Marketing films is unique to any other form of promotion. A variety of factors play into making or breaking of a film. Take Edge of Tomorrow for example, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. They had one of the best popcorn movies of the summer, with a huge star, and a trailer campaign that did its best to sell the core premise of the film without giving away all of its narrative surprises. But this one came in below “acceptable” for the $175 million Tom Cruise sci-fi action flick, as the press prematurely declared the film as a flop. Marketing was the only failing component for this film.

Another unique factor is that films, by their very nature, are content gold mines with expansive content crafting power. Unfortunately, movie marketing is not easily defined, but there are a lot of tricks to learn from those who have successfully or unsuccessfully (Edge of Tomorrow, *sigh*) marketed films.

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1. Timing

Timing is incredibly important – you must build up as much hype in the short space of time leading up to and around the launch as possible. Of course, studios are well aware of the importance of timing. Timing is everything. Right place, right time, right consumer in the right frame of mind – this is the key to any successful internet marketing strategy. Real-time is the new currency, cutting the time lapse between asking the question and getting the answer.
2. Humanize your brand

Connect with customers on a human level rather than presenting yourself as an internet robot. Presenting your brand image Building and optimizing a blog can be a great step towards humanization. Connecting and engaging with customers on twitter is another useful step. Get social or get ready to be branded anti-social. Mine the information gleaned from social media.

3. Connect with Influencers

Never underestimate the power of N=1, brands are increasingly being influenced by people. Reach out to thought leaders in order to disseminate your company’s messages However, look for unique ways to capture attention and build rapport beyond simply emailing for marketing help.

Laika Entertainment – the production company behind the Halloween hit, Paranorman – revealed a tremendous amount of online marketing savvy recently by reaching out to internet thought leaders with a somewhat unusual promotion…Blogger Jenny Larson (internet hero to the weird, and taxidermy-loving) received a nearly 30-pound coffin that – when opened – revealed a figurine promoting the company’s movie. The title of her post on the subject pretty much sums it up – “This is how you do PR.”

Once you’ve nailed timing, humanizing, and connecting, the focus moves inward.

4. Innovate: Innovate, don’t renovate. Renovating comes naturally because it’s easier.

5. Have a Consistent Message: Unify your message across all channels, share posts accordingly.

6. Be Fun: Don’t get caught up in being professional (may come off a brand with no personality), let your hair down and have some fun with online marketing.

7. Be Risky: It’s too risky not to take risks. Be bolder than you have been traditionally.

8. Be Dynamic: Become the master of metamorphosis – change on an ongoing basis.

9. Leverage Target Audience’s Content: Provide an area for discussion and involve the audience in the marketing process. Utilize their content for your needs.

10. Have a Plan: Brainstorm, research, implement , measure, revise.