Part Two

This two part series is for the DIY independent filmmaker who is self-distributing their film and for any filmmaker who wants to help build their reputation. In part one I talked about understanding YouTube as a community and search engine when developing your marketing strategy. Here you will learn that optimizing your videos for YouTube goes beyond choosing the right keywords. While they are critical to your success they are only part of the solution to getting more views for you content. Lets start by restating our goals from part one:

• Increase awareness and interest for your film
• Develop and sustain positive word of mouth
• Build an audience
• Promote yourself (as a director/writer/producer)

As indie film distributors have disappeared, self-distribution for filmmakers is gaining traction giving filmmakers hope that they will be able to make films and create career sustainability. Perhaps it should be called self marketing, not self distribution as distribution is really not the issue. Making the film is what you as filmmakers are trained and inspired to do, but most of you are not marketers. Having an understanding of how marketing works can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to DIY distribution. One of the mantras in the DIY movement is to find, connect and engage with your audience. The “find your audience to market your film” part is great advice and for most marketers this is routine for their business.