My life seems consumed by all things marketing at the moment. I am a man obsessed, as I continually look at new and inventive ways of publicising my new film academy. Google has been my friend by way of researching the best avenues, most of which I have now engaged with.
Google itself is a necessary monster, and I've had to engage with them directly in the US over the past few weeks. I may use modern technology in my film making, but the world of the internet and search engines in particular continues to be a mystery to me, so having access to those who know it inside out has been invaluable.
The Film Academy wasn't appearing at all on Google searches, primarily because it is so new, so there was no choice but to pay for an advert, which as you can imagine, is enormously expensive. Every time someone clicks on my advert listing, I pay Google money. And it's not a set amount. It's basically an auction, so if anyone else is advertising the same thing, and they have a bigger budget, the cost of each click for me goes up. It's all a bit mad, and with Google having very little competition, I end up paying what they deem the right price, and I have virtually no choice if I want to be seen. They also have something called Google My Business, which is free to create. Have you ever noticed when you search for a company and when they come up, a box appears on the right sometimes, with details about that business? That's Google My Business.
Google has generated zero sales for me, but I have to keep doing it or I won't appear on people's searches.
Though I hate so called "social" media, I have had to embrace it, from Facebook to Instagram and Twitter. Luckily I have help from someone who is very much into it.
Then there's print. This is the sort of advertising I'm familiar with, and though it has little value these days, it still has to be done. With A4 posters, A5 fliers and A6 postcards in hand, I have been busy delivering a set of each to all the private schools in Edinburgh, and every public library. Shops in the vicinity of schools are next, which is a much bigger job.
I placed ads in magazines that are aimed specifically at school parents, and which go home with every school kid in the Lothians. This was expensive, and so far there is no evidence that it has returned anything.
It used to be, a long time ago, that newspaper advertising was the first call. Now that is all but dead for promoting this type of thing. However, after careful research, I managed to get an interview with a reporter of a local newspaper, and within the next couple of weeks they will run an editorial, which is far better than any paid-for ad.
I'm lucky to be based in Edinburgh, and this month sees the International Film Festival, which run a youth hub for young people aged 15+. I have taken their publicity material in exchange for the organisers taking mine.
My final piece of the jigsaw has been to slowly create a relationship with a local school. That will culminate in running a couple of media classes for them for free, and in return I'll have the opportunity to promote the academy.
That seems a lot, and in many ways it is. But there can be no let up. Some of it costs next to nothing, apart from time, whereas others are very expensive, and spending money on marketing is no guarantee of success.
There is still one avenue I haven't used yet, that of local radio. I made the necessary inquiries, but at several thousand pounds for a handful of slots over two weeks, it's not something I'll be signing up for anytime soon!
To date the most successful campaign has been, without a doubt, Facebook. But, it has all been focused on particular demographics. Interestingly, when I ran a second campaign, it yielded virtually nothing, telling me that avenue is likely exhausted.
So for now the spend is on hold until mid June, when it all starts again during the last two weeks before the summer holidays.
So I'm having a much needed break, and heading out on my bike for a few days adventure, which I'll tell you all about next week.
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