How Can Indie Film Makers Use Social Media to Promote Films and Connect with Fans?

Image credits – Pixabay Social media has become such a vast part of people’s lives that professionals in every sphere need to use them to engage with their target audience. It is a godsend to indie film makers in particular because very often they work on tight budgets and don’t have enough money left to spare on publicity after making a film. Hiring a public relations professional to build their own image or promote a film is generally unthinkable for most indie film makers. So, they have to depend on social media to keep in touch with their audience, aficionados and backers. A brush with reality Most modern indie film makers would tell you that making a film has become easier than before because the cost of camera, other hardware and editing software have come down from their lofty heights. With good knowledge, an indie film maker can don multiple hats on a film set and complete a project with minimal outside help. But the main problem is with promoting your film and making your target audience interested. Movie marketing is a long-drawn process which must start even before the first shot has been taken. Even, when you are in the conceptualizing stage, you can still involve your audience. If you want crowd sourcing for your film or looking at a corporate backer, they would be interested to know about the return and how you plan to promote the film. That is when social media would come in handy. Strategies that indie film makers should follow to be successful on social media 2 Image credits – Pixabay
  1. Draw up a social media plan: You should start by creating a roadmap that you wish to follow on the social media. You should identify the strategies that you will follow for attracting crowd funding for your film, the audience that you will target, how you will promote the film from the scripting stage to the end, how will you promote your film if it is being screened at festivals, what kind of videos you would create and which sites you would use to promote them and how will you involve and update the investors.
  2. Identify the right platform for your audience: There are so many different social media sites and each has its uniqueness- strengths and weaknesses. Each caters to a different kind of audience. You will have to know who your audience is and where do they hang out. Start blogging or taking part in discussions on various film making forums. You will have to learn to use various metrics to understand how successful your strategies have proven and to track the traffic to your website and social media accounts.
  3. Be consistent: Even though it is true that each platform is unique and different content format is required to be successful, ensure that they are consistent with the overall image of the film or the genre. Take expert advice, if it comes cheap, to create a media campaign before taking the plunge.
  4. Target influencers: Try to connect with other film makers and prominent film critics and movie buffs who would be interested to watch your film and also promote it on their social circle. That would give your film a lot of free publicity.
  5. Incentivize your audience: Use social media to share freebies like free passes to contest winners to a film festival where you film will be screened or a DVD of the music of your film. This is how you can engage your audience to act and get involved.
Social media has empowered indie film makers. It is allowing them to reach out to audiences divided by great physical distance. Don’t miss this opportunity. You can change the fate of your film simply with a good social media campaign. That’s the power of social media.
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