The Whole Megilla

I've spoken a wee bit about HOW these things might be shipped out. The sailors of yore didn't take a dinghy, did they? Lordy, no! They got the most beautiful schooners, with gold leaf and shining brass embellishing their ships! THOSE were vessels worthy of carrying spices and silks.

What vessels will be worthy of YOUR treasures? 

1. Stray from white envelopes. Jam Paper is a fantastic resource for OODLES upon OODLES of colorful envelopes in every size imaginable! Pick a color that's totally on-brand. For me, that's sweet, bold colors--turquoises, magentas, purples, yellows. But maybe you're a cougar, and your color is vampy red! Or maybe you're the broody bad boy, and charcoal envelopes are more your style. Or make your own!

2. On-brand fonts. If you're going to use address return labels, make sure that they, too, are on brand! Don't use the patriotic ones the VFW sends to you, save those for your bills and non-business. But when you send your ship, return labels ideally echo your normal marketing. 

3. On-brand decor. Everyone wants to open something that looks fun! For a chirpy, cutesy type like me, I have fun, on-brand stickers--Muppets, Sesame Street, My Little Ponies, etc. If you're the cougar, maybe hearts or kisses; and maybe something like ravens or quills for the Johnny Depps among us. What feels like what you're most frequently cast as? And you don't have to limit yourself to stickers--you can use glitter, rubber stamps, paint, drawings...whatever!

4. Fun stamps. I covered PhotoStamps (which, if you have the extra scheckles laying around, I ADORE), but if they're just too pricey for now, head on over to your post office and see what they have. I'm totally sad that I missed Muppet stamps. However, there may be some that really resonate with your personal brand, or even that mean something to you--what if you're the Earth Mother type, and you can get those stamps that fund cancer research? You want this as personalized as possible! 

5. Avoid labels. Now, please, make yourself return labels--fun ones, in your font (as per 2 paragraphs ago), colorful, if possible! However, I just have this utz about hand-writing out your recipients' addresses. Maybe it's that it feels less schlocky. (Wow, lots of Yiddish today!) Maybe it's that personal cards from friends or family are always hand-addressed. I know you'll get a writing cramp, but in my opinion, hand-addressed envelopes are WAY warmer and more familiar, and a much better building block on the way to building a totally reciprocal relationship full of Whuffie. 

Now you have a ship ready for its maiden voyage! 

Addresses are clearly removed, but observe the elements: On-brand font, handwritten 'to' address, on-brand colorful envelope, on-brand decor (I freaking love Muppets so hard), and finally, a PhotoStamp with my most memorable role from 30 Rock. THIS is a ship from a friend to a friend; sent to someone I very much want to create a real, mutual relationship with.

Hope this was inspiring and helpful, fellow sailors! Questions? Want to share your designs with me? Please post in comments, on FB or Twitter! :D

Ahoy, Mateys! 

Jen

PhotoStamps

How can you add some jazz, pizzazz to your ships?

How about a stamp with your adorbs little face on it?

Get yourself over to PhotoStamps.com and order some custom stamps! You can make them headshot stamps, OR you can have fun and do show-specific stamps!

A heads-up--Photostamps ARE indeed expensive; they cost about double what a normal stamp does. But if you want a little extra POW in your marketing, I find they're a great addition!

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

What about Send Out Cards?

Okay, sleeves are up. "BUT JEN!" you ask! "WHY would I spend all this time handwriting ships and envelopes and stamping them and getting them in the mail? What about Sendoutcards.com?"

Sendoutcards.com IS a super-creative resource that IS helpful, particularly when you're tight on time!

But here's the thing--the time? The EFFORT of personally handwriting and licking and stamping? That *is* impressive. In a time where we receive junk mail cleverly disguised as greeting cards, when we get tweets from spam accounts, when there's SO MUCH out there that's already inauthentic--Sendoutcards, to me, doesn't cross over to the authentic side.

I've heard the complaint from casting that it DOES look like junk mail, so it goes directly in the trash. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, but when the goal of ships is to authentically connect and build a relationship, why wouldn't you take the time necessary to craft a super-personal piece of mail from yourself?

Just my 2 cents! ;) 

Ahoy, Mateys!

Jen

Mastering Twitter for your Acting Career

[Originally a guest blog for Green Room Blog!]

With social media as a formidable tool, we actors now have SO many fun ways to promote ourselves and make a big impact on our careers! Let's cover the Top 10 Rules about applying Twitter to your career cause. :)

1. Consistency is KING. My dear friends, if you show up for Twitter...then abandon it for several months...then come back for a few weeks, then disappear again...you're not going to build relationships there. This really IS rule #1, because Twitter is more like an intimate conversation than any of the other social outlets. You don't have to go crazy--the Dallas Travers rule is Do Less, More Often--but come along regularly, at least 2-3x per week. Too crazy-busy? Apps like Hoot Suite and TweetDeck are SO helpful in managing Twitter! 

2. It's not the You-Party. Don't worry, other things can be! ;) But Twitter is more about forming bonds and making relationships than it is about selling yourself. That said, make a point to do self promotional tweets regularly, but that shouldn't be your WHOLE feed. Most of your feed should be at-replies, retweets, and engaging and celebrating other users. 

