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Polonia Bros. Entertainment Taskforce:

Team Ignis

“Your bolt of success!”

Lascelles Boothe, Valerie Christansen

Brett Hedman, Megan Wheeland, Casey Yourish

December 6, 2016

Presented to: Mark Polonia and Dr. Young

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 3

PROBLEM AND DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH ..................................................................5

Problem ................................................................................................................................5

Fact-Finding .........................................................................................................................5

Active Twitter Users .................................................................................................5

B-movies and Social Media ......................................................................................5

Content ......................................................................................................................6

Direct Messaging ......................................................................................................6

Engagement...............................................................................................................6

Getting Verified ........................................................................................................6

Hashtags ....................................................................................................................7

Interaction .................................................................................................................7

Marketing on Twitter ................................................................................................7

Presence ....................................................................................................................7

Times to Tweet .........................................................................................................8

Twitter Lists ..............................................................................................................8

Using Twitter for Business .......................................................................................8

Visuals.......................................................................................................................9

Word of Mouth on Twitter........................................................................................9

CRITERIA FOR SOLUTIONS ....................................................................................................10

Criteria Used ......................................................................................................................10

Goals ..................................................................................................................................10

Limitations .........................................................................................................................10

PRESENTATION OF SOLUTION.............................................................................................. 12

Phase 1 .............................................................................................................................. 13

Phase 2 .............................................................................................................................. 17

Phase 3 .............................................................................................................................. 22

Phase 4 .............................................................................................................................. 26

ARGUED DEFENSE ................................................................................................................... 30

Possible Obstacles............................................................................................................. 30

Arguments Against Solution............................................................................................. 30

Phase 1 ................................................................................................................... 30

Phase 2 ................................................................................................................... 30

Phase 3 ................................................................................................................... 31

Phase 4 ................................................................................................................... 31

Final Statement ................................................................................................................. 31

BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................32

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Executive Summary

The executive summary will provide insight to the charge, solutions, and methodologies

of the taskforce. First, the abstract will provide a closer look at what the issue was and what the

taskforce is presenting. Next, the charge and methodology will show what the task force set out

to do and how they went about doing so. Finally, the task force’s acknowledgements are a note

of gratitude to all of the individuals who helped them learn and grow.

Abstract

The issue at hand is that Polonia Bros. Entertainment does not have a well-known

presence on Twitter. The company has set out to entertain the public with their creative ideas in

their B-movies, but has not been as successful as they could be when it comes to their Twitter

account. Currently, Polonia Bros. Entertainment are tweeting and sharing information to build a

fan-base on Twitter. With room for potential growth and the ability to gain more followers, it is

best that the company utilizes every solution they are suggested.

Solutions to establish a better fan-base are as follows within each one that the team has

worked to come up with. Every solution that was brainstormed was made sure to abide by the

criterion previously accepted and as approved by Dr. Young. In total, there are 23 solutions to

help Polonia Bros. Entertainment in their need to gain more followers on Twitter. To

implementing them easier, the team broke them up into different phases. Each phase was based

on when they should be put into action. The user of the account can utilize this to have better

organization when running Twitter and to reach their goal. Charge

The charge that was understood by the group was to suggest ways to increase the presence of Polonia Bros. Entertainment, specifically on their social media platform, Twitter. The

group was instructed to research new ideas that the company can use to gain new followers, likes,

and retweets.

Methodology

The group methodology began with researching Polonia Bros. Entertainment with

credible sources from outlets such as Google Scholar and the North Hall Library database. We

continued by compiling a list of interview questions for Mark Polonia, Dr. Young, Bia Bernum,

and Holly Pieper. The group was able to increase their knowledge based on their interviewees’

experiences and what they were willing to share. After utilizing the same search engines as

before, the group was able to successfully fact-find information to meet the requirements. When

we reached the full 50 articles, they were divided up. Each member was accountable for reading

10 sources that they would also need to take notes on. Once each group member had a firm

understanding of their sources, they compiled them in annotated bibliographies. From this point

it was the group's duty to be knowledgeable about each bibliography and what every article is

based on. The group continued the project by determining a set of criteria. This was so that

members would have an easier time of coming up with solutions to the problem. To finish, the

solutions we came up with were thought through and based off of each criterion, ultimately with

the goal of each being able to be implemented.

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Preview

In preview to this project, a description of the problem/need and the team's fact-finding

results will be discussed. In this section, the material with have a synthesized flow that will

appeal to its’ reader. Following that, the criteria for each solution will be reported. This is so that

the solution can be supported with additional information and to understand why each is

important. It will also be noted why Polonia Bros. Entertainment should align with the criteria to

not overstep limitations. In completion of the project, the solutions that should be implemented

will be discussed. Each being detailed with who should be doing what, whether it should be done

under supervision, and when and where the said solution will be done. All factors that will then

be resourced per the research found.

Acknowledgements

Over the course of this past semester, we have enjoyed working with many individuals.

