5 Things You Need To Know About Pinterest

Thanks  to client Tangled Feet for this image of their Pinterest profile

Pinterest began in 2009 and is a social media network that is image based! Hurrah and hurray for creative people who work in visual mediums. Pinterest isn’t just for discovering wedding ideas, it can be used for your career too. Here are five things you need to know about this social platform

1. It’s FREE

Like almost all social media networks it is free so just go to www.pinterest.com to set up an account. Why wouldn’t you?!

2. It’s easy to use

You create online pin boards, you know like the cork ones we had when we were kids. You then pin images from the internet to you your online pin board. You can have an “inspiration board” where you can pin images that inspire you (does what it says on the tin) and wonderful work by other artists/creatives and this can be useful when pitching projects or devising your own work. You can also create boards of your own work perhaps labelled by the year or theme. You can also follow other peoples boards (and they can follow you) and you can use snazzy images from other people’s boards and pin them on your own board to share the love. You can even comment on other people’s images to tell them how wonderful they are.

3. It’s useful 

It is a great way to promote your work visually – we can see images of all your artworks/performances/make up in one place. Just think of the impact! You can also promote the link to your board via your website and other social media to engage with followers.

It’s a wonderful tool for raising awareness of your work and gathering an online fan base, as other people can comment on your images and re-pin them to your their own boards ie. sharing the image with their friends and followers.

4. Some things are private

A couple of years ago Pinterest introduced private boards. Private boards mean that you can create a mood board for a new project and keep it to yourself until the work is finished. After completion of your product you can publish the inspiration board behind it so your followers get an insight into your process. Cool, huh?

5. Copyright?

It is definitely worth putting your copyright in the title of the image or adding your watermark/logo to the image so that others cannot reproduce it. This also means that when other profiles pin your images they are also promoting your brand and logo.

Enjoy promoting your work and please do tweet or facebook us the links to your boards!

 

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is a group of creatives with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping our way into the arts industry and helping other creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact us any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to our website: www.penguinintheroom.com

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Welcome to new client The APHP!

We are delighted to welcome new social media clients, The APHP to the Penguin in the Room team. We will be managing their Twitter and Facebook page moving forward. Photographers and actors check them out!

About:

The APHP Association is a non-profit group created in 2016 by the UK’s leading headshot photographers. Founded on principles of education, expertise and excellence, it establishes and celebrates recognised standards of professionalism, offers a path to qualification for photographers, advocates for members within the entertainment industry and promotes the highest standards in casting portraiture, to benefit actors, drama schools, agents & industry bodies.

APHP members include the most experienced photographers in the actors headshot business, expert image makers who possess not just decades of photographic experience, but also un-paralleled insights into how casting photos are used in the industry.

 

 

Look out for the H to show that your photographer has been APHP approved!

 

 

 

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is a group of creatives with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping our way into the arts industry and helping other creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact us any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to our website: www.penguinintheroom.com

The biggest mistake new theatre companies make…

We loved leading marketing workshop for Tangled Feet’s young theatre company mentees this month. Off the back of our discussions in the workshop here is the biggest mistake new theatre companies tend to make.

DON’T THINK IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ‘THEATRE’

We know that sounds disappointing but actually it’s brutal but useful advice! Your company has been brought together because of a love of performing and a similar collective spirit and of course you want to make amazing theatre but you need to think outside of that too.

You can make brilliant work in your living room but if no-one ever sees or is exposed to the work that is where it will stay.

It’s very important to thing about the aims and objectives of your theatre company which all feeds into your brand.

• Why have you come together as a collective?
• What type of work do you want to make?
• What makes your work different from other theatre companies?

These questions will not only inform your marketing they will inform your work!

Break a leg!

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is a group of creatives with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping our way into the arts industry and helping other creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact us any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to our website: www.penguinintheroom.com

Penguin chats with … Casting Director Shakyra Dowling

Casting Director and Penguin in the Room client Shakyra Dowling visited the penguin pool this week to answer some casting and online marketing related questions.

Follow Shakyra on twitter @ShakyraDowling

Whats the biggest misconception about casting directors?

