Movie marketing is not something most filmmakers get excited about. While they are putting together the general idea for a film they want to make, they don't usually want to even think about the business side. So it's natural for advice to begin marketing before the story is even written to rub you the wrong way. It's not just a veiled attempt to turn you into a sellout, it's a natural way for your film to organically market itself.

Compelling Story, Well Told

You may not have decided that your movie should include a story or you may think you have a story but in fact you have a bunch of unrelated situations. A story that is engaging and surprising will make your film that much easier to interest people in. Not only will it please the people that you tell about it, it will give them a good reason to tell friends about it. Once friends see the movie the cycle continues and more people are exposed to the movie.

Ways For Fans To Interact

There are lots of tasks that need to be filled when making and marketing an independent movie. From cast and crew to shoot the movie to someone to moderate comments on your blog, you will need lots of help. A movie that people like will compel them to want to help out and it's incumbent upon you to create ways for them to get involved. In the name of efficiency it's easy to just do everything yourself. Thought it's the faster way, it's not the best way. These people that want to help you will also tell their friends about this movie they are helping out on, so give them opportunities to help. Their friends then may also want to participate or they may just become fans. The cycle will continue with them.

Helpers With Interesting Stories

For the sake of ease, many filmmakers make decisions that make marketing a film harder. We just want to find the first competent person to help, we just want to find the person that is easiest to work with and has the look we need. So we give too much attention to making our lives easier when we should be filling our lives with interesting people. No media people want to write about the movie shoot that went off without a hitch, nor do they want to do stories about crew members that are boring but do competent work. They want to write stories about people with their own real-life stories to tell. Find that balance between competence and life experience and help the people you already have on board to most effectively communicate their stories to the media. Needless to say, when the media does stories on your crew it will generate interest in the movie which can kick start more word of mouth.

Extra Stuff To Giveaway

Your new movie is an unknown quantity, but you want people to pay money to see it. This is a tough selling situation. This is normally the reason producers insist on base elements that get people motivated to see the movie: stars, nudity, violence. You are more artful than that and your story may still be compelling without those exploitation elements. You need to give these people samples of your work to interest them in paying to see the movie. You could do a trailer but that will spoil all the good parts and only works for movies with easy to communicate values (explosions, special effects, gore). Your movie is nuanced and a great experience only if you come to it totally ignorant of the plot. Take some of the things you cut from the movie and expand them into an entertaining little piece that will give the feeling of the movie world without giving away the story. If you don't have anything you cut, then create extra stuff that doesn't belong in the film but on its own is compelling. Give this away and more; as much as it takes to convince them.

These are the basics of effective low budget guerrilla film marketing plans. You only have good will, time, and your own labor. With any luck you can put those together in a combination that will get other people a chance to join in, tell friends about it, getting media to document it, and any other fans can be made from giving away free stuff. When you have no money you have to use the resources you have to the fullest.