Today,
the Bollywood industry is over-registered. With lakhs of actors
moving to Mumbai to establish their acting career, there are
certainly not enough projects to give them all a break. Most of them
are finding it difficult to carve their niche in this highly
competitive industry. Industry professionals hardly have/get time to
meet these actors. Reaching stardom in Bollywood is challenging but
not impossible.
It
is important to set yourself apart from others in order to taste
success. For this, the first step is to start thinking yourself as a
“BRAND”. Like any company which markets their products, even you
as a company should know how to market your products (talents). For
that it is necessary to believe in the product (talent) that you're
trying to promote. Today, there are various mediums that offer you a
platform to showcase your skills and one of them being Social Media
sites.
Social
Media networking in simple terms is “meeting different people
online”. It is a powerful tool to attract lot of attention just by
talking about your interests or by uploading photos and videos. For
budding actors, the subject of Social Media promotion is extremely
important to the success of their acting career. Most of them don't
know the potential Social Media has as a branding tool for promoting
themselves online. They are also unaware how to use these tools to
increase their online visibility. Today,
Social networking sites are the fastest growing self promotional
tool, and if any new actor who is not utilizing on its numerous
capabilities could be at a loosing end to its other fellow actors who are using these sites.
It
gives you the liberty and power to take an active role in managing
yourself as a brand. You will also enjoy this experience because you
are marketing yourself and at the same time connecting with new
people. With social media self promotion, you as an actor can promote
yourself easily and effectively. The best professional social media
websites are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. You can take advantage
of these social media platforms by posting your latest photos, videos
or writing blog posts on relevant topics, and connect with industry
professionals. In short, you can also connect- Interact- Showcase/
Promote- Express- Share- etc. There are a unlimited ways that help adding
success to your acting skills through these social media sites.
Using
different platforms:
Facebook:
Facebook is one of the largest networking sites available. It is
necessary to often update your Facebook page in order to allow your
friends to comeback to you. Use your online account to post what you
are doing with your acting career and get your contacts to support
you. Post pictures, upload clips etc in order to increase
visibility.. The more time you dedicate on these sites the more it is
beneficial for you and your career. For example, make your acting
video and share it on Facebook ,your friends would be able to view
your video and if they like they can share it with their friends.
Thus, your videos could be shared with majority. Connecting with
specific groups like the ones on Facebook, opens you and your work
up to more networks. Post your work on the wall of each group to grab
attention. This will build your contact base, as you will be
communicating directly with like-minded people. Starting a Facebook
fan page can take you to the next level. Keeping your profile updated
with your recent work and getting a lot of support from your family
and friends can attract lots of eyes.
Blogs:
The next self promotional activity you can do to enhance your acting
career on social sites is to start a Blog to publish your thoughts
and opinions on the industry. You can express your views about the
acting career and where you as an actor is heading. Try to write
good content in order to attract people towards your blog. Paste your
blog URL in your email signature every time you send an
email to industry
professionals.
Twitter:
Starting
a Twitter account will give you the access to follow the people you
admire, other actors or people in the same industry. You can also use
Twitter to express your views and opinions about the industry. If you
manage to create a successful Twitter profile, you can build a solid
fan base.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn
is designed for professional networking unlike Facebook or Twitter.
Remember,on LinkedIn, people are specifically looking out for
business contacts. So try to make your online resume look more
professional, fill in your correct details and keep updating it on a
regular basis. Industry professionals keep hunting for actors who are
in need of serious work. You never know which casting director views
your online resume that could lead you for an audition.
By
using the above interactive platforms you can start promoting
yourself as an actor who is different form others. These sites will
also help people know who you are to build a trust in you. Your
chances increase for being approached by any industry professional
for work. Your success entirely depends upon how successfully you
interact with the people from your industry and how vast your
exposure becomes.
So keep socializing!!!