Probably that we are scary people! We want actors to do well, we only bring you in because we think you are PERFECT for the job.

What are you up to at the moment?

Casting 2 feature films – one British Independent and the other a Danish/US co-production

Top casting tips for actors?

– Always learn the sides sent to you.

– Find out who is going to be at the meeting and check them out on IMDB.

– If you can watch some of their previous work on VOD then do so.

You are on twitter and Facebook, do you post castings?

Twitter – especially for those hard to find role!

Do you think it’s important for actors to be aware of their online presence?

Yes, producers always want to know how much publicity they can get out via their cast. So if you have a large following, they are impressed.

Do you chat to actors on twitter?

Sometimes, usually ones I know personally or have cast in the past.

Do you think actors should be on youtube?

If they have a body of work online (trailers for films, online ads, shorts) then its good to have it all in one place on a youtube channel. Showreels should be on spotlight or vimeo as they are more industry tools.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com

Social Media for Writers

So you are a writer and you are interested in social media, you might even have a Facebook profile but what social media channels should you be using?

You should be present on: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and a have a blog.

1. Twitter – over 500 million members and the one every one is obsessed with. Great for people on the go – you can tweet anywhere if you have a smart phone. Perfect for inspiration, promoting your writing and finding opportunities.

2. Facebook – over a billion members! The Facebook membership is getting older so you will find more and more industry folk on there. Lots of theatre companies and film companies have pages so a great place to make connections. Great for finding opportunities and promoting your writing.

3. LinkedIn – widely known as the biggest lead generating social media network, which means that people get the most work out of this one. Great for keeping tabs on your connections and promoting your cv online. Take a look at What is LinkedIn? A Straightforward Guide for more info.

4. Blog – lots of blog providers out there but WordPress is my favourite. A great way to keep yourself writing regularly and to have an online portfolio of your work to show others. Write about whatever subject you want and you can even get a following going. Blogs can lead to paid work for magazines, papers etc. and even getting a published books so pick your topic wisely!

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com

Penguin chats with … A Younger Theatre

This Penguin in the Room took time out from the glare of the hot London sun to interview Jake Orr the Artistic Director of A Younger Theatre: a popular platform for young people interested in theatre. Read on to see the results!

How did A Younger Theatre start?

After graduating from drama school I decided to head down the safety route of administration work instead of performance. Sitting behind a desk was frustrating after being so creative. I began to write as a creative outlet. At the same time I watched at press nights when the critics would come to review, and I wondered where all the critics my own age were. Thus, A Younger Theatre was born. At first a blog, and later a website.

As a platform for young people do you think social media is important?

Social media has been crucial to the continual growth of A Younger Theatre as a platform for young people. Social media allows us to reach a large audience who are already well adapt at using these digital tools, and just so happen to be our own target demographic. That’s not to say that others outside our remit of ‘young people’ don’t use them, but social media has been adopted by young people as a tool of expression, networking and creativity.

How does social media play a role in your organisation?

As a digital publication we have to ensure that our content is seen by as many people as possible. Social media is a crucial tool for us to expand our reach for this content. Everyday we push out new content through our social networks (mainly Twitter and Facebook), and then rehash old content that is still relevant for our readers. We generally tweet throughout the day, roughly every hour, and with Facebook we publish at least two photos per day which include links back to the AYT website itself. We try to develop conversations through our social media output initially from our content but also through questions we pose on the social platforms.

Do you think online marketing is useful for theatre companies?

Online marketing is crucial for any emerging theatre company, and established companies too. It is a form of marketing that is constant, one that keeps a profile of a company active even when there is no work to actually market to an audience. Never underestimate the value of digital or online marketing alongside more traditional modes of marketing such as flyers or posters.

What are your top tips for theatre companies trying to get reviewers to their shows?

Think of your theatre work as a product. Make sure you know what you’re trying to ’sell’, and market accordingly to the right demographic or receptive audience. To get a review you have to have a strong product, and be offering something different. Send a press release outlining the production to members of the press. Be personal, and don’t nag.

Is there anything that turns you off a theatre company or show on social media?

When companies and organisations put no creativity into their social media, and instead produce a stream of what feels like blatant marketing. It’s tiring and dull. Be creative.

