Whether you are making Hollywood blockbusters, indie darlings, or passion projects in your back yard marketing your film on social media is incredibly beneficial.

However, you may not be sure where to start. This article hopes to give you a guide offering tips and advice on using social media as a filmmaker.

Create a Plan

Work out what you are wanting to share and when you are wanting to share your posts. Take time to work out your target audience and post at the best times for them in order to get the most post engagement.

Taking the time to strategize before you begin posting means you can set the pace of the account and will help make posting just part of your work routine.

A lot of the other tips here will feed into your plan, studying trends, engaging followers etc., but without a plan of action you will never follow through.

Study Trends

Look at other filmmaker’s accounts to get inspiration but also take time to look at what the trends are. Take advantage of any trends that fit the image you are trying to portray to pull in some more followers.

However, remember trends are not going to last forever. Act fast and don’t put things off too far or you may find you’ve missed that sweet spot where your account would benefit from the trend.

Engage with your Followers

Part of the magic of social media is that we feel connected to people we’ve never met. This has led to an increased para-social relationship between actors, directors, authors etc. and the public.

This means that followers want you to be open and available for them. As with any product, the customer should be the centre focus and their opinions matter. Reply to the comments on your posts and encourage people to tag you in relevant posts.

People will then spread the word about you, and you may even find you get extra marketing that doesn’t involve any extra work from yourself. Consider feedback you are given and don’t get dragged into troll battles.

Hashtags

Hashtags are the ultimate tool for any social media platform. They help you expand the reach of your account and allow you to target specific areas.

Make a hashtag of your film title, #yourfilmtitle, to help build hype and encourage others to use it. It’s a great way as well to keep track of content and group posts that are relevant together.

Don’t flood your post with lots of generic hashtags, use your unique hashtag and precise targeted hashtags to ensure that you don’t get lost in a sea of noise.

Try Creative and Interactive Marketing

One of the most infamous and well-done marketing campaigns was for The Blair Witch Project which came at a time when people were just moving onto marketing online.

With online journals, fake documentaries and legend stories available on the website the film became a cult classic with people genuinely questioning whether the film was real.

This shows that being creative and taking advantage of the platforms available to you can be massively more beneficial than an expensive ad. Think about the film you are making and how you could promote it that is out of the box.

Show Behind the Scenes

People love behind the scenes shots that show how things are made and the relationship between cast and crew.

Whether it’s funny shots of people goofing around, shots with a more serious flair showing the amount of focus, or shots of special effects make up being applied, these all provide something for different types of film lovers.

It also increases hype for your film without wearing people out from promotional content. It keeps the content fresh and varied.

Follow the Cast and Crew

If members of the cast or crew have accounts, you should try and follow them as well as encourage them to interact with your account if they can.

By doing this you can reach fans of a specific member of your team to draw them in and create some fun, engaging content.

Connect with Other Filmmakers

Follow the accounts of and interact with other filmmakers in order to build key connections within the industry. They may also be able to give you more targeted help and advice.

Networking is important no matter the career, it keeps you with a finger on the pulse relating to the film industry.

Thankfully, social media makes this easier to handle and less likely to involve rooms of uncomfortable small talk.

Offers and Competitions

A good way to engage followers and build interest is to provide offers for local cinemas or run competitions for film related prizes.

If you can, make a deal with a cinema chain showing your film to create a discount code for those who follow you to use. Film memorabilia tends to be collectable and signed scripts, small props from set or even just some of the films merchandise make good prizes for giveaways on your account.

By doing these you can draw in more followers who come in order to get the benefits but stay because they’re interested in the content.

Get Verified

If you are well known enough, you can apply on most social media sites for verified status. You will find that as your name gets out there your follower base will increase, and people will potentially start pretending to be you. This prevents you having to deal with mimic accounts and makes people feel more comfortable following your account as they know you are more legitimate. It also comes with some benefits as your account is more likely to be promoted in searches either on the web or on the social media site itself.

Overall, creating a social media profile is a no brainer for any business but can be incredibly useful for filmmakers. Taking time to plan out your strategy, look at trends and trying creative marketing techniques will provide you with a way to engage potential audiences and build movie hype.