Marketing Your Webseries in Unconventional Ways

Originally posted on http://www.MsInTheBiz.com
Marketing Your Webseries: Be Unconventional!

By Stephanie Pressman on September 9, 2014

“My co-producer of a web series I am a part of asked me a couple of months ago, “How do we get more subscribers and how do we get more views?”. I come from a marketing background but with this show in particular that has some very specific nerdy themes I wanted to try some inexpensive ways of marketing it to our target audience.

First I looked at some of the themes and who they would appeal to, to help us find who our audience would be. Our show has themes that include Star Trek (so, space exploration), Reading Rainbow (so, books, literacy, and children’s books), Nerdy/Quirky Girls (that appeals to nerdy guys & nerdy girls), the production company is all female (so, girl power – we can do it types).

Then I brainstormed…

Conventions (comic book conventions)

Giving out promotional materials

We should only target and distribute flyers and materials to attendees and booths with Star Trek themed Cosplay Costumes and materials (the problem with giving marketing materials out at a convention is that everyone gets a ton of crap they don’t need so you really want to zero in on your audience so you don’t waste time & money on the people who just throw away what you give them).

Signings

At conventions find booths with a similar theme or even just a friend’s booth & collaborate with them and ask if you can do a signing of promotional stills or marketing materials and have your actors or creators sign them – you get new fans that stop to see what’s going on and who you are & the booth gets more people stopping to check out their product.

Panels

To target our female audience we brainstormed a few panel ideas and decided a female creators panel needed to be submitted for many reasons. We wanted to get the name of our series and production company out there but we also wanted to help others like us start creating their own projects. We submitted and got accepted to San Diego Comic Con and asked female creators that we knew and respected to come join us and promote their projects as well as inspire and tell their stories.

T-Shirts

We ordered T-shirts to give away at our panel & sell to raise funds for our second season. We worked together trying to find a design that was cute, wearable, and that others would love. With a simple logo on the front & simple text that marketed our series and production company on the back. I think it’s working well, we have seen a lot of girls on social media wearing our shirts with pride and spreading our name. www.ooshirts.com

Wrap Party / Screening / Premiere Party

So, we took a year to release our entire first season – as we got down to the final episode I suggested we throw a wrap party / screening to not only celebrate our hard work but also to promote the series and possibly raise funds for season 2. We found a venue easily (we shot 2 episodes at the pub we chose to do our party at and they let us film for free, thus they let us use the space for free for our party). We sent out press releases to all our friends, cast, and crew. We made a list of industry contacts we sent the release to them too. We asked our friends and partners to spread the word.

We designed and had a step & repeat (photo opportunity) for the event and wrangled a friend to take pictures. We got our friend’s new app called Weev involved too. All of these small things add to the marketing aspect because everyone that takes a picture in front of our logos gets their picture out into the social media world and spreads the show around to their circles like a happy little virus. Same with Weev. We created a question on Weev that people all over the world can answer and it all ties back into the show. We also made our own photo booth props for people to play with by printing pictures around the theme of our show and attaching foam and a wooden dowel to the back of the picture. These again were popular for social media.

We ordered our “step & repeat” from Event Step & Repeat and they run around $80-$100 (without the stand) it was the only thing we really purchased or spent money on for our event. We borrowed a stand (if you do multiple events you probably can buy 1 stand and just buy the new banner each time). We rented sand bags for $15 from Wooden Nickel Lighting since our step & repeat was outside we deemed it necessary for safety to use weights on the stands. The company is located in Paramount, CA (about 30 min from Los Angeles). We saved money by picking it up and not having it shipped.

Magazines, podcasts & blogs

Contact friends that have publications or send out press releases to media you like and read or listen to. We have done a ton of publicity on radio, in magazines, podcasts, and blogs for the show, the panel, and the party.

Vlogs & Similar Shows

Reach out from your shows channel on YouTube to other channels and shows – don’t spam them or troll them but comment, like, and subscribe. If you get no extra views or subscribers at least you are helping out someone else that is going through the same situation you are.

How have you gotten the most bang for your buck when marketing your series? Was there anything I missed that we should have done differently? I hope this helps you think outside the box for marketing.

Feel free to check out our show at

www.youtube.com/dweebdarlings or www.dweebdarlings.com

We are also looking for female fronted, directed, and or created content. So, if you have ideas send them our way and let’s collaborate!”

Spend Your Money & Time Wisely

I personally am an actor that takes a portfolio into workshops and does maintain a facebook “fan” page. I have always thought that proper marketing and presentation is good for your career and makes you stand out from the pack when your work is of equal quality, is that the wrong point of view? I found this article from Backstage that makes me question all I am being taught.

Why the IMDb STARmeter Rating Isn’t Getting You Auditions

By Secret Agent Man
On Backstage
July 22, 2013

“My experience has been that actors spend way too much time worrying about things that don’t really matter.

For example, why are actors always checking their STARmeter ranking on IMDb? Do you really think that number means anything? It’s just a rating based on Internet searches by the website’s users. In theory, the rankings are supposed to graph your popularity in the entertainment industry—but trust me: No one cares except for narcissistic movie stars and their publicists.

To prove my point, a 35-year-old actor named Shannon Guess recently held the number one position for more than a week. This dubious accomplishment had nothing to do with her acting career; Miss Guess was at the top because she was arrested for allegedly sending envelopes laced with poison to President Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The notes inside read, “You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. Anyone who wants to come to my house will get shot in the face. The right to bear arms is my constitutional right and I will exercise that right till the day I die.”