As many of us have before, getting to know professors and peers and hearing about their first-

hand experiences is always rewarding. We would like to thank Dr. Kathryn Sue Young for her

guidance and support. You have been so much fun to learn from and we will now always cherish

neckties. Thank you to Mark Polonia for your guidance and feedback. You have made an impact

on many lives here at Mansfield and we are thrilled that we were lucky enough to help you make

an impact on the lives of others. We can’t wait to see you take Hollywood by storm, one tweet at

a time! Also, thank you to Holly Pieper and Bia Bernum for helping us in the research process

and answering the many questions we had. You each have unique experiences that we loved

hearing about and learning from.

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Problem and Development of Research

This section will highlight some of the major problem areas that a Twitter page can have,

as well as the problem that the Polonia Bros. Entertainment page has. Also, this section will look

at the research found pertaining towards those problems. A few of the focus areas include

presence, hashtags, times to tweet, direct messaging, using Twitter for business, and visuals. This

extensive research allowed for a better understanding of what makes a Twitter page successful.

Problem

Currently, Polonia Bros. Entertainment does not have a huge presence on Twitter. The

account has room for growth, and should be a positive branding tool for the company. However,

without many followers and a plan for improvement, the account may not be as successful as it

potentially should be. There is a need for a more successful Twitter account so that the company

and its’ brand can be showcased to a large audience. If satisfied, Polonia Bros. Entertainment

could be more successful and well-known.

Fact-Finding

The following are summaries of the fact-finding that was done by doing research on

topics related to Twitter. Some topics include B-movies, direct messaging, and engagement.

Active Twitter Users

When determining who to follow on Twitter, it’s important to make sure that the

accounts being followed will matter. Smith (2016) claims that there are 1.3 billion registered

Twitter accounts, but only 100 million active daily users. Over 550 million accounts have never

even sent out a tweet. This means that while there are a lot of people to follow, only a small

percentage of accounts really matter and are significant. Following the people who are

significant really matters because that can help an account get retweets, tweets, and engagement.

B-movies and Social Media

According to Martin (2005, par. 1), the definition of a B-movie is a low-budget film with

usually a Sci-Fi, western, gangster, or horror genre. They are proof that a movie does not have to

have a huge budget to be successful. While B-movies are a great form of entertainment, the

industry as a whole struggles to compete with mainstream movies. In an article by Schwartzel

(2016, par. 19), a B-movie producer proclaims his desire for the movie industries to be fair. B-

movies are competing against other films with million dollar budgets and the capabilities to be

widely distributed and found on Netflix. Due to that, social media is pivotal in the marketing of

B-movies because it is free. Social media is also important because of electronic word-of-mouth

about movies. When determining what movie to watch or buy online, consumers may turn to

social media to find movie reviews or opinions. Kim (2016, par. 4) says that movie revenue can

often be predicted by the quality of electronic word-of-mouth on Twitter. Looking up B-movies

on Twitter can lead to a push “by exposing consumers to information about new products that

(people) might not have been seeking” and would lead to people discovering new movies and

genres (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2015, p. 16). This can be seen with movies like Paranormal

Activity, which had a budget of only $15,000 and ultimately grossed $150 million (Warren,

2010, par. 7-8).

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Content

Holly Pieper, Assistant Professor, suggests making tweets timely, newsworthy, and

relevant (personal communication, October 28, 2016). Content with these characteristics will be

more likely to resonate with audiences and spark a conversation if the information is on a

number of minds or in the news. This can also help with engagement, because of getting

retweets and likes.

Direct Messaging

One way that people can be reached specifically on Twitter is through direct messaging

(DM). These are private messages that can be sent to a specific Twitter account and can’t be

more than 140 characters (Quin, 2014). Direct messages allow for messaging on Twitter to

become more personal through anonymous accounts because no one else can see the messages

except for the two accounts that are sending and receiving them. According to Quin, this can be

particularly useful because accounts can interact with others without needing to overload the

newsfeeds of their followers. In 2015, Twitter started allowing direct messages to be sent to

people an account was not necessarily following (Goel, 2015). This is useful so that an account

can reach out to people who are not necessarily following them and the opinions of others can be

heard as well. For example, someone who is not following Polonia Bros. Entertainment could

message the Twitter account with a note of praise for a particular movie and start a conversation.

There are, however, certain ways that DMs should or should not be used. Raymaakers (2015)

stated that direct messages should be used to connect with others and carry on conversations that

should be continued privately or should simply be taken off of everyone else’s newsfeed. For

example, if someone tweeted to Polonia Bros. Entertainment asking for contact information, it

should probably be answered privately through a direct message. Raymaakers also suggests that

direct messages should not be used for spam, meaning that you should not send a message to all

of your followers or send a message that has the intent of making a sale. She said that messages

should stand out to get the receiver’s attention and should also have a catchy subject line.

Engagement

Twitter engagement can range from anything to getting a retweet or favorite to getting

clicks on a link that was sent out to followers. According to York (2016, par. 7), an account’s

engagement can be a key factor in building an audience, influencing consumers, and selling

products and services. He also says that this can easily be done through using polls to ask

questions, images in tweets, and directly calling people to click a link to learn more information

(2016, par. 25-32).

