There are a near-infinite number of would-be case studies in social media marketing, which could be discussed on a blog like this one. Each one has the potential to illustrate concrete strategies and principles that could be applied by a social media agency or internet marketing firm. Sometimes it is valuable to just seize upon them seemingly at random, and try to learn what can be learned from them. That is something that we will periodically strive to do on this blog.

In the present case, something attracted our attention on Twitter recently, and it had to do with the emerging marketing campaign for a major Hollywood movie. On Friday it was announced that Tom Hardy had signed on to play the Marvel Comics villain Venom in a standalone movie, after the character had previously made appearances, sans Hardy, in the Spiderman franchise.

What was perhaps most remarkable about this from the standpoint of social media marketing was the sheer number of people on platforms like Twitter who responded positively to the announcement despite having previously written off the film as having little to no appeal for them. On the surface, this may come across as a lesson about the value of celebrity endorsements – something that is hardly relevant to the average social media marketing company. But on a deeper level, the story speaks to the potential effect of gradually releasing information about a product and building interest over the course of a long-term campaign.

To understand the topic better, imagine how different the discussion of the Venom movie might have been if all of the relevant details were released at once. There wouldn’t have been a separate opportunities for discussion of the concept, scripting, director choice, casting and so on. Each specific point of interest would have been overwhelmed by a single, general discussion, and people would have made snap judgements accordingly.

If a social media marketing agency releases information about its campaign slowly, it may have a better chance of building upon a series of preexisting discussions. People who are excited about the concept on its own will continue talking about it for much longer than those who have no initial interest. But as new details are injected into that discussion, it may begin to pique renewed interest in people who were initially unimpressed.

It shouldn’t be difficult for you to imagine how this approach would function with your product or service. And if there is any confusion on that point, a social media agency would surely be able to brainstorm with you. If that company happens to also be filling a role as your web development company, you should see the strategy begin to manifest on its own as the social media marketing campaign builds interest first in the site’s concept, then in its basic framework, then in specific features as they come available.

Marketable products these days are very rarely just one thing. Social media marketing provides everybody, from the lowliest Charlotte, NC small business owner to the largest Hollywood studio, to make sure that people see their products from every angle, so consumers can choose those angles that are most interesting to them personally.