What turns you on to a theatre company or show on social media?

Creativity, and lots of it. A company who are willing to be a think tank of ideas and to ask questions to discuss and debate their work are of interest to me.

Jake is the Founder and Artistic Director of A Younger Theatre, a platform for young people to write about theatre and the arts. Founded in 2009, AYT has been called “radically agiest” by the Guardian and was named About.com’s Best Theatre Blog of 2011. Jake is also a freelance theatre writer, digital producer, think and commentator on the arts. www.ayoungertheatre.com / www.jakeorr.co.uk / @ayoungertheatre / @jakeyoh

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com

Top 5 Facebook No No’s for Actors

So most of us are on Facebook but a lot of people ask me if they should be on there as an actor? Yes! Facebook is another great way to promote yourselves and network and there will be people on Facebook that aren’t on twitter, LinkedIn etc so don’t miss out on connecting with them. So the next question I get asked is what are the commons mistakes you should avoid? Well, I am glad you ask because here are my top 5 No No’s for Actors on Facebook…

1. Personal profiles – make sure your personal profile (profile through which you add and accept friends) is not visible in google search and update your privacy settings, you don’t want Directors seeing photos of the last hen night you went on do you! Create a page (which people can like) to be the public face of your acting brand. (You can create a personal acting profile but you are only allowed one profile on Facebook so Facebook could shut this profile down at any time)

2. Fan page – Facebook pages are often called fan pages and this makes actors feel insecure about having a page as they assume they have no fans and get caught up in the amount of likes they have. However, it is not about securing fans it’s about making connections and promoting your news – think quality not quantity – if 10 people are engaging with your page regularly that’s much better than 1000 people who never read or like anything you post.

3. Headers – Facebook’s new look timeline has header images (the long thin image across the top) and this is a great opportunity to promote yourselves. Please resist the urge to have a picture of a nice view or a stock theatre image and use this space to display a screen/theatre shot of yourself. Let prospective employers see you in action! You can even put a current production poster there to promote where your followers can see you next.

4. Twitter messages on Facebook – we all like to feel special and if I see that you have clearly posted a tweet on Facebook eg. the post contains hashtags and @tags, I don’t feel special. Your Facebook followers want to feel like you are posting interesting news for them on Facebook and not just posting any old thing because its easier. So, do not link your Facebook account to Twitter and remove twitter language before posting on Facebook. Also, it’s a good idea to post some messages on Facebook that don’t go on twitter and vice versa – make it interesting for people who follow you on both social media channels.

5. News – by all means promote yourself but don’t be a broken record. We do want to hear your news but not just a stream of you related information. Break things up with interesting articles, links etc that are useful for your followers.

So enjoy yourselves on Facebook and I hope you make some wonderful connections out of it! If you are on twitter you can also check out my Top 5 No No’s for Actors on Twitter too.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com

Penguin Chats with …. Dead Rebel Team

So what is Dead Rebel Team?

Seydou Coca: Dead Rebel Team is a group of young aspiring artists from various fields and backgrounds such as creative writing, production and film amongst others. Together we share a collective mindset in which we aim to speak directly to our audience to share a message of positivity using current and real life events.

Is your music available online? Where?

Matt Wood: Our music is available online on YouTube and Soundcloud. Our current events can be followed via our Facebook and Twitter profiles. Our first mixtape is also available for free download via the links on your Facebook fan page. Just search for The Dead Rebel Team and enjoy.

How important do you think it is for musicians/bands to market themselves?

Graeme: The music industry is such a large and varied entity nowadays that if musicians didn’t market themselves they stand to become drowned out by the noise of others around them. We see marketing and drawing attention to ourselves as key to becoming successful and give us the ability o reach into the lives of those who share an interest in our personas and our general positive messages as a whole.

How important do you think it is for musicians to have an online presence?

Ben: The internet is a massive part of modern day life, from the rise of social media in popular culture to the smart phones carried in the hands of a vast majority of the general public. To not exploit this medium would leave us likely to fall behind our rivals in the marketplace. An online presence allows our audience to listen to or watch our music freely and follow our day to day events. This allows them to feel part of the team and share in the unique experience that has become our lives. Sharing these experiences with our fans is a massive part of why we do what we do.

