In filmmaking marketing, Instagram is one of the most important social media platforms. It allows filmmakers to reach millions of people with just one click – but how do you make sure that your film gets noticed? Well, here are 10 tips on how to use Instagram for filmmakers!
Follow other accounts in your niche, or related to the topic of your film.
This will help you to find potential customers and fans. Is your film an indie horror? Why not try following accounts that post horror films. For example you can use hashtags like #horrorr or #indiehorrofilm to make it easier for people who are interested in the same genre of filmmaking as you
Comment and like photos from other users who have followed you back .
This is a very powerful way of “paying it forward”. Just be sure to comment on photos that are relevant and posts which resonate with you. You don’t want to spam someone’s feed, just like every single post they put up!
Like other people’s images in your niche or related topics – do not copy paste captions!
Include your film title as a hashtag in all of your posts to form a branded film hashtag
Stay on top of your hashtag game!
Hashtag tags are popular online and in social media. They are a great way to keep track of all the content you post, as well as find new people who might enjoy what you have to offer or want to promote their own work with similar interests.
Instagram has millions of users, so by tagging posts that relate your film, it can help gain more exposure for your filmmaking skills.
Always include #yourfilmtitle in every post in order to build hype. Whenever someone looks up that hashtag, all of your posts will appear – this is great for brand awareness!
Some examples of other hashtags one could use include #horrorr or #indiehorrofilm if they make films specifically about horror movies. Someone else may prefer something like #filmmakingtips if they cover filmmaking tips and tricks on Instagram. The main thing is being creative when coming up with your hashtags. It is a good idea to mix up at least five different hashtags in each post so that people have some variety when viewing your content. For example: #filmtitle, #filmmaking #behindthescenes #actorlife #filmgenre
Connect with other filmmakers on Instagram by following their accounts and commenting on their photos.
Connecting with other filmmakers is important for building your network in person and online. Send them private messages if they don’t respond – most of the time it’s just because they’re busy working away at the editing suite!
You can also use a platform like Instafollow to help you find and follow back other filmmakers.
Create a plan for posting
Decide what type of content to post (videos vs pictures) when you want to post it, how many times per day you want to post it, etc.
Following a proper plan will help you stay on top of your online marketing.
Know your audience and what type of content they like to see
This can be as simple as scrolling through other Instagram accounts related to filmmaking, or following hashtags that are popular in the filmmaking industry.
Post your film’s trailer on Instagram as well! You could even post the full-length version of your movie if it is just too long for a quick, short video clip. Your followers will appreciate being able to watch something
Include photos from filming, behind-the-scenes shots, and stills from the trailer
Be creative with the type of content you post on your Instagram account. If you’re constantly selling your film, your audience may lose interest. Instead, try posting a couple of photos about filmmaking, or a behind-the-scenes shot for your next Instagram account.
It’s okay to post promotional content on your Instagram profile too! But be sure that you don’t overdo it and annoy people with constant self-promotional posts. Instead, try posting one or two promotions per month – just enough to keep followers interested in the latest updates from you but not so much as they feel like they’re being spammed by advertisements. Offer discounts occasionally; give away free tickets/downloads every now and then to encourage followers who are interested but can’t afford them at the moment.
Engage your followers
Engage with followers by liking their posts, commenting on them, or even sending them a direct message asking what they thought about your film. Share their posts if you enjoyed them.
Eventually, your followers will reciprocate and interact with yours in a cycle of mutual liking and commenting that can give your feed some life outside of the promotional content.
Follow influencers and film distributors
Find and follow other filmmaking accounts on Instagram, as well as the account of your film distributor. When you post a new photo or video clip from your project, tag them so they can like and comment for promotion purposes.
Look at what’s trending in filmmaking
Be aware of what is going viral within the filmmaking community to see if there are any trends that could be applied to promote your work. For example, one popular hashtag/meme right now seems to be #FilmmakerProblems which allows people who face similar challenges (such as not having enough budget for a dream shot) feel less alone while also providing an easy way for others to reach out with support; it might make sense to use this hashtag when promoting your narrative films.