Getting Verified

Getting verified on Twitter provides an account with a blue check on its profile and

means that it is authentic and the account of a real business or company. Breslin (2016, par. 3-4)

says that getting verified can lead to being viewed as having credibility and authenticity and

more than likely any account can be verified if it is deemed to be of public interest. She also

explained that the process of getting verified can be quite tricky, but is worth the reward. You

must fill out a form, provide documentation of who you are, and disclose information such as

phone numbers and email addresses for the company (Breslin, 2016, par. 6). Getting verified on

Twitter ads a sense of credibility to an account and shows people that they are important and are

of interest to many.

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Hashtags

Hashtags were another topic that was researched. Lee (2013) stated that what was

previously known as the pound sign, is now a way of grouping tweets together on Twitter.

Participants can insert something like ‘#bmovie’ and anyone who looks up that word would be

able to find that tweet and participate in the conversation. Hashtags are also used to discuss

trending or hot topics and create online trends. An article by Wang, Li, Liao, and Liu (2016)

stated that hot topics are timely, have a large accumulation of use, influences people's’ opinions,

and eventually becomes a fad of the past. When a hashtag is trending, it usually appears in a list

on Twitter and is easily accessed. This is often used by many to see what the major news stories

are or what happened that has caused a large amount of people to speak out and share their

opinions. Hashtags also make tweets public, meaning that if something was sent out from even a

private account, the tweet in particular would become public. This was also conveyed by Skaza

and Blais (2015) who said that hashtags usually evolve or develop from a current event or

something in the news. Overall, hashtags are a great way to use trending and popular topics to

reach out to new audiences and partake in the conversation that is buzzing at a particular time.

Interaction

There are many different people to connect with on Twitter. Radice recommends

connecting with industry leaders, professionals, and related companies (2015, par. 21). Tweeting

at them, retweeting them, and direct messaging them are all ways to connect and interact with

different accounts. Initiating conversation may also be successful. Sending a quick reply or

thank-you to a tweet can help open communication and build relationships (Fontein, 2015, par.

32). It is also important to maintain a quick response time, especially when someone either has a

complaint or question. Vaughan says that people usually expect a response within two hours of

first reaching out to a company. Not responding in an acceptable amount of time could lead

people to talk negatively about a company or escalate their opinions on other platforms (2014,

par. 4-6).

Marketing on Twitter

Twitter can be very effective when trying to market a company or product. When

marketing on Twitter it is especially important to keep your audience in mind. Saulles (2015, p.

105) said that Twitter can have three effects: push, pull, and interactive. Push means that there is

little interaction but a lot of information being put out, pull is when there is a lot of interaction

and little information, and the interactive effect means that the account is just being monitored

and studied. These three effects are very important when determining what the intended result of

a tweet should be. For many companies “Twitter presents a free and efficient alternative to

promote goods and services directly to customers, exploiting the immediacy and intimacy that

other channels simply can’t match” (Ankeny, 2009, par. 7).

Presence

A Twitter page’s presence can be rewarding to its’ user if carried out in a professional

way. Presence can be anything from the number of followers an account has, the number of

replies and retweets an account gets, and the interaction and relationships formed through the

account. Brooks (2012) stated that the organization of an account is one of the first things that

people take note of when they look at it for the first time. Therefore, images should be

coordinated and work together to be visually appealing and representative of the company.

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Brooks also stated that an account should be interactive with others to get the account’s name out

there and should “talk to people not at them” (2016). An example of this would be collaborating

and tweeting to other accounts that represent B-movie companies. Dunlap and Lowenthal (2009)

suggest that a Twitter account should know its followers to determine what to tweet and what

their followers want to learn about and receive information on. They also suggest connecting

with professionals and writing clearly so that information is relatively straightforward. Having a

positive presence on Twitter can also lead to relationships with fans and followers. If a fan direct

messages the account or tweets to them, the account can see it in time to address the issue in a

timely manner (Dunlap, & Lowenthal, 2009). A Twitter account’s presence is a very important

aspect that cannot be overlooked.

Times to Tweet

Choosing when to send out a tweet can be a very difficult task, especially when

potentially engaging with individuals across multiple time zones. Ries (2014, par. 5) feels that

“calculating time zones is the kind of task that computers are better at than humans” and to avoid

mistakes, Google calendar should be used. If a tweet is intended for a certain group of

individuals or a certain time zone, then making sure times are calculated correctly is crucial. Frink (2015, par. 6), and corroborated by Benna (2015, par. 3), says that tweeting between 2 a.m.

and 3 a.m. will lead to the most success. That hour of time can catch those who are still awake

and others when they first wake up in the morning. Another good time to tweet is between noon

and 1 p.m. because “people love to tweet and eat” (Frink, 2015, par. 3). To track how successful

certain times are for different accounts, use Hootsuite or use links to see how many clicks they

are getting. In conclusion, it is important to tweet at multiple times a day to reach different time

zones and make them visible to audiences. Pieper, says that tweeting 3-4 times per day is

acceptable especially when trying to target people in a variety of locations (personal

communication, October 28, 2016).

