Five ways to market your film

Five ways to market your film

If you’re a budding film-maker there are plenty of ways to create a buzz around your creation and get people talking about your work. The world of film and cinema is evolving before our eyes so it is crucial to keep up with the latest trends and be part of communities online.

Social media has revolutionised our lives of late and has launched unknown singers and performers into the spotlight. Therefore if you want to get your movie seen and heard it’s wise to start surfing the web. Here are five effective ways to market your film:

Facebook

Facebook has over 350 million users and has proven to be a very useful marketing tool. The first thing to do is to create your own “fan page” and encourage all your friends and relatives to “like” it. From here you can post photos, pictures, videos and links and keep the information and hype surrounding your movie in one dedicated place. Once you have people interested, start attracting more attention by releasing small clips of your film or posting your very own trailer. Hold quizzes and competitions and even send out prizes – you never know who could end up following you.  

Twitter

If you haven’t done so already it would be a great idea to get yourself on Twitter and let the world know about the great work you have done. Create an account solely for your film work and start following people who like the same things as you. Hopefully they will follow you back and you’ll be able to share everything you have been up to. Tweets only take a couple of second to write, so even if you are really busy you can still inform your fans of all the latest film news and events. Twitter is also a great place to ask questions and pick up tips and ideas – so log online today and be on your way to a successful film-making career.

YouTube 

YouTube is the ideal place to post a host of interesting, innovative and inventive video clips. The internet community love following the progress of particular projects, so it might be a good idea to make an online diary. Tell people how you are doing and build up a rapport with your audience. YouTube star Paperlilies even managed to create a movie with the help of her YouTube fans, so don’t be afraid to get creative and feel inspired. If you have a trailer or any behind-the-scenes clips, why not also post these online and see if they get many hits? You never know, you’re work could go viral.

Create a website

If you really want to market your film it’s essential to create a website. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start as there are many professional web designers out there who will be willing to help you out. Having your own little part of the internet will mean that you can point your fans to one specific site where they can read all about your creative work and see the progress of your projects. Once you have your website set up, don’t forget to promote it via your social network accounts. Simply tell people to check it out and post a link directly to your site. Don’t be afraid to ask for constructive feedback as there are many intelligent people out there who could help you become great.

Blogging

Even if you have a website, setting up your own blog is the ideal way to chat to your fans in a more informal way. If you want to rant about how difficult a certain scene is to shoot, or want to go off track and talk about another film you have watched then this is the perfect place to do it. You should aim to post around 3-4 times a week to make sure that your blog is effective and to keep people interested. Add videos and images and keep it really lively and interactive as no one wants to read big blocks of text. Let your readers into production secrets and maybe ask for advice as people love to give help.

If you consider yourself the next Spielberg or Tarantino, why not go online and see how marketing your film wisely can help you make it to the cinema?