Keep your content fresh
One final tip is to keep your content fresh. It might be tempting to throw in a bunch of pictures from the same event or shoot, but it’s important that you’re also sharing photos with people who haven’t seen them before and are likely more engaged because they don’t know what will come next. Experiment with different themes for each post—perhaps one day you’ll share filmmaking-related quotes about filmmaking, another time could be highlighting talented crew members on your team, then maybe doing a photo essay series on the making of an individual scene. The possibilities are endless! Finally: outside promotion is key to success as well; make sure you have social media handles displayed at any screenings where possible so viewers can follow along on their own devices
We love a good social media makeover! This Healthcare Centre had been posting on Facebook and Instagram on their own for a few months, but their existing content wasn’t particularly branded or consistently posted. Enter The Social Media Artist team! Our goal was to understand their audience of vulnerable patients and create content that was inspirational, informative and community building. First, we did a social media audit analyzing what existing content resonated with their existing followers. Through the website and social media analytics, we were able to understand audience trends which helped us create a robust social media strategy.
Too long to read? Watch the video summary.
We designed a new Instagram layout for them, positioning posts with inspiring quotes, upcoming events, and staff profiles into a beautiful pattern of brand colours, matching graphics, and a consistent clean aesthetic. We received glowing feedback from staff, and after a few months, their followers would also comment on posts to say how much they loved the graphics and inspiring content! On Facebook, we shared similar content, but added in links to relevant articles, events, and news reports. We started to see more engagements, comments, and shares as the client’s followers began to trust them as a reputable source for content that they could share with their own friends and family.
This company was particularly concerned about their rating on Google reviews. As a Healthcare Centre that often received very emotionally charged patient interactions, they were worried that their Google reviews did not reflect their company accurately. Patients that had a negative experience were more likely to write a review because they were looking for a space to complain, and they drowned out the patients who had posted positive reviews.
Here’s how our team took on the challenge:
Problem:
A healthcare centre was looking to build followers and engage their clients through social media in order to foster an online community and improve Google reviews.
Solution:
Our team created a consistent Instagram grid aesthetic that boosted the professional image of the company.
We shared posts from the surrounding health care community on both Facebook and Instagram to create relationships and build followers.
We reached out to past clients for their personal success stories and testimonials, and we shared this content as graphics and longer videos to tell their story journey.
These past clients were also encouraged to share their positive experience on Google reviews.
Results:
Organically building a community of supportive followers around this healthcare centre inspired genuine supportive comments and reviews, and we observed a continued increase in followers each month on their social media platforms.
Creating the personal patient journey videos generated excitement among the healthcare centre’s followers to contribute and receive them as a keepsake of their journey. They would comment on each other’s videos and share them with their family and friends by reposting the video on their own social media platforms. These videos helped past and present patients feel seen and recognized during their own healthcare journeys.
After 2 years of consistent posting, their followers increased by 64% on Facebook, and their Instagram following quadrupled in size, growing from an almost brand new account to over 1000 followers who engage at an average rate of 8% per post.
The Healthcare Centre received more positive reviews and their Google rating improved by one full star.
The Social Media Artist Team has been working closely with this client for over 2 years and is consistently pouring in ideas for posts, writing passionate captions and creating new designs and videos that visually represent the Healthcare Centre’s unique brand story. Building engagements through sharing patient journey videos and testimonials have not only improved their Google rating, but have uniquely brought their followers together in a community of past, present, and future patients of the Healthcare Centre. Their social media platforms have become a place for staff and patients to connect and support each other on their unique journeys.
How do I keep marketing my work as an artist when my job is on hold?
By Meredith Wolting: Meredith is a graphic designer and content creator at The Social Media Artist. She is a freelance artist who works throughout Toronto, designing sets, props, and costumes for theatre and film. See her work at www.meredithwolting.com
If you’ve lost work during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be unsure of what your future as an artist is going to look like. Sure, you’ve been working on some stuff just for fun, but what about making an income? How do you keep advertising your services when you aren’t working in your regular way? We’ve put together a list of ways for you to keep your social media presence fresh to help you generate business.
1. Play with Social Platforms
There are so many different options to keep your audience engaged through regular posts, ephemeral content (stories) and videos. Create a Poll for your audience to vote on. Would your followers rather see a daytime or night time look makeup tutorial? Start a Tik Tok account to make videos with other dancers or singers. Do a trivia game about your performance experience by using the Quiz button on Instagram Stories. Give your followers a studio tour through a series of images or a short video. Do a “Day in the Life” Instagram Story series about how you stay creative in quarantine.