Twitter Lists

Twitter lists are groupings of people that an account can make based on ideas,

relationships, and commonalities they share with other accounts. The lists make it easy to reach

out to other accounts when needed. An account needs to first make a list on their Twitter, name

it, describe it, then add people who they deem fit to be on the list (Lee, 2015). Lists can be used

to interact with groups of people and maintain connections.

Using Twitter for Business

Twitter is a common social media platform for individuals to use all over the world.

However, businesses who use Twitter have different challenges and ways to reach success.

Gausepohl (2016, par. 4) suggests only using a couple hashtags per tweet because people could

think that a business is trying to spam them if they use too many hashtags per tweet. She also

suggests posting about trending topics to get noticed by people who are researching or looking

up information (par. 29) and embedding Twitter links onto other sites or platforms used by the

company (par. 50). Radice suggests adding links in email signatures, using icons in profile

pictures and other traditional marketing tools (2015, par. 29). Noto (2016, par. 5) recommends

making links shorter by using websites such as goo.gl. That way, the links being used don’t use

up all of the characters in a tweet. Hootsuite can be used to preplan tweets, organize them, and

track analytics of tweets (Noto, 2016, par. 7). Bernum says that she uses Hootsuite to track

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hashtags and see how successful they are (personal communication, October 26, 2016).

Businesses can also tweet with the confidence that more than just their followers will see what

they have to do. In 2015, Google signed a deal with Twitter allowing tweets to come up in

internet searches. Therefore, even those who just do a simple Google search on a topic and aren’t

on Twitter can potentially find tweets (Porsborg, 2015, par. 1). It’s important for businesses to

use different tools on Twitter so that they can be organized and make the most of their actions

and ideas. Visuals

When tweeting, visuals such as photos, gifs, memes, and videos can catch the attention of

followers’ more successfully. According to Fontein, having visuals in a post can lead to 313%

more engagement (2015, par. 23). Using visuals that help readers get the point of what they’re

reading and using imagery that sticks with them will be more beneficial. Young has said that

tweets including pictures usually gain momentum and are fairly successful (personal

communication, October 6, 2016).

Word-of-Mouth on Twitter

The term word-of-mouth stands for how individuals share information and their opinions.

Especially on Twitter, word-of-mouth can shape what people think and how they perceive

information. Since there are a many celebrities on Twitter, they can greatly contribute to how

people perceive products or brands. According to Jin and Phua (2014, p. 182), many companies

use celebrity endorsements to help in brand recognition and to earn the trust of consumers. Their

study also found that Twitter accounts with less followers are more likely to have negative

information or tweets about them shared by others. Likewise, if an account has a large amount of

followers, people will share more positive information about the account (2014, p. 191).

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Criteria for Solution

The purpose of setting criteria was to emphasize solutions that are believed to be the most

practical and beneficial for the account. Those criteria were highlighting presence,

implementation, professionalism, uniqueness, and ability to appeal. The establishment of criteria

provided an idea of what the best solutions to the problems of the account would be. Laying out

goals for the account gave us something to reach for, while the limitations kept our aspirations

realistic.

Criteria Used

The group focused on 5 specific main criteria for PBE. The main criterion looked at was

increasing presence. The power and importance of having a strong Twitter presence is endless.

This is necessary to add more followers, which is one of the goals, as well as aid to the

company’s image. The idea was that focusing on increasing the presence would allow all the

other criteria to somewhat fall into place. The second criterion considered was implementation.

Establishing a plan that will be able to be implemented is essential in achieving the goal. Without

the ability to implement would make the suggestions empty and futile. The next criterion

considered was being professional. Having a professional account for a company is important in

a business-driven world. Creating the image that PBE is a legitimate company would give the

company the status it wants to have. Another criterion used to evaluate was being unique.

Having something that separates you from everyone else is crucial in creating an online image.

Knowing that PBE is a unique company prompted us to focus on some of the aspects that make it

different. The final criterion taken into consideration was appeal. Getting followers to have a

connection with the content and image of the page would help the company expand. It is

believed that a Twitter account’s appeal determines a certain level of its success.

Goals

To increase the number of followers of the Polonia Bros. Entertainment account by 100

in four weeks.

To implement organizational tools to make Twitter easier for all involved.

To receive at least 10 retweets or favorites per tweet sent out.

To follow at least 50 more people.

To implement at least four new forms of engagement in four weeks.

Limitations

There are many limitations that must be faced when proposing suggestions for Polonia

Bros. Entertainment to use. All suggestions must be legal and not cause anything that would hurt

the company or those who work for it. Professionalism also stems from this, as nothing can be

libelous or discriminatory towards others. Morally, the Twitter account must remain neutral

towards issues that are in the news or that are affecting people throughout the country. Unbiased

outlooks are important so that the account can be positive towards others. It is also important to

be honest and transparent, so that followers and fans of the company are given honesty and

respect. The account must not be offensive or insensitive. There are also logistical limitations to

keep in mind. None of the suggestions can cost a lot of money and they must be able to be

carried out by Dr. Sue Young and Mark Polonia. The suggestions need to be carried out by

individuals who are still learning about Twitter and may not have a lot of time to be on Twitter.

