It’s that time of year again!
And this year is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of all that downtime you’ll have (between eating and decorating, of course)…
After all, a creator never rests!
The time off work and away from other commitments that comes with the holidays can and should be utilized to help advance your career and get your project noticed.
One of the easiest (and most effective) ways to do this is to improve your online presence.
It’s free and can only help your cause…
So we’ve come up with a checklist of all the things you can be doing online to improve your reputation and social following.
Before you begin to tackle this checklist during your holiday break, make sure to zero in on your goals of creating an online presence….
Do you want to sell more books? Do you want to connect with screenwriters in your area? Are you hoping to get the attention of a key Hollywood player? Do you want to establish a local writer’s circle?
There are so many different things that can be accomplished by setting yourself up with an online image, so it’s important to hone in on what you want, and why, so you can focus on that goal.
o Build a Website
Your website should be the heart of your brand and the message you want to put out to the online world. Your website should to be easy to use, explain who you are and what you do, and have a clear message.
Wix.com is an easy-to-use, free website hosting platform and a great place to start building your website if you aren’t interested in paying a developer to help.
Once you’re a bit more established, adding a call to action on your website is a great idea to get visitors engaged. You could set up an “Add to Mailing List” button and send out a monthly newsletter all about the latest news of your journey as a creator.
o Start a Blog
When it comes to developing a project – whether it’s a film, a commercial, a viral video or a TV show – a blog will help serve your process. It can help you to identify your audience and give them the opportunity to talk back (through comment feeds).
Blogging about your project and the different stages it’s going through opens what I like to call the Door to Collaboration, a dynamic give-and-receive process that can help shape your idea into the Best Possible Product.
If you have investors involved it’s a great way to maintain their excitement. A blog can keep them up to date on how the project is moving and offer them reassurance that their money is being used wisely.
A blog can also stir up some buzz, create more awareness of your product and potentially generate more support.
o Get on Social Media
Social media is at the forefronts of our lives, whether we like it or not—and it’s not going anywhere.
Establish a Facebook and Twitter page for yourself or your project. They provide a great medium to engage with your followers and fellow creators online. The more often you provide interesting and worth-while content about your project and/or journey to success, the more likely people will be to click on your profile and check out your story.
The ultimate goal with getting on social media is to connect with potential producers, investors, collaborators, etc.
o Engage Your Fellow Creators Online
Once you’ve created social media profiles, be sure to engage other users! Just having the profiles won’t do much…you need to comment, like, and tag others to start generating attention to your page.
Start with your inner circle and begin to expand to others in your field, genre, market, etc.
Make deals with your followers on Twitter…agree to post about their website or project on your profile if they post about yours! Building relationships with those that have an established online presence is one of the most effective ways to increase your own online visibility.
There is so much you can do with social media, so get creative and show your voice.
o Continue Optimizing & Improving Your Presence
The final step of this checklist involves continuing the work you put in during the holidays.
Keep up with your posts and articles to continue growing your follower base and online exposure. The work is never done when it comes to upkeep on social media, blogs and your website.
Once you’ve created the profiles/websites, you need to make sure to check in on everything you’ve created for yourself and your project.
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There you have it! The checklist that will help improve your career over the Holiday season.
By setting yourself up with an online image, you make your story more well-known. And if people are talking about you and your project, a Hollywood executive might get wind of your story or stumble upon you online.
Make sure they have some great content to see when they do!
If you need help getting started a little eggnog really helps get those creative juices flowing
Happy Holidays!