2. Go LIVE
Hype it up. Announce your Facebook or Instagram Live a few days in advance and tell your audience to comment their questions or suggestions of what they’d like to see. If you’re doing a virtual concert, ask them what songs they’d like to hear you perform. For a live drawing session, ask them to vote on a character for you to create fan art of.
3. Collaborate
Which artists inspire you? Team up with another artist and enhance both of your work with a collaboration. Recently, I had a writer connect with me asking for graphics to go with her recorded poetry slam. I made some simple animations out of the words and we ended up creating a lyric video. Collaborate with someone who has different skills than you do, so you’ll both have something fresh to share and can advertise for each other.
4. Mix it up
Combine your different skills. Are you a painter who likes to write? Do a simple painting and hand letter some inspiring words on top of it. Have you been doing some epic #QuarantineCooking? Make a special dish and see how your plate presentation skills can enhance the flavours visually. Transport your audience to another land through photography paired with a soundscape you’ve created. This is a great way to stand out from your competitors and reach a wider audience by appealing to fans of art forms.
5. Contests
Have you ever done a giveaway? It’s a great way to get your followers excited about your work with an incentive! Encourage your audience to share your work and tag their friends for an entry into a contest to win something created by you. Maybe you’ll write a silly song for the winner, draw a caricature of them, or send them a gift certificate to use for your services when it’s safe to book in person sessions again.
6. Show Previous Work.
Bring back #ThrowbackThursday and show off something you’re really proud of from the beginning of your career. Start an #artpostponed series where you share something about a project you started before COVID-19 shut things down. What was it becoming? I’ve noticed that my own audience loves to see process photos, because it makes them feel like they’re going on the creative journey with me and it encourages them to come back later to see the finished piece.
7. Shout Out Another Creative.
We’ve all been affected by COVID-19 one way or another. Give a fellow artist a social media shout out! Tag them and share your favourite piece of theirs, and tell your audience why you appreciate this artist so much. Maybe they’ll do the same for you!
8. Offer Virtual Classes.
You’ve got skills, and people would love to learn from you. Figure out how virtual classes could work for you and start advertising your services!
Some artform specific ideas to get you started:
Actors: start a podcast in which you read a chapter of a novel for each episode, do a live script reading with other actors, record a monologue, or record a video call with a scene partner
Musicians: livestream a concert from your living room, record songs with other artists, or record a song on your own by layering harmonies and instruments over yourself.
Visual artists: host a virtual art show or drawing class, announce a sale or a special offer for your work, or create a new graphic advertising your services.
Dancers: host a live dance class, get creative on Tik Tok, or start a series of technique tutorial videos showing how to do specific moves.
Filmmakers: write a screenplay that actors can self-tape their scenes for and then piece it all together, write a monologue and have an actor record it to share on their platforms, or shoot a short film on your own.
Photographers: advertise virtual photoshoots! You can take photos via video chat by instructing your client where to place lights and how to pose.
Writers: share excerpts of previously published work, share a teaser of something coming or something they can buy, or do a live reading of something you’re particularly proud of.
The world may be on pause, but art never stops. The best way to keep marketing yourself during these uncertain times is to keep sharing your work! Your social media audience and potential clients won’t forget you if they see that you are still committed to your craft, even in the darkest of times. Thank you for being an inspiring light of creativity!
Largely touted as the social media tool of choice for Gen-Zs, Tik Tok is an app that has widely gained traction in wake of the pandemic. Founded in 2018, it follows the merger of two social apps, Douyin and Muiscal.ly. Douyin was developed in 2016 within an incredibly short timeframe of 200 days with more than 1 billion videos being viewed per day. At the same time, Muscial.ly also continued to grow, most of its development coming from licensing deals with major music companies such as Warner Music Group. This paved the way for its users to upload short clips featuring copyright material without any legal concerns. Both platforms were providing user-generated content albeit with different aspects incorporated almost in parallel. Therefore, it came as a no brainer when both entities decided to merge in 2018. Both companies combined their userbases of largely teens and tweens, all of whom had the opportunity to utilize this platform to create videos featuring copyright content.
