Crowdsourcing for Penny Pinchers and Those On A Budget

Wait a second; where did that guy get his keyboard? 

When did Mac come out with the crowdsourcing key? 

Must be the 2014 model.

Anyway, as a film and television producer I’ve had to find free options to crowdsource my films and polish my professional brand.

There is no “easy button”, unfortunately.

What Is Crowdsourcing?

“Crowdsourcing is, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.”

- Wikipedia

Why Would I Need It?

Crowdsourcing can be very helpful to better fund your project, become a more polished professional while job hunting and help grow your business.

“Ok, that’s all fine and dandy”, you say, “but I don’t have the money to pay for a website, advertisements or fancy marketing tactics.”

In order to better crowdsource your endeavor on a tight budget consider the free options:

1. Social Media
2. Applications
3. Flyers/Info. Cards
4. Word of Mouth

1. Social Media

There are various free social media websites that can help us look appealing, interesting and professional in order to better reach our target audience.

If you are job hunting and have not already joined LinkedIn, you may want to consider it. Not only are you able to connect with past coworkers but connect with individuals within your industry through various discussion groups.

If you are trying to fund a film, look for various forums that relate to your movie. Sign up and post about your film and financing options. (i.e. Indiegogo, Kickstarter* or grant applications).

* On a side note Kickstarter is coming to Canada sometime this summer!

Also, I find About.me is a great social media website. You can add all of the social media you or your company belong to and use it as a website itself. If people are asking you about a website when you don’t have one, this is your 100% free solution. You can also point a purchased.com (or other) domain to your About.me page and save on monthly hosting costs.

Here are some tips when setting up a profile on Social Media Websites.:

• Make sure you have a nice head shot with a clean background. Have a friend take the photo. No need to have your “to do” laundry from last week in the picture.
•  If you are posting about a film or business, create an elegant logo using Photoshop.
• Complete your profile. Make sure you fill out all of the necessary information on your profile.
• Simplify your wording. No need to write an autobiography. 

There are so many options and so much you can do with Social Media, so research and find out what best suits your company, project or you.

2. Applications

If you have an iPhone or iPad you can add a bunch applications. Some of the social media websites you belong to have applications to better connect on the go.

You can also add applications such as: Cinemagram, Vine and Instagram to show off your unique style. Make a 3–15 second video of your picture, on Cinemagram and share it with many users. I sometimes like to show the behind the scenes of a film set I am currently working on. If you show a little bit of the work you enjoy, others who enjoy that work will follow you and vise versa.

3. Flyers/Info Cards

Handing out flyers can be tedious and a little pricey. But, you can cut down on the cost by creating your own. I like to use what I like to call the “magics” of Photoshop to create something that’s simple but catchy.

Printing or emailing your self-made flyers/business cards and sending them out can be a good thing. You will be able to give your contact information, social networks and what you’re currently working on; all on one card and send it to your current contacts or to new people at events. Beware of giving out your contact information; I would just stick to using your email on flyers.

Flyers and Information cards can also be a good icebreaker for the next option on the list.

4. Word Of Mouth

Find events that relate to your work, participate and talk—you know that thing where your lips move and words come out..

Many of us are so used to being behind a cell phone or computer that we don’t realize there’s a whole world out there with actual people in it! If you can get out and say “Hey I’m so and so, this is what I like to do. What do you do?” That goes a long, long way. You can establish connections that lead to new ventures.

I hope this helps!

-Michelle Brennen