With 2.07 billion active users on Facebook, 330 million on Twitter, and 467 million on LinkedIn, many aspiring and established actors are promoting their work on social media sites.
If you’re hoping to utilize your social media accounts to make new connections and build a fanbase as a professional actor, you’ll have to engage with people on one or more social media site.
With that said, many of us are warned about the potential pitfalls of social media As an aspiring actor, you’ll want to be on top of your game when promoting yourself on social media because each decision you make can impact your acting career significantly.
Want to be ahead of the game? Follow these seven tips and tricks to help create a lasting social media presence.
1) Start Small
There are many different social media platforms, but that doesn’t mean you need to have a presence on all of them. Start with one or two you are familiar with and build your presence on those accounts.
For example, start off by creating your Facebook fan page or Twitter handle. Take the time to learn tricks and techniques that will help you grow a following on those sites before adding another.
2) Stay Away From Controversy
Don’t post anything lewd, crude, or otherwise inappropriate. You are trying to be marketable and professional. Causing controversy results in neither of those things.
Stick by this golden rule: if you wouldn’t want your grandparents to see it, you probably shouldn’t post it. If you’re not sure about a post, get a few opinions from friends and colleagues
3) Remember to Do Basic Grammar Checks
Everyone occasionally makes mistakes, but constant misspellings or incorrect grammar could distract from your acting chops. Remember, if you want someone to take your acting seriously, you have to consider every post you make as a reflection of your professional self.
Remember to carefully proofread your posts and have another person take a glance as well.
4) Mix It Up
Don’t just post all text posts or constantly show off videos. Give your audience variety with text, picture, and video posts. All fans like something different — some may enjoy videos, some pictures, and some may like a little bit of everything.
Make sure you take the time to create fun and engaging posts of all types for the best results.
5) Make Your Posts Meaningful
Don’t post something just to post!
First, consider how meaningful your post is to your “brand.” Does it benefit you or your target audience? Does it contribute something unique and essential to your brand? If not, then don’t post something as filler.
6) Don’t Leave People in the Dark!
While you shouldn’t post something for the sake of posting something, you also don’t want to abandon your social media presence for weeks or months at a time.
Make a regular schedule to commit yourself to and make sure your followers are aware of when new posts will appear.
7) It’s Not All About You
Believe it or not, it’s actually helpful to not talk about yourself all of the time. Sure, you need to be comfortable with promoting yourself, but you also don’t want to come off as egotistical. People enjoy seeing actors who are compassionate , hardworking, and human.
Brag about your latest role, but also praise fellow actors and productions you recently enjoyed.
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