No stranger to growing pains, the relatively new app featured major controversies along its road to success. Back in 2019, Tik Tok was accused of censoring pro-Hong Kong protest videos, and banning LGBTQ content. It was even investigated by the Foreign Investment Committee in the U.S., which investigated whether the app posed a threat to its citizens.
Despite being faced with harsh skepticism in the last couple of years, the app has managed to continue growing, with popular accounts from likes of many celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Marshmellow, and Jason Derulo. Whether it be rehearsing a new dance challenge or creating lip-sync videos, it’s become a notable recognized pass time and continues to grow in its user base. This is especially true during the time of lockdown. It has grown in record numbers, surpassing 200 million downloads for its first quarter of 2020. Given the reliance on mobile devices during these challenging times, it comes as no surprise that content creation would also fall into the mix. It has largely expanded its userbase to include Millennials, Gen X and even Boomers, who are at the forefront of all the social media action. This is slated to continue far into 2020, perhaps capturing a market share it would have otherwise been missed out on.
There are a few key differentiators that make this social media platform stand out from the rest. Firstly, the editing process is crystal clear. Unlike other software or even social platforms whereby, video editing isn’t the most affordable or the learning curve is steep. Tik Tok completely removed these barriers, allowing users to edit videos with ease. Secondly, the largest differentiator is the closely monitored algorithm that allows it to produce a dashboard that features the latest content that has been uploaded to the platform irrespective of who the user follows. This means that a user does not have to have hundreds or even thousands of follows to go viral. This key differentiator is what provides this app an edge
The largest differentiator is the closely monitored algorithm that allows it to produce a dashboard that features the latest content that has been uploaded to the platform irrespective of who the user follows.
Despite the challenging environment, Tik Tok has seen incredible gains in the past few months. Its social media footprint continues to grow, and potentially morph into a social media giant – something very few in the industry may have predicted. Will Tik Tok continue to reach audiences beyond Gen Z after the pandemic is over? How will advertisers fit into the picture and will allowing sponsored content change the nature of the platform? Only time will tell, for now, we see huge potential.
Guest blog by Gia Gill. Gia is an experienced marketing communications professional based in Toronto.
2019 is upon us and so much changed in the last year that it’s hard to keep track of all the technological advances… new apps, new phones, new services, new ways of creating content… and new ways to promote yourself on social media. In fact, there’s so many that even social media specialists can sometimes have a hard time keeping up!
So how can artists and creative businesses use the newest tools and trends to make their social media really POP in 2019? Let’s find out!
1 – Narrow your focus.
With so many different platforms available and so much strategy necessary for each one, unless you have a small team it can be a full-time job just trying to keep your social media updated. Your best bet is to figure out what the best platform(s) is for you and your brand.
Choose a select few channels and focus on them – don’t try to spread yourself too thin over too many channels. Focus on developing those few specific channels over the next year and tracking the analytics to see what is working and which platform is really giving you great engagement from your audience.
Bots and automatic messaging are becoming more and more useful. The best part of a chatbot is that it can give the same information over and over to individual customers without you having to repeat the same conversation over and over again. With everything being automated it saves time, whilst still engaging and building a relationship with your customer.
Here’s a great example of a chatbot from online clothing brand, Kindred Bravely:
It can also be much quicker than your customer trying to find the FAQs page on your website, and of course negates the need for having to keep up with replying to all the messages being sent to your FB page (or website), without losing your high response rate. See more about what chatbots can do here.
3 – Organisation.
If you haven’t already, create a content calendar – or refresh the one you already have.
Pay attention to key dates in the new year (for example, if you’re an actor, September 8th is National Actors Day), and plan your social media accordingly. You can also use plugins and apps to automate things like publishing your blog posts on your website, managing multiple social media feeds, and creating simple but effective content.
4 – Consistency.
Make sure that the social media channels you are using are all consistent, paying attention to: consistent handles (names you’re using), brand colours being the same throughout (if you don’t have brand colours, create some!), ensuring all platforms link to each other (with all of them indicated on your website too), and of course, making sure your ‘story’, or what makes you unique, is exactly the same throughout. Lack of consistency will make you look amateur and can lead to losing interest from your audience.
5 – Commit to engaging with others.
