Marketing strategies to promote your next indie movie – With restrictions from the pandemic slowly disappearing, more and more people are heading back to the movies after a three-year hiatus. Movie ticket sales are finally rebounding back up to 844 million sales in North America for 2022 from a low of 221 million in 2019.
What does this mean for indie producers? People are ready to go out and see your film! But first, they have to know about it. Here are four ways to promote the premiere of your latest indie movie.
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Market your movie with paid ads
Everyone knows that the best way to get the most attention to any project in 2023 is to promote it on the internet. With over 5.16 billion users worldwide, online marketing is one of the most powerful ways to promote your indie movie.
To spread information about your movie far and wide, take out a few paid ads online. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are one of the most effective marketing tools used today. Simply create your ad with your search engine of choice (typically Google), choose your demographic, make a bid, and you’re ready to start your campaign.
While that might sound easy, you still need to design an ad that’ll catch people’s attention and make them want to learn more about your movie. Since you’re busy putting the final touches on your film, using ad templates is a great way to speed up the design process without sacrificing quality. Many ad templates can even support video content, which is perfect for any indie movie promotion.
Get social on social media
Did you know around 90% of the U.S. population uses some form of social media? This information is more than just a potential winner the next time you go to a trivia night; it could help you get your indie movie in front of more potential viewers. If you know nearly everyone in the U.S. uses social media, that’s where you need to focus your marketing efforts!
Create a new social media page specifically for your movie, and make regular posts with eye-catching advertisements, movie posters, graphics, still shots, and even teaser trailers you created. Don’t forget to provide important information like release dates, premiere locations, and if viewers can stream your movie anywhere online.
The main downside to social media marketing is that only your followers can see your posts. The best ways to extend your reach beyond just your followers are to use hashtags (depending on the social media platform you choose) and to interact with other users.
Being social by responding to comments, replying to direct messages (DMs), and even commenting on others’ posts is a great way to build engagement with potential viewers and encourage them to come see your movie — or at least share your page.
Get a spot at a film festival
Social media is great for its incredible reach, but how many of those 300 million users are actually interested in watching an indie movie? Even with the best posts ever, you still probably won’t convince certain people to see your movie. If you want to promote your film to like-minded moviegoers, land a spot in a film festival.
Easier said than done, right? While it might not be the easiest thing to secure your spot in a film festival, it’s the best way to market your film to an audience that will actually appreciate it.
You don’t have to go straight to Cannes. Even entering a local or regional film festival can be enough to start building a following.
Cool movie posters never go out of style
Back in the golden age of cinema, there was no better form of marketing than the movie poster. In fact, they were so successful that movie posters became collectible! Although there are many other forms of marketing available today, never count out the classic movie poster.
The key to a great movie poster is an iconic design. You need something that captures attention and makes your indie movie look irresistible.
Just like with the advertisements, there are plenty of free movie poster templates available online. Simply find the template that fits your movie’s style, input your information and graphics, and you’re ready to hang the posters anywhere moviegoers spend their time.
As an added bonus, you can also save your posters as a jpeg, so you can post them to your website and social media accounts for even more exposure — which is something producers couldn’t do back in the day!
Get ready for the big premiere
You’ve worked hard bringing your creative vision to life. Now it’s time for others to enjoy it! But first, they have to know about it.
When you’re ready to start promoting your next indie project, use ad templates to design PPC ads, post promotional content on social media, showcase your movie in a film festival, and make eye-catching movie posters. With all your marketing efforts working together, you’ll be ready to walk the red carpet in no time!
