In 2017, 71% of all internet users were social media networks surfers; by 2021 the number of active social networks users should reach the mark of 3.02 billion people, which is more than a third of the world’s population! The numbers are tremendous but what do they actually mean to a filmmaker?
With the extensive development of streaming networks, all online users, and particularly social media people are the potential viewers of a film. So by not involving social media into the overall marketing strategy, a film loses about half of its potential target audience. Impressive?
We bet it is! So to help you the young, talented, and green filmmakers get around the tough business rules of the film industry, we conducted a little investigation supervised by the expert eye of Red Rock Entertainment production team. And here are the must-dos of social media for filmmakers in 2019.
Get to your target audience
Every social media platform is directed towards a particular segment of humanity. For example, Instagram is more of a social space for showing off for the younger audience members while Facebook has turned towards the business marketplace. Twitter is known and loved for its precise content that fits into 140 characters. For filmmakers, My Space is still the place to go if you are looking for cooperation or some film expert for your project. But if you are looking for an audience for your film promotion campaign, go elsewhere.
Get the people interested
Social media users do not like narcissists. They like those who share and let others share as well. Stop pushing hard into promotion and let the audience take a sneak peek on the film progress. Post short videos with the cast, make funny pictures with props, tell stories about your work in progress, whatever it takes to keep your audience interested and engaged.
Build a community
Community means cooperation and integration. So give your fans and prospective viewers this feeling. Whenever your project is mentioned in any of the social media networks, react to it. And while most advice would say to say a simple “Thanks” Gary Collins, as an expert in film promotion and the CEO of Red Rock Entertainment, advises to go further and to make it personal. Keep up the genre of your film in the answers, make jokes and comparisons. Do say “Thanks” but find your own unique way of doing so. Such a path is always appreciated by the fans, remembered by the publicity, and hence brings greater profits in the end.
Think before you post
There is almost no way to remove something from the internet, let alone social media. There are numerous examples of photos that were deleted seconds after being published, yet everyone still remembers them. So whenever you plan to make a post on your social media channels, carefully think over what you are about to do. Once it is there, online, there is no way back. And this means not only get rid of the offensive content but also typos, for example, that make people so angry!
Give more “insider’s” info
People come to the social media accounts of stars, actors, directors, and films to get some exclusive material. So if you will be posting the generally available content, there will be no use in such social media accounts. Give your audience a peek behind the curtain and keep them curious about your next post. The more “natural filmmaker’s environment” you uncover, the more involved your potential viewers will get.
Be different
Just as every social media platform has its audience, every social media platform is different. So you cannot expect to post the same picture with the same content on five platforms and feel good about it. Remember about the interest that you need to create around your film? By copy-pasting content from one website to another, you are killing any tiniest pursuit your target audience has. So never ever duplicate your social media posts cross-platforms. Every account you has must provide exclusive information to the readership.
Adapt to the platform
Instagram is all about photos and short videos, Facebook is about longer posts and chattering, Twitter is about short, informative, and “stinging” posts. Every platform has its specificity so ensure that you match the content to the social media profile of yours.
Go viral
Viral content is tough to create but its development can get you a great boost in audience members. Think of a crazy fact that you can reveal, post a picture that will suck your audience deeper into your project, all in all, create a meme that will go viral all over the platforms. Being viral on social media means being easy-to-recognize and curious for a significantly wider audience. Most often these are memes and funny phrases that go viral so be on the alert for such pearls on set.
The rules of social media for filmmakers seem obvious and easy-to-follow. In reality, successful social media accounts take time and a lot of effort to reach the goals. Make sure that you do not let your social media exist on their own. Make efforts to make your profiles great and you will always get the reward once the box office numbers come back.