There are numerous creative ways of film promotion, but what are some of the best marketing strategies for independent films? No one formula suits all. For indie films, PR strategies and film promotion play a pivotal role, and if you fail to market it, you will not have an audience.
Promoting a movie involves informing the target audience of its upcoming release date. Typically, films are promoted by the director and the main cast—by discussing them on reality shows, interviews, Talk Shows, and more. Other effective ways include releasing a teaser and a trailer and uploading posters on social media.
But, for indie films, these high-end marketing strategies may not seem plausible. If you are a filmmaker with a low budget, the ideal way to market and advertise your movie is via digital campaigns. Let us check out some tips that can help boost your movie’s reach through effective PR and film promotion strategies.
Pre-roll video advertisements are a brilliant tool for piquing the audience’s interest and seeding the film’s trailer online. This tool is relatively inexpensive, and within five seconds, if a viewer clicks the ‘skip’ button, you will not be charged for it. Making use of video syndication services such as Adobe Advertising enables users to have their trailer playing before related content on YouTube and sites like IMDB, Vimeo, and more.
‘The Dark Knight,’ by Christopher Nolan, was marketed extensively using this innovative technique known as ‘viral marketing.’ This marketing technique is one of the most effective methods for promoting a movie on a transmedia platform.
The online medium can help you develop many content and techniques that often go viral, such as contests, transmedia games, surprise gifts, and more. The main purpose of this marketing strategy is to encourage the audience to discuss your movie with a sense of excitement. It is also essential to analyze psychological and geographical factors before trying new content designs to avoid attracting negative publicity.
One of the most powerful publicity strategies of the film industry is the use of Press Junkets. These events invite critics, reporters, and key journalists to a specific location where the press can interview the filmmakers and all the main actors from the movie.
Be mindful of who you want to invite to the press junket, and do not limit your guestlist to journalists only — you can also invite influential social media vloggers and bloggers who can help stir buzz around your movie.
The story of your film may or may not revolve around an issue (political, societal, psychological, or even personal), but to make it a trending topic, consider associating with activities that can indirectly help you attract an audience.
If your movie captures a social issue, you may consider getting involved with organizations that aim at improving various social needs. Such tactics can help promote your movie while helping society to improve.
Whether you are a well-funded celebrated director or an independent filmmaker, you might have some association with various brands—through official endorsements of products or official partnerships. If you want to promote your film through product endorsements, you have to reach out to the marketing directors, asking them to advertise your movie on social media.
On the other hand, if you have cast celebrity actors, consider utilizing their online audiences. For instance, at the time of the release of ‘Skyfall,’ Coca-Cola had 2m followers on Twitter and 74.5m followers on Facebook—the number was 30 times larger than the total followers that the social media account of 007 / James Bond had. When the film and the brand partnered to launch Skyfall, the film was able to engage a large audience in a short span of time.
These promotional and marketing strategies can help your film gain massive commercial success. All you have to do is invest in a suitable strategy, to engage the audience and make your movie a trending subject.
