Let’s get this straight – being on Social Media does not mean you have a Social Media strategy. If you don’t have a plan that clearly identifies your objectives for each platform, then you’re merely adding content that might or might not do much for you.
SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES FOR FILMS AND SHOWS
The very first question you need to ask yourself is how social media can help you build an audience over time, and what’s the most effective and efficient way to do so.
Unlike major studios with hefty marketing budgets, indie filmmakers need to be smart about every penny and every minute invested in opening social media pages. When you open a social media account for every film you’re trying to promote, you’ll basically be spending time and money growing a fanbase for each single project.
This means that, after a year or two of promotion and sales, it’s over. You’ll move on to your next venture and will have to start from scratch. New social media pages, more time and money invested in advertising this new film or show, and tons of efforts to -once again- build a fanbase.
For this reason, it’s a smart move to consolidate all your projects under one roof – a Social Media Brand that you can always leverage to launch any project. What’s a “Social Media Brand”? We’re talking about your production company or simply your name as a filmmaker.
When you use your production company’s Facebook Page, Twitter handle or Instagram account to announce your most recent film or show, you’re basically putting all your efforts into a social platform that will grow over time, project after project.
Your content will be a mix about the movie you’re promoting and any other initiatives you might be working on. Therefore, it’s easy to keep your audience engaged and interested with relevant posts.
Next step is to determine which social media channels are worth being used, and how.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND HOW TO USE THEM
The premise for Social Media is that it connects people and, most importantly, it allows brands and products to engage in a bi-directional communication. This means your target audience can interact with you and have a conversation.
This close contact with people allows you to have a better understanding of how they behave, what they like, and what they don’t like. It’s your responsibility as a marketer to listen carefully and engage them in a meaningful way to create a powerful connection.
For such reason, it’s important that you understand the different social media channels and what they’re best suited for. While Instagram is highly visual and requires some dedication to generate content, Twitter is more casual and spontaneous. Facebook, on the other hand, performs well with short-form video content and for sharing articles and important updates.
As part of your social media strategy, you’ll need to establish your content architecture with the relevant topics you’ll be discussing in each channel. Once they’re defined, it’ll be easier to move into the next step, which is to create weekly content calendars, to ensure you cover all topics and provide your audience with relevant and engaging posts.
