How to Build a Buzz Machine for Filmmakers -

Going through the computer and found this old article I wrote on marketing for filmmakers.

You can either download it as a PDF, or read it here -

Enjoy -

A Book Review of ‘Creating Customer Evangelists’

Independent filmmakers are entrepreneurs that most do everything they can do to get their work in front of a paying audience. Whether you like it or not, you are a brand and your film is a product. The more you can think like a business, while retaining your artistic vision, the closer you’ll be to being a self-reliant filmmaker. My aim for writing this summary is to help you cross the chasm you may feel as an artist trying to read up on the latest marketing literature. These books weren’t intended for your type of products or your industry. But many of their lessons still apply. You can either buy your marketing, your ‘buzz machine’, through PR and fancy ads, or you can build it, one customer at a time.  Its been proven in recent years that word-of-mouth is the great equalizer that can compensate for low-budget marketing and distribution. In my opinion one of the best books written on understanding, initiating and nurturing word-of-mouth is Creating Customer Evangelists by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. My aim is that by the end of this article you will learn the basics of how to generate and sustain word-of-mouth. I will also leave you with some ideas on how to build a ‘buzz machine’ made up of your own paying audience who are eager to spread the word out about your work.

The pillars of McConnell and Huba’s ‘business theology’ is presented in a case-study approach that deciphers why and how eight companies, like the Dallas Mavericks and Krispy Kreme, are thriving so well. The authors found that the common denominator in these companies’ success stories is their customers. These customers are not only loyal, they are fans, they are evangelists who:

• recommend the brand to their friends and even strangers
• believe in the brand
• are eager to give back constructive feedback
• have made a strong emotional connection to the company and its products

The authors have coined six pillars that are common in any company that sparks such fervor. These companies:

1. Continuously gather customer feedback – ‘Customer plus-delta’
2. Make it a point to share knowledge freely – ‘Napsterize knowledge’
3. Expertly build word-of-mouth networks – ‘Build the buzz’
4. Encourage communities of customers to meet and share – ‘Create community’
5. Devise specialized, smaller offerings to get customers to bite – ‘Make bite-size chunks’
6. Focus on making the world, or your industry, better – ‘Create a cause’

You can nurture these traits from the very start of your film’s preproduction. The prerequisite is that they be done honestly and consistently otherwise you will simply sabotage yourself and your brand. For the filmmaker, I’d like to translate these pillars into potential actions and tools that they can use throughout film production well into the next project. These are only suggestions, I’m sure you can come up with more effective ideas:

PILLAR	DEFINTION	IDEAS
‘Customer plus-delta’	Continuously gather customer feedback	Make it easy for people to contact you. Don’t be afraid of honest feedback, encourage people who have seen or purchased your film to leave an online review. Blogs are great at tracking comments and if you’re open enough you’re bound to get back some useful feedback
‘Napsterize knowledge’	Make it a point to share knowledge freely	Give your audience a behind-the-scenes tour of your film while in production. Teach them tricks of the trade (e.g. basics of editing, etc.) for free.
‘Build the buzz’	Expertly build word-of-mouth networks	Determine for yourself through trial and error the best way to build the buzz about your work. Is it through social networking sites like MySpace or YouTube? Or is it through casting call events that are so unique they get reviewed by the local paper? Give fans who register for your blog or subscribe to your podcast special benefits (e.g. discounted DVDs, invitation to chat-room events).
‘Create community’	Encourage communities of customers to meet and share.	The easy thing to do is setup a forum where fans can discuss your film and related topics. When you do have a following, why not let the audience have a stake in your next project by allowing them to vote on certain production issues (e.g. title of film, DVD menu layout, etc.)
‘Make bite-size chunks’	Devise specialized, smaller offerings to get customers to bite	Don’t wait until your film’s completion to show your audience bits and pieces of what you’re working on. Allow them a free pass into all phases of production, with pictures, sounds, and video. Give away scenes of your film to YouTube, MySpace, Goggle Video, etc. Give the audience different ways of viewing your content (e.g. streaming, iPod Video, etc.)
‘Create a cause’	Focus on making the world or your industry, better	What is your goal as a filmmaker? To make funnier films? Shed light on a problem in society? Make sure everyone knows what you’re about. A portion of DVD royalties could go to a charity You could invite your audience to a special eBay listing where you auction off film props for a charity. Why not teach a free filmmaking workshop while spreading the word about your film?

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Resources

• Creating Customer Evangelists:
  • Book and a discussion guide are available on Amazon.com
  • Audio download of book available on iTunes
  • Podcasts are available on iTunes under ‘Church of the Customer’
  • Church of the Customer Blog

• Further Reading:
  • The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
  • Purple Cow by Seth Godin