Marketing & Distributing Your Video

Mark Bosko
October 2007

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The arsenal of tools available to market your video is vast. From custom Web sites and trade magazine advertising to press releases and postering the town, there are multiple ways to bombard potential viewers and customers with your "marketing message." But how do you start this whole process?

This sure sounds like a simple and stupid question, doesn't it? Well, if your response to this simple question goes something like, "My video, Crystal Clear, explores the science of crystals, then showcases the leading crystal researcher, but turns dramatic with a government investigation..." then you better sit down and give it more thought. The project begins as an educational film, turns to a biographical documentary, only to end up sounding like a true crime TV program! Your video or movie project cannot be all things to all people. You must be able to define your video in one concise sentence. Think "sound bite" when answering the following questions about your project:

• Is it a documentary, instructional or informational tape, feature film or short?
• Is it educational, reality-based, children's, anime, science fiction, horror, western, drama, action?
• Does it entertain, enlighten, educate, inform, sadden, madden, scare or elicit pity?
• Does it call to action, prompt a purchase or change the viewer's way of thinking?
• Are the characters fictional or actual beings; historical, present-day or future beings; human, animal or other-worldly creations?
• Does the project deal with a current event, fad or popular culture phenomenon?
• Does it depend on realistic special effects or stunts?
• Is it set in the past, present or future?

Let's consider Crystal Clear again. This time, you may want to say, "Crystal Clear is the intriguing story of Dr. Lars Harman, the world's authority on crystals and his high-profile struggle to use his science in saving eyesight."

The above sentence identifies the major storyline (leading-edge scientific research), describes the settings (present-day worldwide healthcare environment) and even includes an emotional plea (struggling to improve lives).

There's an old saying: "You gotta know 'em to show 'em." This means you have to identify an audience before you can present it with your product. This can be difficult, because you really have three separate audiences:

• Those who will watch the video (consumers via purchase, rental, download or broadcasts)
• Those who will buy or sell the video (retailers, library, catalog and other video buyers, distributors, acquisition agents, sub-distributors)
• Those who will be performing promotion work on the video (publicists, media, festival programmers)

For the clearest picture of who will be attracted to your project, you need to create an "audience profile." This allows you to discover the demographics, or common traits and characteristics of your potential viewers:

• Gender
• Age
• Education
• Income
• Religion
• Race
• Occupation
• Location
• Habits and interests
• Purchase patterns
• Major motivations

You are not trying to stereotype your audience; you are simply trying to get the best "read" on those most likely to view (and buy) your video.

OK. So you know what you have and who wants it. It's time to promote.

There has been no bigger marketing boon to videographers than the Internet. It provides low-cost access to a worldwide audience, and the latest video-based technology makes it easier than ever to promote your project.

First order of business: host a Web site. Include project details, contact information and a trailer. Marketing a visual product like a video makes it vital that audiences can "see" what they're getting. Keep it professional and appealing to its target. For example, for a faith-based documentary, be sure the online content is all-ages-appropriate. A newsletter sign-up section lets you gather names, to whom you can continually market your video via electronic newsletter or individual emails.

With more than 114 million sites on the Net, marketing a video involves more than just hosting a Web site. Online video sharing and publishing services like YouTube, Revver and MetaCafe allow amazing amounts of video-based programming to be unleashed online.

Video producers, hobbyists and many small and large content and film production companies have never before had the means and budget to get their content out to such a large audience. You need only an encoded video clip to participate.

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