Have any amazing opportunities come up from people seeing your work online?

Matthew Tate: We’ve had the opportunity to work with or meet up with some fantastic up and coming artists who are on a similar path to our own such as Nick Wood, Sonny Jim and The Projekt. Our online video’s have given us the ability to display our talent to venue managers who have in turn provided us with stage time to play to crowds all around the country including our hometown of Sunderland. We have also been given the opportunity to write a song that will feature within a movie due out in August with a £1 million budget.

Do you think soundcloud is a useful platform for musicians?

Matty: Soundcloud is a fantastic worldwide platform. It’s a quick and easy way to share our music with those without the ability to download or anyone wanting to play our track on the go. What’s more is it’s a free and stable website that can be linked to and offers a download function to our tracks. It makes the job of sharing our music with the world so much easier and allows us more precious time doing what we love most.

Do you think YouTube is a useful platform for musicians?

Frawd: Everyone loves music videos. The success of MTV in the 80’s and the subsequent success of the channels following in its footsteps such as Kerrang and Channel AKA are testament to this. For those, like ourselves, in the dawning of their careers YouTube offers a free and easy way to get seen as well as heard by the worldwide populous. This is integral to those who aren’t currently in a position to get their video’s onto these stations. YouTube also gives us an opportunity to see how well our video’s are being received by our audience by means of view counts and comments.

Do you think Twitter and Facebook are useful platforms for musicians?

Graeme: With over 1 billion users on social media you can bet your life it’s a useful platform. We use Twitter and Facebook daily to speak to our fans and update them with what we’ve been up to, where the next gig is and link them to our latest tracks.

Are there any other online platforms that you think musicians/bands should know about?

Seydou Coca: Mixcould If your a DJ and Bandcamp are good ones.

What is the best marketing advice you have been given?

Matt Wood: Use the law of attraction. To us it is more than an idea; it’s a powerful force that affects our everyday life. Concentrate, focus and work hard enough on what you want in life and it will come to you. You can’t expect positivity in your life without yourself being positive. This is something we speak about through our music and in our everyday lives. Also don’t put all your songs on YouTube or sound cloud give people a reason to get your mix tapes and come and see you live for new material.

Do you have any marketing tips for musicians or bands out there?

Graeme: Just basically what we have already said. To those who haven’t used these methods we say research and test them for yourselves.

Where can we see you next?

Matthew Tate: If you check our Facebook and Twitter we always keep people updated about Gigs which we have loooootttts of coming up, new material and any news regarding the team. Seydou Coca our DJ has his own live feed where he does a mix, you can tune in there.

Find Dead Rebel online:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dead-Rebel-Team/274718582576109

SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/dead-rebel-team

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thedeadrebelteam

Twitter: @deadrebelteam

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email:info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website: www.penguinintheroom.com

FAQ’s from Surviving Actors: Common Actor’s Marketing Questions Answered!

Well I had a jam-packed two days at Surviving Actors this month leading a seminar with The Page UK, being on Fuse Creative Network’s stand and doing one on ones and met lots of lovely creative people! I had a lot of chats and answered a lot of burning questions so I thought I would look at the most common in the hope that it might help you!

Why should I be on twitter?

• Networking – there are half a billion people on twitter so its like going to a networking event with half a billion people and you don’t have to do the face to face stuff you can plan what you are going to say!
• News – If you follow industry professionals, companies, venues, twitter can keep you in the loop with what is going on in the industry.
• Jobs – Castings are posted on twitter.
• Profile – being present and engaging on twitter can raise your profile in the industry as more people will be aware of you
• Promotion – you can promote your shows, films, showreels and just generally your amazing self!

If I’m not working what can I post and tweet about?

Anything that is related to the industry and on point to your objective for being on social media! Post interesting things for your followers. Tell us about an amazing play you went to see, post an interesting article, promote a film company you used to work for, tell us who won the BAFTA’s in case we haven’t seen it yet.

What is LinkedIn?

I have written a blog purely on that subject! Here you go What is LinkedIn?

