Mashable Marketing

Of course with any new company, even production companies, you are going to have to start thinking about marketing.  I know we have talked about this a little bit, but I ran across a website that I really wanted to share with you.

There are many new reasons to obsess over marketing in social media sites.  Mashable.com listed 5 Huge Trends In Social Media Right Now, back in 2010 from Jennifer Van Grove.  Going through the list has proven to me that they have only grown since then.  She writes,

“What’s the first thing young women do when they wake up? Check Facebook. How do enterprise employees pass the time at work? With social media. With so many studies highlighting ever-accelerating social media usage rates, the conclusion is obvious — social media is everywhere.”

The one that I really loved was Social Scanning.  While they list this as a reason to gather socially, it can be used to help market your new film trailer.  Have a barcode that people can scan take them to your website on their phone that automatically starts playing your latest film’s trailer.  Brilliant new marketing!

Another way to help spread the word of your film is by word of mouth.  What better online platform for spreading via word of mouth than Facebook?  Still logged into Mashable.com, Samantha Murphy tackled the article, Film Startup Prescreen Adds Facebook Integration.  She writes,

“Streaming movie-on-demand platform Prescreen announced on Thursday that it has integrated with Facebook’s Open Graph Platform to make it easy for people to discover and share movies with friends.  Prescreen — which offers a selection of long-form movies largely from independent filmmakers and packages it in a Gilt Group-style daily-deal format — allows users to sign up via Facebook Connect to watch trailers, rent movies and bookmark titles.”

Check the rest of the website out.  Do your homework.  Look into what the trends are for the industry.  Use that knowledge to help boost your company.  Social Media has been integrating itself in the industry for a long time.  Use that to your advantage.  Find these companies that you can put your independent films on and have them help spread your like wildfire through Facebook.  Good luck!

Alternative Funding

So you want to make your own business happen?  None of us can do that without funding.  I am sure you’re flittering around with fantastic ideas and concepts for film production, but we all need help financially to make that happen.

Take a minute to look at a few websites I came across that help you with alternative funding.  Financing, the dreaded word for the artistic few.

Does your new production company create jobs?  Because a lot of the funding out there right now is directly toward the growth of this economy.

One fantastic company that I came across was Association for Enterprise Opportunity, or AEO. 

This company helps with funding for the microenterprise, or easier put – companies with 0-4 employees.  One of the best things I saw when sifting through their information for finding help for health insurance for your company.  There are a lot of resources out there that we just need to take the time and find.  This company is willing to help.  They want to help.  Give them five minutes of your time and decide if they can help you succeed!

Community Development Venture Capital Alliance, CDVCA, is another company I thought you would be interested in taking a look at.  If you are looking to create your company in an area that needs to grow, promote jobs and increase the overall economy, such as Detroit, this is your chance to find funding.  CDVCA reads, “Like all serious investors, CDVC funds are looking to invest in companies with strong management, good ideas, impressive growth potential, and the promise of high financial returns. They also focus on the number and quality of jobs that will be created and the impact their investments will have on low-income communities.” 

Don’t be afraid to reach outside the box when looking for funding.  Recognize what good you are doing for the community and then let these companies help you fund that goodness.  Good luck!