“It’s not about what a movie is about, it’s about how it’s about.”
–Roger Ebert
Unlike any other art, movies have a far greater impact on human mental consciousness. He has the ability to impose emotional instability on the human mind. That is why it is said that making movies is more about observing and imagining. Now, in this century, cinema is not just about the script, the script and all. It includes many other factors. In fact, a successful movie promotion is simply about the movie marketing strategies related to it.
So what is film marketing?
Many of us believe that the success of a movie depends on how well it does in theaters. Well, I would say that movie marketing is all about bringing the desired audience to the theaters. Sometimes called a film junket or a press junket, film marketing consists of various elements such as press releases, advertising, interviews, media engagement, and most of all today’s social media.
It is no longer about Television, Prints and Outdoors
This is more like an enlightenment for all filmmakers these days. Back then, an efficient movie marketing strategy was based on television, print and all. But now it has changed, because to reach the audience you first have to find it. Nowadays it’s all about the internet, you need to find more people, you better get online, simple as that.
Film marketing strategies went digital
Well, it is not a big surprise that the film industries have adopted digital marketing techniques as part of well-structured film marketing strategies. In fact, movie studios are going beyond the typical techniques like teasers, trailers and much more, holding Google hangouts with the crew, live music releases, contests etc. And the most interesting fact is that spending on film marketing digital strategies has grown enormously these years.
I believe there are three main stages to a successful film marketing strategy: present, interact, and engage. The digital media have participation in these three stages, a great participation in fact.
Search Engine Optimization for Effective Movie Marketing Strategies
Search engine optimization as a general term for all the work and efforts that we are investing in the promotion of any service/product is not negligible. Unlike any other digital marketing campaign, film marketing deserves more conviction and insight, even in your promotional campaigns. There are so many factors involved in this, ranging from keywords to social media.
How does social media influence the way movies are marketed?
As part of the digital marketing strategy, social media has become one of the reasons “behind the change” as movies can get a lot of feedback through it. It means that you no longer need to rely on official reviews and announcements to find out about the latest releases. Here’s a quick review of some movie marketing strategies in relation to social media.
Leaked Images – Although this seems to be an outdated technique, it still works. These types of techniques are probably used for the promotion of superhero movies. The theory behind this tactic is that movie producers will generate some buzz years before their movies are released through leaked footage. Since the images will not reveal much more about the movie and the characters, they will definitely create a lot of hype and conversation online.
Visual Microcontent – This is more like an emotional form of marketing I would say. A movie called ‘If I Stay’ recently implemented this idea of film marketing with great success. The initial step towards this type of campaign is always to target the right social media platforms. And then generate micro visual content suitable for the platform. Sharing the posters and posting the behind-the-scenes images are also effective.
Content Marketing Campaign – Content is always effective and will definitely bring you some results. Again, it is more related to social media channels. Even if a movie marketing strategy has to do with the type of movie we are dealing with, content is always useful. You can also try local news stations, discussion forums, and more along with Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
Video Marketing: Very familiar, very effective, this is how you could interpret the role of video marketing. Film marketing strategies. No matter what, we’re ready to take a chance on some products we haven’t seen or tested properly, which is why the advances are significant. It makes an initial impression and is a proven success. And I recommend watching their trailer video initially through their official website, which obviously allows the audience to engage more through their social media.
Social contests and contests: It will turn into a big mess if you think the intro part is enough. Interaction is very important, especially when it comes to film marketing. It may not be the most innovative thing you can do to improve engagement, but it can be very effective at times.
Character Marketing – Your movie will undoubtedly have some interesting character that the audience could connect with in one way or another. Many movie marketing campaigns have already played on audience emotions for particular fictional characters by developing a persona around those characters on social media. A perfect example of this is Ted’s character on Twitter. With almost 7 lakh followers, Ted started posting some funny comments which actually brought some unexpected results.
Alternate Reality Games – A slightly more complicated and deeper movie marketing strategy is Alternate Reality Games (ARGs). This develops a fictional world that real world users can interact with through the use of online communities. ARGs are a wonderful way to engage your film audiences and thereby build ‘brand loyalty’.
Use memes and other forms of UGC – This is more like a win-win movie marketing strategy. Memes offer a great marketing opportunity such that your audience will create highly shareable content that will conclusively benefit your movie promotion strategies. The benefit of using memes is that they are easily customizable and quick to produce. Another possible strategy is to use caption contests, fan art, or any other effective user-generated content tactic.
Google AdWords for more targeted results: Every day, millions and millions of movie-related searches are performed on Google. I would say the fastest way to reach those people is always Google AdWords. Even if it’s not a very profitable way, it’s definitely an option for those who care about reaching more targeted audiences.
final thoughts
How powerful are visual media or how much impact can they have on humanity? The answer to your question is always how well it reaches people. And movie marketing or movie promotion is the beacon that leads to this destination.
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