The world is nuts for social media. Even this site is optimized for social media. The buttons at the end of the article is for you to share on your own social profiles as you see fit. Why are they there? because not only do I want my hard work shared but also social media is a bloody powerful tool to use especially in the entertainment world. People book shows with well known names, with a following so their shows can be successes. Talent gets you so far but unless you push, the work wont find you or you find it.
How many ‘stars’ have been made thanks to YouTube or become twitter sensations? So many. Justin Beiber (love him or hate him) was found thanks to YouTube. Its insane. Lets not even mention the whole blogging world. That place has exploded. My neighbour even has a blog about her love of carbooting. The world likes instant gratification and whether we like it or not, we need to be a part of it but more importantly, in control of it.
Years ago celebrities relied upon the PR people to do their talking but now more stars are turning to social media to right the wrongs, set the record straight or even make big announcements. Just as much as this is controlling what you put out, sometimes we need to know when to hold it back.
In burlesque, we want the world to know what we do, we need the likes on our videos to show promoters we are worth booking, we need to have people buzzing about us and we kinda want to show off our achievements. Dont get offended. We all do it: look at my new costume…look at all the sparkles etc etc.
No promoter wants to see the feuds you may be involved in, nor do they want to see the crap you splash out about your fellow performer. You need to know when to toe the line and when to step over it. Dont short sell yourself but also dont panda to your own ego. No one wants to read a twitter feed that is all about how awesome you are. Dont retweet every tweet someone writes to you. It is pointless and to be honest, a bit shit. Retweet the occasional one by all means but also offer out the love. This will in turn result in you receiving even more love and what do ya know!? A circle starts to form. You put out love, you get it back. Promoters cotton on and think…hey he/she is popular, may mean my show sells out or at least gets some interest.
Promoters love performers who invest in their shows. This doesnt have to mean financially but share the love and knowledge of the show on your social media. The promoter can then see you work hard and in turn people who are fans will be encouraged to buy tickets. Another circle of promotion via social media.
WARNING
What you put on the internet can come back to bite your shiny ass. Be that now or years to come. How many times have you thought ‘crap girl, why you post that?!’ when skimming through the internet? I dont mind the odd rant but sometimes I get the impression people are negative constantly. I dont want to book them for my shows. The same though if they constantly push a very hyped and false idea of themselves. Its a fine line toe but I use the rule: If ma granny shouldnt be reading it, I shouldnt be putting it out there.