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Lastly, the task force can only persuade those involved with the account so much as they are the

ones who make the final decisions concerning the Twitter page. The suggestions may not be

deemed as worthy of being utilized or taken into consideration.

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Presentation of the Solution

This section will provide a list of 23 recommendations for the Polonia Bros.

Entertainment Twitter account. The recommendations are divided into four phases, which are

separated by implementation time and repetitiveness. The first phase includes items that can be

immediately implemented. Phases 2 and 3 consist of recommendations that do not need to be

done right away or that will take place on a weekly or monthly basis. Finally, phase 4 is a list of

items that need to be taken into consideration later on, or after the account has taken steps that

are of more importance.

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PHASE 1

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Post 3-4 Times Per Day

Posting 3 to 4 times per day is important.

Information is more likely up-to-date and

relevant. The tweets can also be about a variety

of topics including information followers

should know about, what’s going on with PBE,

and things to get fans excited.

To implement this, Mark or Sue should post at

specific times to assure that they are getting an

appropriate amount of information to their

followers. Posting multiple times a day can also

make sure that their tweets are being seen

across the world in different time zones.

According to Holly Pieper,

tweeting multiple times a day

can allow for people from

other areas and countries to

see relevant tweets (personal

communication, October 28,

2016).

Use 2-3 Hashtags Per Tweet

Using hashtags is important to draw attention to

key words and track participation of followers.

Using 2-3 hashtags per tweet allows for that, but

doesn’t make readers feel overwhelmed. The

hashtags can also be used when discussing

trending topics or themes.

PBE should use 2-3 hashtags per tweet, ranging

from trending hashtags, unique hashtags, key

words, and movie titles. Mark and Sue can create

a list of hashtags to use so that they have some

ideas ready to go.

Hashtags must be used in

moderation. According to

Gausepohl (2016, par. 4), only

a couple hashtags should be

used per tweet because it is

easy for people to feel like

they are being spammed if

there are a large number of

them. Holly Pieper (personal

communication, October 28,

2016) suggests using about 2-

3 per tweet.

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Develop a Unique Hashtag

Having a unique hashtag for the company can

be very useful. It can be added to multiple types

of tweets and can be used to track conversation

about PBE. Those who do use it could

potentially be followed and it is a great way to

start interaction and conversation. The hashtag

would provide proof of engagement.

For this recommendation, create a unique

hashtag to use. Before settling on one, search

for it on Twitter to make sure it is not used by

anything else. If it is not, use the hashtag for all

tweets sent out and use it to track engagement

and potential followers. Some ideas are

#Polonia and #PBE.

Holly Pieper suggested that a

unique hashtag be used so that

tweets can be tracked easier.

According to Lee (2013),

hashtags can also group

information together, creating

a wealth of information for

someone if they looked up the

hashtag. It may even be easier

to find tweets to retweet or

people to converse with, since

it is easy to look up a hashtag.

Tweet at Specific Times

Tweets need to be sent out at engaging times so

that the maximum amount of people can see it

and there is a better chance for engagement. They

must also be timed so that followers do not get

overwhelmed with tweets from one account.

Since Polonia Bros Entertainment should be

tweeting multiple times a day and at popular

times, there are specific times where the account

will be most successful. Those times are at 2a.m.,

7 a.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m. These times are when

there are a large number of people active on

Twitter and when they are more likely to see

tweets on their feeds. The times can be pre-

planned.

Frink (2015, par. 6) and

Benna (2015, par. 3) both

suggest tweeting between 2

and 3 a.m. and between noon

and 1 p.m. These times are

usually when a lot of people

are active on Twitter and can

lead to the most engagement.

Pieper (personal

communication, October 28,

2016) also suggests tweeting

3-4 times a day.

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Respond to Engagement Within Two Hours

Replies, questions, and direct messages should

all be responded to within two hours. This

ensures that followers feel like they matter and

are a priority.

To implement this, Mark and Sue should set up

notifications via text message or email. That

way, they will know when they need to check

Twitter and take action.

According to Vaughn (2014,

par. 4-6), most people on

Twitter expect a response

from a company within 2

hours. Especially when a

person has something negative

to say, they want to feel heard

or else they may escalate the

situation and further intensify

their feelings.

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PHASE 2

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Post Visuals from Movies Within Tweets

Using images in tweets are a great way to

increase engagement and provide further

explanation or detail for what the tweet is about.

By providing images of movies, fans can see

themes or concepts from PBE movies. They can

also be used to give previews of movies or

showcase props and actors.

To implement this, Mark or actors for the

movies would need to pass along pictures from

movies. Imagery could also be found on other

Twitter accounts. The person tweeting would

need to insert the photo and make the image

timely and relevant to followers.

