Day 11: Business Cards & Webinars
The Business Cards are in! That's one goal for September I can cross off the list. I've got just under 3 weeks to accomplish the writing goals, and I'm starting to wonder if that will be enough time. But let's stick with the positive. The cards look good, though I do wonder if I would have been better off going with a gloss finish to make the artwork pop a little more. Still, I'm happy with the way they came out. I chose to use both sides of the card (why waste marketing space). One side is for the website, and the other is for me. This way I am connected to The Screenwriter's Journey, and the Journey is connected to me while also maintaining separate identities for both.
The website of the card is formatted in a vertical presentation to be reminiscent of a movie poster. The tagline is at the top: One writer's odyssey to sell a screenplay. This is an abbreviated version of the tag from the website. This is followed by the central artwork, which, like a movie poster, gives the central idea of what the website is about. In this case, it's screenwriting represented by the typewriter with a sheet of paper and the words FADE IN:, the traditional start of a screenplay. The typewriter is also used as the Twitter profile photo, the website header photo and the FaceBook coverphoto for unified cross-platform branding. Below the artwork is the call to action: Join the journey. And at the bottom we end with the website name (movie title).
On the reverse side is a photo of myself from the website's contact page, further connecting myself with the brand. Also included are my name and contact information. To emphasize the movie aspect of the brand, as if placing screenwriter on the card wasn't enough, I have ghosted a section of countdown leader behind the photo. It anchors the photo and removes some of the neutral space while still remaining neutral.
Now that I've got this marketing tool, I can attend networking and social events and present myself as a professional who takes his writing and his career seriously. I have a dedicated email address instead of a generic gmail or hotmail address. Having a website without my name attached is also a conversation starter.
"What is TheScreenwritersJourney.com?"
"Glad you asked."
This is a marketing soft sell approach, which can make a potential producer more accessible than an in your face 'Hi, I'm a screenwriter. Wanna read something?' approach.
Speaking of marketing, I received an email from the Writer's Store offering a bundled collection of webinars on breaking into the business utilizing social media platforms. This piqued my interest as that is what I am incorporating in my business plan. The offer has 3 webinars:
1) Sell Your Screenplay in 30 Days Using New Media
2) Breaking in Outside of Hollywood
3) Breaking into the Business: Effective Stratagies for Launching a Screenwriting Career
The offer also includes a pdf version of the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory with its list of agents, studios and production companies seeking new writers and screenplays. I have some issues with this directory. I have used it in the past, but about half of the query letters I sent out came back as the wrong address or the addressee no longer worked there. It seems the directory becomes outdated very quickly, which lowers the value of this package in my estimation, despite its tempting price.
The cost for the whole deal is just $49.99. This saves you $217 over the cost buying each item separately for a savings of 81%. It seems like a ridiculously good buy, but I have issues with many of these webinars. Too often, the facilitators use the webinar to simply market their own book. They tease you with information, but don't provide the answer. 'If you want the full scoop, buy my book.'
What concerns me about these webinars is that they are offered for about $79 regularly, but with this offer they are only about $10 each when you subtract the cost of the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory ($19.99 on sale). How much information are they really going to give you for $10? I've asked about such webinars in some of my online forums, but there hasn't been much feedback as yet. Ordinarily I would pass on such an offer, but this time I think I'm going to check it out. I am on a journey after all, with all the positives and negatives that may include. Once I've completed the webinars, I'll report back to you on what they offer and whether or not they were worth it. That way you can decide if such an offer is a good progression for you own journey or just a bad detour.