It’s advised time and time again that engaging with others does wonders for building an audience, but still sometimes with all the other tasks and things we have to do, engaging with others can be pushed to the side. Whether it be commenting on other accounts on Instagram (particularly those in your niche), answering Facebook comments, or making sure every comment on your blog posts gets a swift reply, engaging with others should be seen as something that is absolutely crucial to success.
If you are already engaging with your audience and instead want to focus on networking and making connections, writing articles or having ‘your say’ on specifics of your industry can help (LinkedIn can really help here).
Even as a creative type, offering your opinion or knowledge of your niche can really portray a sense of authenticity and being a ‘master’ in your field, which can only improve your professional image. Try sprucing up your LinkedIn profile and start posting articles there about the industry you work in, and/or your take on current events in your niche.
6 – Videos!
If you haven’t already, start investing in video content. It has been said that video will account for 85% of social media content output in 2019… so do not underestimate using this type of content! People are getting busier and busier, with less time to invest… so give them content that’s quick to ingest! Not only that but live-streaming, VR & AR are set to explode too so keep an eye out for how you might be able to use these types of content too.
If you’re not familiar with creating videos, try a simple online tool like Animoto (click here to visit and get a free one-month trial). It’s a super simple way to make videos that look really professional!
7 – Instagram ‘stories’: time to invest!
Time to really focus on your Instagram stories! This tool blew up in 2018 and 2019 is looking to be only more prolific! If you’re not already making the most of the stories feature then try to focus more on it to build your audience on Instagram.
Stories is a great way to truly express your personal or brand personality, and is perfect for mixing video, gifs, emojis and more to create media that your audience will really love to follow – Stories makes your audience feel like they’re really there with you!
So, which one of these do you think will be the most important for you this year? Or are you already having success with some of these tips?
Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below!
And also… HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Please note, this blog post contains affiliate links.
No matter what type of art you create or are involved in, when it comes to building an audience that really appreciates your work, having a presence online will no doubt help you reach that goal. But with so many different ways to connect with your audience, which is the best? And how can you build an audience that really loves what you do? Here’s where original content comes in.
In this article we are going to explain exactly what original content is, what it means for you, and how you can start to create content that works for both you and your audience. Let’s go!
“Any piece of content created by your brand used to instruct, educate, entertain or empower”.
That means basically anything that you create from scratch, whether it be a blog post, an infographic, a photo, or a video; all of these are original content.
Why do I need to create “original content” when I’m an actor/ singer/ artist/ other?”
When it comes to your online presence, there are so many reasons why it’s important to always be creating and sharing fresh, new content with your audience (and a variety of types, if you can!). Let’s outline the main reasons:
1 – Helps you stand out in a crowded online space
Even though there may be thousands of people all working in the same niche; it’s your individual story and experience that can really create and provide value to your audience. A good way to stand out is to truly show your personality and what you have to bring to the table.
Even in an industry where there are “industry standards” for work or for content creation, adding your personal flavour to the conversation can really make you stand out.
2 – Become a subject matter expert
When you give your audience more information about your topic you are establishing yourself as someone who really knows what they’re talking about. Your confidence in your knowledge shines through, which in turn makes people trust you. When people trust your opinion and advice (and it works for them) they will come back time and time again to seek out more information. For a lot of people starting out in your industry or niche, they want and need all the help they can get. That’s where you can provide real value to them, in turn building an engaged audience!
3 – Build your community
Original content that your audience enjoys and can utilise helps forge relationships – they trust you and they want to know more about what you have to offer. Similarly, even if your content is something that entertains or inspires your audience, it’s still eliciting a response from your audience, and that’s what helps build your audience. Similar to how your art can make the audience feel or think in a different way, your posts should do the same.
The more your audience love your content the more comments, likes, shares and mentions you’ll get. Not only that but people will trust you and feel like they know you, which in turn will make them comfortable approaching you and initiating conversation via social media. Interacting with your audience will make potential fans think you really care about the people you’re interacting with, which in turn will make them want to join the club. The more engaged your audience is, the more you’ll attract more!
4 – Add value to your audience
When creating original content, whether you entertain, inform or educate, you’re offering your audience something of value. It could be knowledge that helps them in their industry, information that helps them progress in their niche, or just something to entertain them when they have some free time. Whatever role your content has for your audience, it’s important to maximise it so they keep coming back.