According to Fontein (2015,

par. 23), visuals can lead to

313% more engagement. In

this case, Young has already

said that visuals are successful

for the Polonia Bros.

Entertainment account

(personal communication,

October 6, 2016). Photos, gifs,

and memes can also be

relevant and newsworthy for

fans of PBE. Therefore, the

visuals would remain to be

successful.

Create a Visually Appealing Account

There are many visual aspects of a Twitter

account. The profile picture, header, and

background should all reflect the company.

Similar colors should be used, and the profile

picture should be chosen carefully since it is seen

the most.

The account should use colors and photos that

work together and complement each other. The

profile picture could be a promo for an upcoming

movie or a screenshot of a movie, which would

be provided by Mark. Headers can include

release information or links to other platforms,

also from Mark.

According to Brooks (2012),

the visuals on an account

should be representative of the

company and provide further

branding. The visuals should

also talk to people and create

an impression.

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Promote Twitter on Other Accounts and

Platforms

PBE should promote their Twitter account on

other platforms such as email, Facebook, and

Venmo. By doing so, more people are likely to

hear about the account and follow it.

To implement this, Mark should post on

Facebook about the Twitter account and also

add a link to the signature of his email. The

Twitter logo can be added to his header on

Facebook and be used in the visuals on Venmo

so that fans know there is a Twitter account. All

that is needed for this is the Twitter logo found

on the website and the link for the page.

Promoting companies and

products on Twitter is free and

often one of the greatest tools

that a company can use

because it involves direct

interaction. It is also

immediate so that it can be a

central tool for businesses to

use (Ankeny, 2009, par. 7).

Since other platforms are free,

they should be used to

promote Twitter accounts.

Include Links in Tweets

Using links can be very helpful on Twitter.

They can lead followers to take action, learn

more information, watch a video, or purchase a

product.

Links can be used to give PBE followers more

information that what can fit in an actual tweet.

Links could go to Venmo so followers can buy

a movie, to Periscope videos, news stories about

the movie industry, and to information regarding

new movies. Links can also be tracked using

apps like Hootsuite, which can provide

engagement information.

York (2016, par. 37) advises

using links as a tool for

engagement and adds that

they can even be tracked to

see how many people are

interested in the tweet and

clicking the links included.

Links should be shortened

using sites such as goo.gl to

save characters in a tweet

(Noto, 2016, par. 5).

20

Use Direct Messaging

Direct Messaging (DM) on Twitter is sending and

receiving messages privately between accounts.

They do not show up on followers’ timelines and

are an effective way to talk to people when the

matter should not be public, or when you want to

speak to someone more personally.

The PBE account should send direct messages to

reach out to people if they have any inquires, to

try to gain followers and build relationships with

people who would be of importance, and to reach

out to fans. To send a DM, click the ‘send

message’ button, type the message, and then hit

send. The other account will receive a

notification.

Raymaakers (2015) says that

DMs should be sent when you

need to take a conversation off

of a public timeline or to talk

privately. Since you can now

DM someone who does not

follow you, this tool can be

used to attract followers and

reach out to accounts that you

may not have a connection

with yet (Goel, 2015).

Use Hootsuite to Manage the Account

Hootsuite is a platform that helps organize, pre-

plan, and analyze tweets. It can be used on a

computer and a smartphone. The app can help

PBE pre-plan tweets for certain times and it can

be used to see what kind of tweets are successful

and creating engagement.

Mark and Sue should use Hootsuite to plan

tweets to be sent out, especially during busy

times and for when tweets need to go out in the

early hours of the morning. They should also use

it to see what types of content are more engaging.

Analyzing tweets is one of the most important

things PBE can do.

Hootsuite is an app that

business can use to their

advantage. Bernum (personal

communication, October 26,

2016 says that Hootsuite is

what she uses most often with

Twitter and it has been very

helpful. Tracking what creates

engagement is important

because it can help build a

brand and influence

consumers (York, 2016, par.

30).

21

Follow Active, Reputable Accounts Who Are Involved in

the B-Movie Industry

PBE should follow active accounts who are

reputable and involved in the b-movie industry.

Examples of this could be Netflix, actors in the

industry, and other producers.

To implement this, Sue should search for b-

movie accounts or those that are representative

of media and corporations. Before following

someone, it is important to look for checks of

verification and proof that an account is

reputable.

According to Smith (2016)

there are 1.3 billion Twitter

users, but only 100 million

accounts are active. Dunlap

and Lowenthal (2009) suggest

following accounts that are

important in industries or are

professionals so that potential

relationships can be formed.

22

PHASE 3

23

Hold Twitter Q&As

Q&As are a great way to converse with fans

and let followers get to know the people behind

PBE. This also implements hashtags and

engagement.

Q&As would need to be planned for a certain

amount of time and be announced in advance.

Fans would use a hashtag such as

‘#AskPolonia’ to submit their questions in

advance. Mark, or someone else using the

account, would reply to the questions/comments

and use the same hashtag along to track

engagement.