Wow! That’s the ultimate cover letter, isn’t it? I bet agents all over town were scrambling to get a meeting with this future star.
Sadly, there are companies out there you can pay to help raise your ranking. I know that sounds absurd but these places do exist, so some of you must be handing over your credit card number. I guess the hope is that no one will notice the lack of training and credits on your résumé when you’re that popular on IMDb. And maybe that’s why so many actors mention their ranking when they’re submitting to my agency.
Here’s the bottom line: Even if these companies deliver on their promises, none of you are getting a deal or an audition or representation because of a spike in your STARmeter ranking.

There are no shortcuts in this business.

Here are a few more examples of actors burning way too many calories on activities that don’t really matter.

I have an editor friend who works on a lot of demo reels. He recently told me that an actor wasted 10 minutes in his studio trying to figure out which font to use for his name.

When I attend a workshop, actors often hand me elaborate portfolios stuffed with more information than anyone could possibly want. I always feel bad when I throw them away. What a waste of time and money. If I’m meeting you at a workshop, all I really need is your headshot and résumé. Save the rest for your AFI career retrospective.

I’ve been told that actors spend hours and hours working on their Facebook fan pages, just in case someone like me wants to learn more about them. I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but I’ve never done this, and I doubt I ever will. Why would I? There are only so many hours in the day.
That applies to you too. It’s like Gordon Gekko said, “The most valuable commodity is time.” So use it wisely. Learn some basic marketing skills. Get in great mental and physical shape. Put yourself in social settings that create contacts. Focus on your craft. Become the best actor you can possibly be. Doing this will serve you better than focusing on all that other nonsense that adds up to nothing more than wasted energy.

And that’s it for this week, gang. I have to go submit on some breakdowns. It seems like everyone is looking for a Shannon Guess type”

Marketing Yourself As An Actor

A week or so ago I went to a free seminar on actor marketing given by Dallas Travers. Some of the reasons people love Dallas are because she is charismatic, and enthusiastic, and she seems to really help people and care about actors. These traits which she possesses are hopefully traits I exude as well. I took notes during her free presentation and will share them here, though… I do highly recommend following her on twitter and attending for yourself. At the end of her presentation she offers different types of coaching ranging from $600-$1000 in price for 2 day seminar or an 8 week over the phone seminar. I have friends that have done both and find them worthwhile. I do however, think that it’s a lot of money and there are other ways of receiving information she is giving including buying her book. Anywho, back to what she talked about at her seminar.

Her main point of view was directed at either lazy people who need to feel motivated to do less or people like me that will work on anything, she said …

Work does not beget work
Good work brings good work

Her main point is saying the slogan

Do less more often

Meaning don’t send a mass mailing to 300 people every 3 months
Instead target 10 people and send them your materials every 4 weeks

Marketing is a process

She says it takes us (people) 7-12 times of seeing marketing for it to register
So sending to a targeted group more often will get you better results than mass mailings
and it will save you money

Focus on fewer people, goals, hours

Be consistent

She also says pick 1 very specific goal

1 specific goal in the next 6 months: example, theatrical agent or a guest starring role on tv show
Make list of all your actions you are doing for your career
Eliminate all the things that aren’t helping you reach that goal

Move forward faster

Focus on 1 goal at a time

She says don’t always focus on finding an agent or manager that its easy to find representation when you’re working

In this business being focused & confident is the most attractive thing to employers

Set aside “business hours” 30-90 min 5 days a week working on your acting business structure

She says the 1 thing an actor cannot live without is an imdbpro account

Dallas suggests creating a 1 sheet which is an ad for yourself to send to casting directors, agents, and managers you are marketing to. They should look like a magazine cover, ad, or movie poster should feature a large picture, headshot, or full body shot of yourself and sell you in few eye popping words just like a magazine. She says to pick your favorite magazine or movie poster and model after that. Then send it out to your targeted list every few weeks. She says you can print it in color on plain paper and tri-fold it. Mail it in a business envelope directly to the person you are seeking a response from. Headshots in headshot envelopes get put in a different pile than business mail and the headshot mail generally goes through interns or assistants before being passed on to the person you intended it for. So, mailing in a business envelope generally will get it seen by the correct person.

Dallas suggested some of the following resources for help or graphic design help.
Chellie.com financial stress reduction specialist
Fiverr.com : post jobs you can do for 5 dollars
Elance.com : graphic designer $40-60
Odesk.com : $40-60

Press releases: every time you book a big job write a press release
Send to newspaper, radio, talk shows in your home town, at your college , or in niche markets like Ethnic media

Know your imdb star mater ranking. As you are mentioned in the press your ranking will go up, a higher ranking is key when casting for larger projects. 1 is the best ranking you can have. It’s best to stay under 5000.

If you are sending marketing emails she suggest subject lines like “inquiry” or “quick question”

For business or mass mailings Dallas recommended using programs like
mail chimp .com
Readnotify.com

Marketing over the phone
Know who you are & convey what you want clearly & concisely
Who – am I
What- what I want
How- how can I make that happen
Thank you

She told a story about someone that called production companies and said
“Hey I’m an actor I want to tell good stories, I like your films, what are you working on, how can I work with you. Thank you”
And it worked, the persons goal was to star in a film at sundance and that person did using this method.

She said no one faxes anymore, so maybe you’ll stand out if you fax
Faxed letters to managers, than do a drop off

Think bigger

She told us about an article and study that said 1 in 23 actors can be 200 or less on star meter on imdb

Have a willingness to be open to opportunity

Have a plan… Stay grounded… You will be successful because you are taking action
Always find a coach, mentor, or a role model

So, that’s what I took away from her seminar, I highly suggest you attend when you get a chance but in the meantime try some of these things out & let me know what you think. Have you tried these methods? Have you attended Dallas Travers seminars? Share your thoughts with us below!