And we have a winner:

THE WINNER: TWO

Now it’s time for the keywords.

With Facebook ads, you can target the search with keywords to try and narrow down your demographic. Before I would plug in a long list of stuff I like and though was relevant to my film, but mostly it was stuff I wish my fans would also like. The end result was a list of TV shows, movies, film makers, etc. that was all over the map, probably sending my ad all across several demographics I had no business advertising in.

Time for a more effective keyword search. I’ve settled on 4 different categories of keywords:

- Comedy
- Inventions
- Infomercials
- Indie Film

I could waste an incredible amount of time making a list of words and phrases for each category, but luckily Google has that covered. Ladies and gentlemen: Google’s Free Keyword Generator

This tool will generate 100 keywords for each category I can slip into the ad. I will run each category separately for 1 week a piece, to see which demographic jumps at the ad the most.

For the time being I will have the ad send them to this video:

But we’ll explore the link possibilities a little later…

Before I dive into the feature, I’m making a short infomercial for the film. I decided to do this for a few reasons.

First, it’s a great warm-up. I haven’t worked on anything in a while, so this will get my creative juices going. I’m building a work pace that I’ll have to sustain for the next several months. I’ve already made a few rookie mistakes and have to go back and re-shoot some stuff. No big deal, because the whole infomercial is kind of from the hip anyway. I’d rather make these types of mistakes now so I’m much sharper when shooting the full length.

This also helps legitimize the film. It won’t be finished for a while. Until then, I don’t want people to assume this is another project that will be scrapped or abandoned. A nice little promo piece, along with a few scenes from the film, will show we mean business.

The infomercial will work as a promo piece while I’m busy shooting or editing. I can let it circulate online and raise awareness for the film. My hope is it draws people to the Facebook page, which is my primary way of staying in touch during the filming process. Hint. Hint. Join.

What do you guys think? I’d love to hear ides for other promotional ideas. My goal is to have a steady stream of content for youduring the making of this film. Do you want to see clips from the film? Behind the scenes stuff? Maybe interviews or a podcast? Have you seen other films do something similar?

-Joe

I’ve spent most of the morning watching infomercials. Generating ideas for the first commercials I’ll be shooting over the next month. Infomercials have a visual language all of their own. It’s interesting to watch something that was created for the sole purpose of selling a product. All artistry that could exist has be extracted, which ironically gives it a uniqueness that could be considered an art form onto itself. Did I mention I’m on my 3rd pot of coffee?

Infomercials are made to present info in a way where there’s no possibility of confusion on what the product is, what it does, and how easy it is to get. Every element (visual or audio) is exaggerated and repeated to infinity to drive every selling point home. Basically, they’re made so if you were either DEAF or BLIND you could still understand completely what’s going on. They sound like radio commercials and look like Bill Hick’s worst nightmare realized.

Here’s a few perfect examples; that are both repulsive and fascinating:
(I didn’t embed the videos because they play automatically and that drives me crazy!)
The Snuggie
Scoop n Grind
Pedi Pistol (note: gross toes!)
Egg Genie