This is an original idea that

would increase interaction and

engagement. No research was

found to support this

suggestion.

#MeetMarkMonday

Every Monday, a featured tweet should be sent

out with a fact about Mark or a tip he has for

filming and the hashtag ‘#MeetMarkMonday’.

This will help to build a relationship between

Mark and followers in representation of the

brand.

To implement this, Mark would need to provide

a fact or interesting idea to Sue to be tweeted.

Pictures may also be used. This should be done

every Monday.

This is an original idea that

would increase interaction and

engagement. No research was

found to support this

suggestion.

24

Utilize Periscope and Promote Videos on

Twitter

Using Periscope to broadcast videos on Twitter

is a great way to give followers access to

newsworthy information. They can be shown

what’s happening on set and what it is like

during the process of making a PBE movie.

Periscope is an app separate from Twitter, and

would need to be downloaded. The video comes

from the app and viewers need to watch it on

there as well. You can record the live videos on

a smartphone, so the link to watch would need to

be tweeted prior to going live. Once live, you

can interact with fans, answer questions, and get

them excited for new movies!

This is an original idea. No

research was found to support

this suggestion.

Integrate Giveaways into Engagement

Since engagement is so important on Twitter,

giving away movies, merchandise, and props

would be a great way to get followers to interact

with the account.

Giveaways can take place as a result of contests,

special events, and even for being a supporter of

PBE. Once a person is selected to receive

something, PBE can DM that person for their

mailing address and then send the item. Another

option is giving away a free movie on Venmo,

since Mark has expressed using it (personal

communication, October 4, 2016).

This is an original idea.

No research was found to

support this suggestion.

25

Use Polls

Polls can be formatted on Twitter to ask questions

and gain valuable information. In this case, PBE

should use polls to ask questions about what fans

want and learn their audience more. That way,

PBE knows what to post and what to even do in

terms of business and filmmaking.

To implement this, a topic or poll question will

first need to be decided on by either Sue or Mark.

To make a poll, click on the button to make a

tweet, and then click the button with the bars on

it. Type in the question, options, poll length, and

then tweet the poll.

According to York (2016, par.

35), polls are a great way to

gain engagement on Twitter.

They can also provide the

opinions or thoughts of

followers which can lead to

understanding your audience

better. According to Bernum,

knowing who you are

communicating with is pivotal

in being successful on Twitter

(personal communication,

October 26, 2016).

26

PHASE 4

27

Stay Updated with all the New

Tools/Techniques with Twitter

Staying up-to-date with new Twitter features

and tools is important to make the most of an

account. By doing so, PBE can stay on top of

trends and what other accounts are doing. This

can also make the account stand out.

To implement this, research should be done

every few weeks on news relating to Twitter.

Mark and Sue should do a quick Google search

of ‘Twitter news’ to find new trends, stories,

and effective ways of improving their account.

This is an original idea. No

research was found on this

suggestion.

Become Verified on Twitter

Becoming verified on Twitter means that a blue

check will appear on an account’s profile,

certifying that the account is of public interest.

Verification also means that an account is

authentic and not a fan account or fake account.

To become a verified account, you need to submit

a request on Twitter’s website. Then, fill out the

form and provide the necessary documentation

and proof such as website and email information.

In some cases, you also must provide a copy of

photo ID. Twitter will then send an email either

accepting or denying the request. If denied, you

can apply again after 30 days.

According to Breslin (2016,

par. 3-4), getting verified on

Twitter can make your

account seem more authentic

and credible. It can also make

an account seem very

important, thus creating more

followers. Overall, getting

verified could make PBE

appear to be a popular movie

account that is credible and of

a company that holds a lot of

public interest.

28

B

Use Lists

Twitter lists are groupings of people that an

account followers based on needs,

demographics, or interests. Lists are used to

easily access groups and market to them or

contact them when needed.

To make a list, click ‘add lists’, and then the ‘+’

icon. After that, name it, describe it, and choose

whether to make it private or not. Once the list

is created, add followers based on the purpose

of the list. Some suggestions are to make a

media list, a list of actors/actresses, and a list of

fans/supports. That way they can be easily

accessed and seen in one place.

Twitter lists are a very

effective way to communicate

or market to a certain group of

people. According to Lee

(2015), lists can be used to

find an account very easily

and see what people are

tweeting about. This can help

to manage audiences and

build relationships.

Change Twitter Name/Handle

The handle of a Twitter account is the ‘@...” part

of an account. It is separate from the account. In

this case, the handle is ‘@PoloniaBros_Ent” but

the name on the account is Mark Polonia.

Because there is some disconnect between the

name and handle of the PBE Twitter account,

some people could be confused as to whether the

account is for the company or just representing

Mark Polonia. By changing the name to ‘Polonia

Bros. Entertainment’, there will be no confusion

and it will be known that the account is for the

company.

This is an original idea. There

is no research to support this

suggestion.

29

Partner With Celebrities or Other Companies

PBE should work to partner with a celebrity or

company who has a love for B-movies and

would be willing to promote PBE and its

movies. This could lead to a more positive

perception of PBE and more followers.

