, social networking, data mining, and targeted ad networks do make it possible for Indie filmmakers to market their own films more effectively, they surely do not make the marketing process any less complicated.
So let’s try to simplify the idea of transitioning from filmmaker to film-marketer, and then we will talk about why a group mentality can make all the difference in this transition.
1. Marketing = a cousin of storytelling
Sure storytelling is your born talent and passion; not commercial exploitation. Well the best marketers are the ones that can tell the story of their company in a brief, memorable and entertaining way. So before you run and hide during the marketing phase of your film, just realize that a filmmaker and a marketing professional are actually some type of bizarro storytelling cousins.
2. Start with what you know: words and mouths.
You are a storyteller by trade, so tell a story about you and your film, even before it is released. This can be done from production through release using all types of media, social networks, and traditional word of mouth. Communicate to others about your unique experience and how amazing it is that you got it done and are even more proud of it after all of the ups and downs. My guess is they might feel inclined to tell the story of their friend the filmmaker to someone else over a cup of coffee before they relay your film’s synopsis. Your film can stimulate word of mouth on its own once it’s released, but it never hurts to tell additional personal stories to your connections in order to keep them engaged throughout your journey.
Word of mouth will never go out of fashion, as long as there are humans with mouths and ears. The way we transmit and receive word of mouth is constantly changing through technology, but this does not change its influence on audience decision making. Having a potential consumer receive a personal recommendation from one of their trusted friends or colleagues is far and away the most effective way to have that person watch your film or buy your product. But after you text and call some of your pals and post a few pleas on Facebook and twitter for others to spread the word of your film’s release, what do you do from there without getting annoying??
3. Not more words, not louder words, just more ears.
So rather than think about what we need to do after word of mouth, I say we need to think about how to make this already effective technique even more impactful. How do we get more ears to hear from their own trusted sources? The louder and longer we scream does not necessarily make anyone listen more…sometimes actually less. If you flood your Facebook page with the same promotions for your film every day, you might actually lose more friends than you will get to go see your film. And this content flooding marketing technique could make you lose ears for your next film, not gain them.
So, what’s the answer? You guessed it….using the power of a group approach to marketing…other filmmakers that have a similar product to you also have friends and colleagues that trust their opinions, and those people do to. It may not be much easier to decide on a marketing plan for your film in the tech age, but it is decidedly easier to find other producers and directors who have similar products to yours. Using social networks to find other like-minded filmmakers that want to combine efforts is a value added task. Putting time into this discovery will not add just one ear…your group marketing partners will be ear multipliers.
Even if marketing is the only aspect that you want to implement from the IndieStreet group mentality, to me it is still extremely worthwhile. As a filmmaker, and a fan of film, aren’t you looking for other films that you admire regardless? And while doing so, why not consider taking on one or two filmmakers as marketing partners.
You could find a talented filmmaker in another country like Australia who has similar films and plans for self-distribution. Why not screen each other’s upcoming work, and if you are both impressed, then come up with a simple plan of attack. By staggering your releases you can each put in some good promotion for another filmmaker’s deserving film. Now you are getting exposure for a film that may have only had true word of mouth potential on a different continent. Your own film’s ear reach is becoming international, and you never know, the Aussies may just dig your film more than us Seppos in the US. How cool is it that, just like that your little Indie film has a chance to be a colt classic on a different continent?
Some artists contend that mass marketing a specific creative product and self promotion feel counterintuitive to their creative process. The group philosophy can still help these artists in navigating the marketing while maintaining integrity. If you increase your marketing reach by partnering with others, you will not be mass marketing, rather targeting toward an engaged audience. And group marketing is the perfect cure for the artist who cannot stomach self promotion. You can start to rely on your partners within your group and can focus your promotional efforts on others in your group whose work you admire.
Once you have expanded your ear reach, that is when you can start exploring all the new technologies and marketing platforms, maybe even growing a mini brand together. At IndieStreet we are helping to organize the marketing efforts of our group of filmmakers (which is nice as the group gets larger)…but even if your group is only 2 there are many ways to increase your own marketing efforts. Feature your trailers before the other’s film, set up local screening events, or even share some marketing costs to make the whole thing more manageable. Once you have a partner in marketing and can stagger your direct distribution release dates accordingly, my guess is you will come up with some exciting ideas that maybe you can even share back with us at IndieStreet.
I hope that these posts are helpful in inspiring at least a few filmmakers to join us or each other and benefit from Indieconomies of scale. At IndieStreet we are still looking for innovative film submissions every day, and want to thank all of you that have sent us films or recommendations. Now it’s time get back to working on something you love.
Jay Webb – Jay Webb is an independent film producer/writer and small business entrepreneur who has discovered through trial by fire that it is literally impossible for him to choose personal capitalism over passion. Always balancing a life on both sides of the tracks, he has discovered that helping good people succeed (success=happiness) is the core of what drives him. The IndieStreet direct & “group distribution” film initiative is his personal Autobahn.
Web: IndieStreet.com
Twitter: @indiest_films
