Editor's note: The marriage of technology and communication has been a boon to savvy entrepreneurs. But it's also a huge challenge for those who aren't sure how to navigate social networks. To help, Dallas-based entrepreneur and tech expert Shama Kabani is answering your questions. Email her at shama@marketingzen.com, or check out more of her advice at her online marketing company or on video.

Dear Shama,

I am an independent filmmaker and have had much success in the offline world. I’ve won numerous awards and have had my films premiere at top festivals. However, I took a brief break from making films, and I am now making my comeback.

But things have changed so much! I feel like I am literally living in a different world. Films are marketed so differently now. My latest feature is almost ready, but I desperately need your advice on how to market my new movie. It is a documentary-style movie about autism. I don’t have a big production-house budget, and I also need to find some last-minute funding to polish it off.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations you have.

—Charlie, Filmmaker in Pasadena

Dear Charlie,

Welcome back to the wonderful world of cinema. Truly, there has never been a better time to leverage social media to create buzz about a product, service, or even a documentary.

First, let’s address your funding issue. This past year has seen a huge rise in crowdfunding platforms. These are online platforms where individuals gather to fund projects they believe in. One such platform is Kickstarter.com. It is mainly for artistic projects that need funding to launch. Yours sounds like an ideal fit. It is free to setup, and they take a 5 percent fee only if your project gets fully funded first.

Now, to answer the marketing part of your question. You have a two great things going for you. You have a track record for making good films, and you are addressing an issue (autism) which people are passionate about. The first thing I’d recommend doing is creating a mini-trailer for your movie and sharing it on YouTube. Next, set up a Facebook page for your movie. You can even embed the trailer from YouTube onto the page. You can then drive traffic to the Facebook page using Facebook ads. Facebook advertising is extremely cost effective compared to other forms of online advertising. Facebook ads will also let you target people based on their interests. For example, you can choose to target those who love indie films or those who want to learn more about autism.

Last but not least, definitely leverage the blogosphere. This is also known as digital PR. Reach out to bloggers in relevant verticals (filmmaking, documentaries, autism, movie reviewers, etc.), and pitch each based on their angle and audience. Be sure to mention your past experience in order to establish credibility. The goals here is to get them to start talking about your film by providing them something of value—an exclusive interview, fresh content, etc. Bonus points if you can create a Twitter hash tag and get them to use it while tweeting.

—Shama