I have another business should I have two LinkedIn pages, twitter profiles etc?

This is a very personal thing. If you feel your businesses work well together eg. Director/Writer then keep it the same. If you feel that clients from one business might feel uncomfortable initially finding out that you are an actor keep them separate. In addition, you might be working in two very different fields eg. acting and architecture so it might be best to separate your contacts in each area and promote your jobs separately in their relevant industries.

How should I go about contacting Casting Directors on twitter?

Just connect with them. Sending a blanket message with your spotlight link isn’t going to do you any favours. Just think, if someone sent this to me would I click on the link (especially if I get bombarded by a similar thing via email every day)?

What are hashtags on twitter?

Aha I have written a blog on this too. Here you go Making the most of Hashtags on Twitter

How many tweets should I do a day?

6 tweets a day generally gives you the best engagement and outreach. But do not fear, that includes retweets and replies.

Should I have a fan page on Facebook because I haven’t really done much?

I would say yes and don’t think of it as a fan page. I would just think of it as a professional page on Facebook. It keeps people engaged with what is going on with you professionally as your personal profile keeps your friends engaged with whats going on with you personally. Don’t get caught up in the amount of likes either, just try to engage with people.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.com or Facebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website: www.penguinintheroom.com

What is LinkedIn? A Straightforward Guide.

In my marketing consultations with creatives I often hear…

I have a LinkedIn profile but I don’t really know what to do with it?

or

What is LinkedIn for?

Sound familiar? Well lots of people have lots of complicated opinions about LinkedIn and how to use it for marketing (and I’m sure they are all very useful if you like the complicated stuff) but here are my basic tips for understanding and using LinkedIn, as straightforward as I could get them.

What can I use LinkedIn for?

Online Address Book – think of it as a space to keep all of your business contacts, like an address book you can never lose because its online! Add people the day after you meet/work with them and then you have everyone in one handy place.

Working – LinkedIn is widely known as the biggest lead generating network which means more potential to get you work and make you money. It’s all about networking to building your industry address book, nurturing your contacts and reminding them that you exist!

Profile – if you are working on your google listing, LinkedIn is another online profile which will appear in an online search so you can bolster your listings.

Recommendations – LinkedIn gives you the option to ask your connections for recommendations, so use it! Getting testimonials from people and companies you have worked with previously will not only show that you have been working but will give others another reason to hire you. If a contact I know/respect recommends you, I might be more likely to hire you!

Skill Endorsements – your skill list is a great tool to sell yourself as a creative. LinkedIn has introduced a new feature which allows your connections to endorse your skills at the click of a button. Like mini recommendations for your skills!

Highlights – LinkedIn now allows you to rearrange your profile so that you can highlight your key accolades. Eg. If you have won any awards you can move that section to the top! There is also room for a summary paragraph which should list all your highlights too.

Reminders – LinkedIn has its own posts feed, similar to Facebook and twitter. Publish relevant posts on your feed to remind your business contacts you exist and tell them all the amazing things you are up to (only industry related of course).

Introductions – if you want to meet someone in particular eg. for actors it might be that key casting director or for artists a gallery owner, LinkedIn can help. Via LinkedIn you can search the name of the person you would love to meet and see how you are linked to them through your current connections. You can then ask your connection to introduce you! (Free LinkedIn only gives you a few of these introductions so use them wisely as your contact could refuse to introduce you!)

Groups – LinkedIn has many different groups (similar to Facebook groups) that you can join and use for networking, problem solving and looking up opportunities. Once you have set up your profile its worth searching for groups that might be relevant to you or starting one of your own!

So I hope you feel that you know a little bit more about LinkedIn – don’t forget to add the icon to the social media bar on your website so people can find you! Do let me know how you get on.

Penguin in the Room @prartsmarketing is one penguin with an arts marketing dream: penguin stepping my way into the arts industry and helping creatives flourish! Specialising in online marketing, social media, branding, copy writing, media coaching and web design for actors, artists, casting directors, agents, production companies, theatre companies and creative individuals.

Contact me any time for penguin chats via email: info@penguinintheroom.comorFacebook.com/penguinintheroom or waddle over to my website:www.penguinintheroom.com