Low-Cost First Steps for Market Data Collection?

Hey everyone,

I’m a camera operator by trade, but I often find myself helping out with the producing side on smaller, indie projects, especially with budgets and understanding audience. We're trying to grow our reach and I've been reading up on common mistakes. One that keeps coming up is 'Ignoring the Data Deficit', basically, not having enough market intel.

My team and I have been relying a lot on gut feelings and what we think is cool, which, to be honest, isn’t always translating into bigger audiences or funding. We’re on a shoestring budget, so hiring a dedicated market research firm is out of the question. I've tried looking at public social media metrics for similar films, but it feels a bit like guesswork.

For producers working on a tight budget, what's a practical, low-cost first step to start gathering actionable market data? I’m talking about something we can implement fairly easily without needing specialized software or a huge time commitment.