Indie Marketing Techniques

This weeks lecture was all about, you guessed it, Marketing. But not just any kind of marketing, more specifically Indie marketing for Indie films and other projects since that is basically what we are all creating right now. So how do we market an indie film? Well there are a number of ways, especially now with the rise of technology and the simple temptation of online banking.

In a previous lecture we spoke of the effects of Social Media on one's career, especially when trying to get yourself into this cutthroat industry. The same basics of representing yourself on social media applies to whatever project you are working on as well. You see, with a well crafted social network you are able to gain access to essentially 'free' advertising. How effective this advertisement depends on how clever your social media techniques are. One high-profile example would be that of Deadpool (2016), taking advantage of the type of film that it is and choosing to produce a smart advertising campaign that is so much different to what we have experienced and became used to.

Finding your own niche and style is important, especially for indie films. To stand apart and become noticeable.

One other technique that has become huge only recently is crowdfunding. Crowdfunding can be extremely effective if you have an established fan-base or an intended audience that is aware of your efforts. This again relies on the previous statement of having a good and interesting advertising campaign. Pitching your idea to the public asking for donations in return for offering special deals and exclusive content for investors is a great way to quickly source money to put into your creative project. The only flaws with this technique is only that people need to know who are before they can even consider contributing to you. Here is where investing in a creative and entertaining Kickstarter video can be extremely helpful in gaining support for you film or other creative piece.

Being aware and ready to produce these kinds of advertising campaigns will be absolutely essential if you are looking to have any sort of huge success in your own career especially for indie and amateur filmmakers such as myself. This is definitely something I will highly consider when producing my own work.

Aedan Bruitzman

Reference List:

Hartley, F. (2016, January 27). Deadpool - A Digital Marketing Masterclass. Retrieved from FortHartley: http://www.forthartley.co.za/deadpool-an-online-marketing-masterclass/

Inman, M. (2015, January 20). Exploding Kittens - A new card game on Kickstarter. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtREUajBwIQ

Localsphere Digital Media Inc. (2016, March 1). Social Media Advertising. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC-tgFdIcB0