Lights, camera, action and the film is in the can! You now have an incredible film to share with the world. Social media plays a huge role in self-distribution and digital marketing in the independent film industry.  This can be very intimidating, but with a clear brand and plan you can utilize its infinite reach and possibilities. Here are eight tips to help you have a more proficient marketing agenda.

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is more than having a grasp on the general demographics of your fans. It’s important to look closer and see exactly which mediums draw their attention. For instance, a younger crowd might be primarily interested in Instagram where an audience over 35 is more in-tune with Facebook. Once you have an understanding of your people and their favorite media outlets, then be sure to have a corresponding voice.

2. Embrace Your Brand

Before you can relate to others, you must have a strong understanding of yourself. Your film is a product and it deserves a bold brand. This entails more than sticking to a color scheme, logo and tone. It’s important to play into your film’s genre. For example, emphasis Halloween if you have a horror film or Valentine’s Day with a more romantic story. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to not overlook these natural opportunities.

3. Post Consistently

Keeping to a regular schedule is a good way to make social media a habitual part of your marketing plan. It doesn’t have to be aggressive as long as it’s manageable and regular. Two to three tweets per day, two to three posts on Instagram and Facebook per week is a great starting point. The activity can increase during special events, but it’s important to keep a constant flow on your feed when in between high points.

4. Behind-the-Scenes

Let your audience see behind the camera. As much as people love watching films to escape reality, they also like to be able to relate beyond the picture. Posting a short interview with one of the actors on Facebook or a few production stills on Instagram can help engage more curious admires and ultimately build a stronger overall fan-base.

5. Be Part of the Conversation

No one wants yesterday’s news. Engage in breaking industry news and stories. Following major online and print publications on Twitter and Facebook can help to maintain up-to-date engagement. By tweeting headlines, retweeting related industry news and sharing current events you’ll show your followers you have your head in the game. Always be sure to tag and credit your sources. You never know when they may start following you or share one of your brilliant tweets.

6. Multi-Media

In the business of moving pictures, we’re blessed with the ability to use all types of media. Always incorporate video, still images and well throughout (and proof-read) text into your posts. This is a great way to show off your creativity beyond your actual film.

7. Work and Play

All work and no play is no fun. Whether or not your film has a serious plot, the movie making business can be stifling at times. Have some fun, especially getting involved with your audience. Post a silly production still on Instagram or a funny BuzzFeed quiz on Facebook. As always, be sure these posts are appropriate and on-brand. This material can be sprinkled into the ‘hard news’ and original content that makes up the bulk of your marketing material.

8. What Goes Where

Although all social media outlets seem to be intertwined, it’s important to keep each post tailored to that medium and audience. Posting the same photo on Instagram and Facebook is fine, but try to modify the caption a bit or include different hashtags. You want your audience to follow all of your feeds so best not to have exactly duplicated posts. Entice them to see something different on another one of your accounts.

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