To implement this, both Mark and Sue should

actively search for a person on Twitter who

loves PBE and B-movies. Then they can use

direct messaging to contact them and work out a

partnership. Finding a company to work with

could also be helpful.

According to Jin and Phua

(2014, p. 182), word-of-mouth

on Twitter is seen as being

more credible and believable

from accounts with a large

number of followers.

Information is also more

likely to be shared by an

account that has a lot of

followers. This greatly affects

the way people perceive

brands.

Implement a Social Media Policy

A social media policy would be something shared

to those involved with PBE and making movies.

It would encourage them to post about new films,

share their experiences in making the movie, and

encourage them to promote the Twitter page

themselves. Using a social media policy is an original idea. No evidence

was found as to why a Twitter

To implement this, Mark and Sue would need to

discuss what others could do to promote the PBE

account on their own pages and through

promotions of movies. Then, they would need to

create a document describing what others could

do and give it to everyone involved with PBE.

page would benefit from one.

30

Argued Defense

This section will address potential obstacles and some potential problem areas of the

four-phase plan. Some of the obstacles involved are keeping active, implementing a social media

policy, as well as the potential scheduling conflicts. Also, answering potential criticisms of the

phases, while concluding with some final remarks about our recommendations.

Possible Obstacles

With some of the solutions, there is an extensive amount of learning and maintenance

that will be required. This, along with a few other potential problem areas can create obstacles.

One obstacle we may face is keeping the account holder (Mark or Dr. Young) continuously

active and updated with tweeting, as well as fan engagement. With the daily demands faced,

adding another such as this could result in dropped performance in both. Another obstacle that

may be faced is implementing a social media network policy. Following through with the policy

may be difficult for Mark or Dr. Young to do. Without having the policies followed by the cast

members, the policy may not be as strong as previously expected. The result for this could be

that no progress is gained, and the account goes stagnant. Another obstacle potentially faced is

the use of Hootsuite or a tweet planner. With the intense nature of Mark and Dr. Young’s

schedule, creating time to plan tweets or using an app could be difficult to fit into their

schedules.

Arguments Against Solution

Phase 1: Phase 1 has recommendations which can be done at a fast pace. Based on our results,

these recommendations can be shared between Mark and Dr. Young on a weekly basis. One

argument that can be used will be pertaining to availability. Mark or Dr. Young may have a

problem with spending multiple hours, using hashtags, responding, and posting tweets. However,

to solve this argument, they can spread out their active time on twitter throughout the day. For

example, for the 2-3 hours which are to be spent on twitter, space it out so that it works best for

their individual schedule.

Phase 2:

Phase 2 will take a little more time than Phase 1. This phase requires Mark to utilize his resources from his past films, along with incorporating other outside resources into the account.

One argument stated against this phase could be about how lack of participation may leave the

potentially engaging activity pointless. Our response to this would be that engagement can

increase the activity on the account. This would allow for more people to interact with the page,

once Phase 1 has been deemed effective.

Phase 3:

Phase 3 has recommendations related generally to fan interaction. One argument against this phase is that starting a live question and answer session wouldn’t work if the followers aren’t

active on the site. Our response is that Phase 3 is a long-term plan. This would be done once a

presence was built on the account, so the interaction between Mark and the followers would be

established. Another argument against this phase is that creating polls are pointless if only a few

people respond to them. Our response is very much the same to the previous argument. Once a

following is built for the account, the impact of the polls becomes noticeable.

31

Phase 4: Phase 4 is the long term/big picture goals. One of the arguments against this phase is the

following active users. Followers are followers, if that number increases it is beneficial. Our

response is that non-active users are essentially dead weight. The tweets aren’t retweeted or

liked, so that number has no effect on the actual expanding of the account. Another argument is

about revamping the logo. Some people may think that the logo is fitting for the company. Our

counter argument is that a more professional, simplified logo would add an element of

professionalism for the account, as well as the company.

Final Statement

Polonia Brothers Entertainment has a subpar presence on Twitter. The lack of daily posts and limited hashtag use impedes the company’s connection with the audience. This, along with a

few other issues prevent the company to expand to its full potential, and reach the number of

followers the account desires. We believe that our solution will help increase the presence of the

company’s Twitter account. Our 4-phase plan allows the company to reach its full social media

potential. Phase 1, focusing on the short term, quickly implemented plans. This allows the

account to see immediate presence improvement. Phase 2, examines the recommendations that

involve a slight amount of planning. Phase 3, focuses on the monthly plans for the account.

These take time to format and finish, but will result in more sales, along with followers. And

finally Phase 4, which looks at the long-term goals of the company. This allows the big picture

perspective when looking at the potential there is to be gained. In Mark’s words, the overall goal

of the account is for people to “be entertained, can discover new artists, and to be inspired.” We

feel that following our plan allows for the company’s account to do all three of these and more.

With the phases and recommendations that are set in place, the company can expand, entertain,

and inspire countless followers on social media.

32

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