It is difficult to go anywhere today without hearing or reading about social networking websites. Words like Facebook, Twitter, Flixter, Friendster, and MySpace seem to be appearing everywhere. The film industry discussion is that sites like these could radically change how movies are marketed. While there are already some solid examples of films beginning to utilize this platform, aiming a movie marketing campaign toward these sites is still very much in its infancy.

Indie films are strangely slow to get onboard this new media. This confuses some, who see the opportunities in this area as perfect for independent film. There are also several reasons why promotion through social networking websites can be more beneficial to the Indies and even give them a leg up on the major studios.

Creating a page on virtually all social network websites is free. Anyone can do it, but not many can make the page interesting and user friendly. A MySpace or Twitter page for a big studio film like I am Legend can have all the bells and whistles it wants, but if it doesn’t make people want to discuss, interact, and most importantly, tell their friends about it, it can be worthless. The size of a marketing budget has very little to do with its success in the online world. Creative marketing campaigns are worth a lot more than gimmicky, overblown and expensive ones.

Facebook users have proven to be especially savvy and do not react positively to aggressive advertising. Major studios, with their propensity to do things on a large scale when pushing a film, should take note. Annoying applications and endless banner ads could create a backlash and one day work against them. On the other hand, Indies have the chance to thrive in this environment by simply endeavoring to create positive buzz for their films in more ingenious and creative ways. Creating a culture around a film, where users feel they are part of it will enhance the films appeal and prompt visitors to tell their fellow Facebook, MySpace or Twitter friends about it. This is the very foundation of social networking itself.

Hollywood studios are predominantly focused on opening weekend box office. Their marketing campaigns reflect this. Advertising for a studio film will accelerate in the weeks leading up to its release, but will decrease significantly after its first week in theatres. Social networking websites, by their very nature, seem to cater to the popular indie strategy of slowly generating positive word of mouth for a film and continuing to do so throughout its entire release.

The reason these websites have the marketing world in a frenzy is because they allow advertisers to target a specific demographic based on the users own supplied information. Anything from a user’s age, gender, political views, race, religion, hobbies, and interests can be used if they opt to allow it. It is still early in the game, and the potential of this new market has yet to be tapped. In many ways, it is wide open to experimentation and there is no reason why the indie film world can’t begin exploring the virtues of this platform.