5 – Builds rapport with your audience which potentially leads to sales
Although we’ve already covered building a community (see #3), it’s important to note that building an engaged community can also lead to potential sales. If you’re a creator who is selling your products or work online, a thriving community will be more likely to buy.
It can be particularly hard for independent artists to make sales online, but if you have a community that like and trust you, they will want to support you, and in turn feel much better about parting with their money for you.
So how do I choose what type of content to create?!
The easiest thing to do is to look at what others in your niche are creating and pay attention to the pieces that have had a lot of likes, comments and shares. If it works for your competitors, it’s probably going to work for you.
However, this isn’t a fail-safe method. Others in your niche may have more fans, or may be more established, and therefore it’s hard to tell whether their audience are really enjoying the content, or whether they’re more inclined to like it because they already support the person.
Ask yourself the following four questions to help figure out the best way to create original content that works for your target audience:
1 – How does your target audience normally (and prefer) to consume content?
How does your audience consume content? Do they prefer video content? Are they avid readers? Do they need direct and informative infographics? Pay attention to what has worked for you before – and what works for others in your niche. This will give you hints as to what type of content your audience actually enjoys. And therefore you can modify your social media offering to incorporate that!
For example, if you are a comedian that makes jokes about the lives of Millennials, you may find more luck sharing short videos, sketches and jokes on a platform such as Snapchat. After all, it has been proven that some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day (Pew Research Center, 2018). Therefore, clearly your target audience prefers to consume content on Snapchat, so start to invest time and effort on that platform!
2 – How often and when do you want to post?
There is no specific formula to how much you should be posting, or when, although studies have shown that there seems to be some trends. Check out the graphic below to help you figure out the best time to post:
3 – What feels natural to you?
Above all, an important thing to keep in mind is what feels natural to you. What type of offering actually suits your personality? If you’re quite a shy person videos are probably not going to present the best version of yourself. If you prefer to write your ideas down than to share them vocally, writing could be the best option for you.
The great thing is that there is something to suit every personality type, and whatever your strengths are, you can find a media format that really can connect with your audience whilst also encouraging you to offer the absolute best of your personality, and in turn, help to cultivate your relationship with your audience.
4 – What are your audience actually going to be interested in?
There’s no use sharing original content if nobody who sees it is going to be interested in it; it’s a waste of time and effort.
Try to think about what your audience would really love to see; for example, if you’re an artist, perhaps you love seeing behind-the-scenes of how particular artists work, the paint brands they use, how long it takes to make their pieces…. and so on. Why not create the same thing for your audience?
Ask yourself: what kind of value can you create for your audience that will keep them coming back again and again?
Examples of original content
Blog post
Video
Podcast
Infographic
Newsletter
Social Media Post
Webinar
Gifs
Films
Memes
Live video or chats
Ebooks
Online events
Some examples of original content for creatives
ACTORS: A video explaining how you grew a passion for acting, a blog post with your top tips for successful auditions, a photo diary of tips for taking headshots. Here are some more content ideas for actors, including a 30 day calendar!
SINGERS: A fun video where you do impressions of famous singers, a Spotify playlist of famous artists in your genre that your fans may like, an Instagram story of a day in the studio recording
MUSICIANS: A video of a band practice, a curated Spotify playlist of your musical inspirations, a blog post about your songwriting process
ARTISTS: A blog post about what inspires your work, a video behind-the-scenes in your workspace, a product review of paintbrushes you use or have used
WRITERS: A blog post on how your career as a writer started, a video interview of yourself so your readers can get to know you better, host a writing competition on one of your social media platforms, a webinar about how to find ideas for writing fiction
PHOTOGRAPHERS: A behind-the-scenes video of a photoshoot, a blog post about how you edit your photos, a webinar on photography basics for beginners
Now you’ve asked yourself some key questions, take some time to analyse what sort of value you want to offer your followers and what you think they may like to hear about. Research other people in your niche and see what’s working for them. Also take some time to self-reflect; ask yourself what’s going to work best for your personality and what you feel comfortable with. Once you know the answers to these questions you’ll better know how to provide quality content that your audience will love!
