The Essencials of a Marketing Opportunity

Each time you or someone in your office talks to a client, conducts a scout, responds to a location request, or works with a production, it is a marketing opportunity. One-on-one, personal contacts with decision-makers and ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising are the most basic, inexpensive and effective marketing tools at your command.

If your office has a marketing budget, you may also be involved in other kinds of marketing endeavors, including:

• Print advertising in trade publications
• Public Relations: placement of stories in newspapers, magazines and on websites
• Marketing through diverse social media networks (Facebook/Twitter)
• Participation in trade events
• Creation and distribution of promotional items
• Sales visits to key industry decision makers
• Brochures, promotional DVD’s, direct mail, e-newsletters
• Creation and distribution of a production services directory
• Effective use of your commission’s website and Facebook page
• Your Film Commission in IMDb Pro (Internet Movie Database) Directory
• Develop a database for contact lists with email addresses
• Mobile App for your film commission resources, locations, etc.
• QR codes
• Podcasts

Traditionally, the film industry is thought of as relatively small and operating very much on a ‘word-of-mouth’ principle. That means that any time anyone in your office talks to someone, he or she is marketing to that individual. This applies to the newest assistant or intern in the same way it does to the head of the office. In other words, everyone in your office is involved in marketing and must have a basic understanding of effective marketing techniques and strategies. In order for your office to effectively market your jurisdiction on a daily basis, it is crucial that everyone understands what they are marketing and involved in creating and implementing strategies that will make everyone part of the marketing effort. When preparing a marketing plan, a strong analysis of two major attributes: if the project is a large film, independent film, television, commercial, new media, video game or mobile production, and the target range of the project (local, regional, national, international), is important to decide which productions are your primary targets and will yield the best results.

Effective marketing for film commissions, like many other organizations, starts with the creation and implementation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your jurisdiction, analyze your target markets, and create effective strategies given your budget and resources.

It is important that everyone working in a film commission have a basic understanding of marketing principles and how to apply these principles on a daily basis. This section of Film Commission Professional will show you the basics of an effective marketing approach that can be the centerpiece of your marketing efforts. You will be asked to analyze your jurisdiction so that you will know what you are marketing, determine what the best market is for your product, develop some basic sales strategies and establish benchmarks for tracking the results of your marketing efforts.

The big difference in recent years on the marketing of your jurisdiction is incentives. Cities, states, provinces and countries worldwide are using film production incentives as a way of creating jobs and revenue. It is important to recognize the marketing value they bring. This course will give a basic overview of some of the more popular models for incentive programs along with a brief explanation of how they work, so you have an understanding of what productions are looking for and how you are being compared to other jurisdictions.