IndieFlix

Here at IndieFlix we make it our mission to help filmmakers find their audiences. Oftentimes it’s easier said then done  – maneuvering through the waters of online social networking and specialty groups can be daunting with mixed results. Even if you find that niche, the payoff of all your hard work may only be evident over time – and usually time is a film’s worse enemy. No one wants their film to die somewhere on a shelf  but chasing a fleeting online audience takes time.

A recent New York Times article about indie film marketing focuses on this very issue – offering tips on everything from using Facebook and Twitter to making friends with the hotel concierge who could maybe say the right thing to the right person during a film festival.

“Anvil! The Story of Anvil” director Steve Ludlow took out a second mortgage on his house to pay for the documentary. But his online marketing techniques landed endorsement from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, a VH1 deal and over 150 screenings nationwide.

It seems that the key to great film marketing is to identify your audience, use creative ways to find them online, be willing to explore unfamiliar groups or companies and take a chance with people you may never meet in person. On top of it all, filmmakers need a large dose of confidence to pull it all off.

It makes me admire people like Ryan Gielen, director of The Graduates. He spent his own money traveling across America promoting his film on college campuses with special screenings and promotions. That word-of-mouth paid off and his film has done well on IndieFlix, iTunes and Amazon VOD.

There are no road maps to follow in this new marketing world, no step-by-step instructions on how to make your indie film a success. But as ambiguous and daunting as it all can seem, the only fool-proof advice is to market the hell out of your movie and work on it for as long and as hard as you possibly can.

The more effort you make, the more people know about your film, which is sometimes all you can ask for.

As marketing director at IndieFlix, I go through these motions daily – cold-calling special interest groups and browsing relevant websites to connect with people who will genuinely enjoy the film I’m promoting.

While it requires a lot of work and patience, it does pay off and for every 10 e-mails I send, that one I get back might be exactly what the film needs to survive.

What filmmakers can do to help me market their films is stay in contact – to research different ideas on their own and help me brainstorm ways to connect with their audiences. That way, I can work on their behalf with a clear idea of what they want and where they see their film going.

For me, the New York Times article legitimizes the work we’re doing at IndieFlix and that grassroots advertising can be effective if it’s done well, as long as you keep trying and experimenting.

It’s challenging but not impossible.