Lately, our group coordinator Greg Lockett, has been speaking on the importance of creating a positive personal brand on social media.
So, you might be asking, “ Just what is personal branding?”
Personal branding is how you want your image to be viewed or how you want to market yourself. Personal branding describes the way in which people differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying their unique value and style.1 In other words, as actors/actresses in the entertainment industry we must be intentional about creating a personal brand.
What do I
mean?
Well pause for a second, and go through your
profile pictures on Facebook and take an honest inventory. Ask yourself, is this how I want to present
myself to casting directors and other industry professionals?
I now challenge you to remove any pictures of
yourself that could keep you from reaching your goal of getting on screen work.
Why?
Remember, as actors and actresses, how we present
ourselves on social media is like a business card. When you submit to a
project, a casting director will oftentimes do a Google search to view your
social media sites. Based on what they see, they will make a final
determination about whether or not to book you.
For instance, if you have a profile on Facebook,
the first thing that they will do is go through your pictures. Though I am
constantly tweaking my Facebook page, I am intentional about how I am portrayed
on Facebook. If a casting director were
to go through my pictures on Facebook, not only will they find numerous head shots, but also pictures of my children
and my husband.
Why?
I want to be seen as a mother, wife, neighbor or a
friend on social media so that it won’t be a stretch when I submit for these
types of roles.
Check out this blog post of a woman whose personal brand has
been ruined by a single Tweet.
Action
Step: Clearly define your goals in the entertainment industry. What type of roles do you want to be
considered for? How can you clean up
your personal brand on social media to match your goals?
Be on the look out for my next blog post about
action steps you can take to improve your personal brand.
References
1Schawbel,
D. (n.d.). The Real Definition Of Personal Branding. Retrieved February 17,
2015, from http://personalbrandingwiki.pbworks.com/w/page/16005465/FrontPage
