Introduction
More and more people from the United States of America want to learn new and unusual hobbies, so the popularity of film art is also growing. Especially in California and Los Angeles, the demand for professionals in this field is growing, and professionals and amateurs tend to reach new heights. The online course on the art of cinema is aimed at young people in the region who are passionate about studying cinema and want to improve their skills by gaining new knowledge. This essay focuses on six marketing strategy areas: pricing, brand promotion, product positioning, environment, communication, and incentives. Investing in each of the parameters is the key to marketing efficiency and the successful promotion of online courses in cinema.
Marketing Strategy
Pricing
No marketing strategy can do without setting pricing rules. To properly evaluate your product, you need to analyze competitors’ performance, so it is worth looking at the price of other online courses. The average cost of online schools in film education is ranked broadly and can range from 10 to 5000 dollars.
For example, the Filmmaking Foundations Course offered by the San Francisco Art Institute is $2,500, and the Screenwriting Online Course by UCLA Extension is $795, which is quite expensive. (Banks, 2019). Our online course strategy states that the price should be affordable for the young people targeted for training, and the starting price will be 130 dollars per person. This figure is below the Los Angeles average and will be available to students wishing to study.
Brand Promotion
In addition to a competitive pricing policy, quality advertising is needed to create an effect of brand recognition. The most effective tool to achieve this goal is a publication on social networks (Canella, 2019). Facebook and Instagram are good platforms for advertising, as they allow you to publish bright images and increase the reach of the audience. As many people use these networks, posts with famous footage from movies will not leave users indifferent. A qualitative addition will be advertising with the participation of celebrities, as it will increase the awareness of the courses and expand the audience.
Product Positioning
Quality courses should position themselves well among competitors, which determines the marketing campaign’s success. In achieving this goal, it may be helpful to understand the trade offer and its uniqueness regarding the product (Thompson, 2018). In the case of our course, this offers flexibility and the benefit of passing the course for students. Compared to competitors, this course is affordable, and the student can pass it at any time convenient.
Environment
Oddly enough, the environment can both negatively and positively affect the promotion of online courses. Technology development and competition are the leading indicators of impact. The rapid development of innovation can affect the success of a product, as the curriculum needs to be constantly updated to be relevant. This attention helps the course meet modern needs and technology development challenges. Competition from other online schools can also be significant, so it is necessary to include, for example, practical exercises to highlight the individuality of learning.
Communication
To improve communication rates, course organizers must ensure effective communication with the audience. To do this, one can create webinars and online and offline events where students will learn more about the school and the specialty they are learning. For example, face-to-face sessions can be held in Los Angeles, featuring professional master classes for students and actual film screenings. Among online activities, one can implement regular sessions and webinars where managers and teachers can answer students’ questions about the field of learning. In this way, a wide range of audiences from different locations will be reached, and everyone will be able to be informed about upcoming events via e-mail.
Incentives
Having a vision is a tempting move to promote a marketing campaign and attract new students. Implementing a referral program is a good idea, as students who invite other listeners can get a discount on their studies. In addition to the pleasant bonuses in the process of training, at the end of the course, each person will be able to receive the appropriate certificate confirming their completion. The student can add this document to their portfolio and use it in a future career. The certificate presentation will be made after the student successfully completes the course and protects the final project before the film school teachers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, marketing is crucial to selling online cinematograph courses. A marketing strategy should include several factors, each requiring careful consideration. First, the system should position itself as accessible to young people in terms of pricing and flexibility, increasing its competitiveness. Raising brand awareness should be produced through popular social networks, establishing communication with potential customers, and following the development of technology.
In addition, keeping close contact with each student and actively encouraging them to achieve their goals in the art of cinema is essential. Implementing each stage of the marketing strategy will allow our online courses to stand out among competitors and win the attention of a broad audience. Constant monitoring of advertising trends contributes to the successful start of the study, which has all the chances of future success.
References
Banks, M. (2019). Film schools as pre-industry: Fostering creative collaboration and equity in media production programs. Media Industries Journal, 6(1). Web.
Canella, G. (2019). Youth Documentary Academy: The social practices of filmmaking and media advocacy. Journal of Alternative & Community Media, 4(2), 31–43. Web.
Thompson, D. (2018). Lights, camera, action research! Engaging filmmaking students in feedback. Compass Journal of Learning and Teaching, 11(1). Web.