10 Ways Movie Studios Leverage Twitter

Word gets around faster than ever now, thanks largely in part to social networking sites like Twitter, where it’s easy to blast out information quickly and efficiently to a large audience. So it was only a matter of time, and out of a need for self-preservation, that movie studios would adjust their marketing accordingly to incorporate these strategies. With the power to spread opinion at the speed of light, Twitter has helped change the way Hollywood promotes its product. The following are 10 ways that movie studios leverage Twitter:

1. Live tweets – Filmmakers and actors alike frequently tweet directly from the set. Knowing that first night tweet reviews can kill a movie by the second night, they are getting more proactive in creating an early buzz.
2. Twitter apps – Studios add a Twitter app to all of their official movie websites in order to gauge public opinion as early as possible. They want to stave off any negative publicity before it gains any momentum.
3. Contests – Production studios will sometimes hold contests for their followers, offering free tickets to previews and screenings, in an effort to help create some positive momentum prior to release dates.
4. Verified accounts – Movie stars and execs typically have active Twitter accounts, which have been verified so that followers know that it’s a real account and not an imposters, which they will use to gain followers and communicate with fans. Creating a network of followers helps smooth the way for good box office receipts when their movies are released.
5. Links to trailers – Movie trailers are often linked to by studio exec and actors’ tweets, so that they can take a pulse, as it were, prior to the release date and gauge the response from their loyal followers.
6. Keeping up to date with relevant tweets – Smart movie studio execs are always proactively searching tweets for hashtags and keywords that are relevant to their product. Like any shrewd business owner, they are keeping their fingers on the public’s pulse.
7. Direct interaction – Interaction with people is no longer an option – it’s a necessity. The most successful businesses keep in contact with their customers regularly. Movie studios now have full-time personnel who maintain their social presence on sites like Twitter for just that purpose.
8. Creating hype – Marketing resources have been drastically redistributed by virtue of social media’s impact. Movie studios now rely as much on sites like Twitter to create buzz for their films as they do in traditional advertising venues.
9. Exclusive scoops – Movie studios will also post exclusive content as well as web links to provide social media members with access that wouldn’t otherwise be publicly available. This strategy was instrumental in the box office success of movies like “The Vow”.
10. Ongoing consumer research – Research conducted by movie studios on Twitter has helped them determine what types of films they need to be focusing on, and what tastes are prevalent among the movie-going public so that they are able to tailor new movies accordingly.

Twitter has completely revolutionized the way that movie studios are marketing to their audiences, making it a more interactive and personalized approach. This way of marketing has helped create hype for upcoming movies, kept up a stead buzz after the movies have been released, and allowed viewers to gain an edge on upcoming and current films.

Taken From Internet Provider