3. Don't Spaghetti-Sling as my dear Bonnie Gillespie would say! Twitter is HUGE--go forth with purpose. What do you want to do? Befriend other actors? Befriend celebrities? Indie filmmakers? Producers? Agents? Start with that, then utilize Twitter's killer SEARCH function. And listen to Follow Friday (#FF)--the people you follow will suggest MORE people--and people only recommend others worth following.

4. Personalize Retweets. Retweeting used to allow for a comment, but the new Twitter interface just automatically processes it. To add your own message, click 'reply,' then put your text at the forefront of the Tweet. Throw in an 'RT' and there ya go--a personalized retweet!

5. Choose wisely who to follow, because following TOO many people is just going to overwhelm your feed (and likely keep you inactive or disengaged). Make sure to only follow users who are active Tweeps, not someone who logged on in 2009 and then wandered away. Follow people who are easy to engage with, too!

6. And don't feel badly if YOU don't have many followers. Believe me--they will come! Be patient and start small--besides, why do they need to follow you if most of your content is engaging with them directly? Just keep on creating and nourishing relationships and eventually you'll be a total magnet for followers. :)

7. Rome wasn't built in a day. Can I re-emphasize patience? I simply must. <3 Patience, friends! Twitter takes a while to give you some clout. But just keep on keepin' on.

8. Utilize #FFs in a really generous way. Yes, most people have their #FFs as a big list of people they love--sometimes that's what people can do, and that's okay! But if you can, a BETTER scenario would be one, solid #FF, telling your followers WHY they should follow someone. For instance:
"#FF @bonniegillespie --Rock-star master of ninja badassery, amazing CD and SUPER PASSIONATE actor career coach with @GetA_Listed and @SelfMgmt4Actors! www.bonniegillespie.com"
How psyched would Bonnie be when she saw that? Probably SUPER psyched; and just like if there was one like that about YOU, it would probably make your day! Make people feel good. <3

9. Utilize Klout and give accordingly! Check out your Klout score, then dole some out to the people you admire. Again, you'll make their day, and in addition to that--you gain Klout yourself, both online AND to the people you admire. 

10. If you can, take Twitter into REAL LIFE! I know that both coasts have NY/LA Actor Tweet-Ups--and everyone just gets SO EXCITED to meet each other. I almost swallowed my tongue the first time I got to meet @CandiceOden. It's thrilling, and builds your relationships even more! And who knows? You'll probably get more followers, too! ;)

Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen

Answering YOUR Questions: What Ships Can I Send?

Here's a request from my friend Danielle Montezinos: 
"Need some new marketing ideas!"

Girl, get ready to take notes. ;)

Okay, actors! You have your list! You have your coffee! You are energized! Now are you ready to send out those mailings?! Of course you are! And what will you send?!

Oh, no. Well, that's disappointing. My friends, hold onto those precious 8x10 headshots--those are so much better sent on special occasions, or given in-person!  

Instead, be a creative artist--make OTHER compelling, entertaining and informing things to send in the mail. I promise that it won't just be effective, it'll also be fun!

Small headshot/resumes. My business coach (and probably the same stellar marketing maven for many of you, Dallas Travers) is big on a 5x7 headshot and resume. Why? It offers the same content as an 8x10, but is SO much more likely to be opened! Just order some 5x7 shots from a photo site, and make a small 'sizzle' version of your resume to staple on. Voila! Put it in some fun small envelopes and off they go!

Headshot or logo postcards. If you're sending off a quick message--'just got representation!'  'was put on hold for a commercial!'  'Moving to the other coast!'--you can totally use one of these suckers. Get over to Vistaprint and just upload a headshot, order some postcards, and you're golden! And when you get REALLY creative? Get yourself some fun logo postcards. Need help making a logo? I do that! 

Show cards/Project cards. Are you really proud of something? Want to advertise your play/episodic/commercial/film? Well, goshdarnit, send out some swanky postcards! (Need help? Again, I do that!) You can use a logo, a screenshot from the project, a behind-the-scenes picture...whatever! If it's an established episodic and you're a co-star or guest star, get creative--involve yourself in the show!

 One-Sheets. One-Sheets are like full-page ads that are a fun spin on getting to know you! Your first one can be a doozy, but when you finally get it going, it's really inspiring and affirming to make them, print them and send them off. :) Also a fantastic creative outlet! The first oh-mazing one I ever saw was Helenna Santos', and since then, there are PLENTY to browse for inspiration on Dallas' FB page. I also wrote a great post for Kate O'Phalen about making your own, but if you want to hire help--I do that, too. ;) Here's one that I made for the wonderful Suzanne Smart:

Castability Sheets. These are such simple, effective tools! Just gather a few breakdowns that were just PERFECT for you IF ONLY YOU'D BEEN CALLED IN! Shows people your flavor(s) lickety-split. :) Need help? Guess who does these? 

 Thank You Cards. Send out one of these suckers when you have overwhelming gratitude in your heart! But the rule of thumb is--keep it strictly THANKS! You can either create some through Vistaprint, buy some blank ones, or have me create custom ones for you. 

Anything that feels right! Don't feel LIMITED by this list--you don't always have to sell yourself through the mail! What about congratulatory cards on a promotion, on having a project win a Tony or Oscar, on movin to a new office? Dallas Travers calls this sending Whuffie, and it's a very important part of actually building relationships with people. So keep some blank notecards around for this purpose! 

Does this help, lady? If not, let me know so I can get in there and help you! Other readers, what do you think? What did you like best; what feels like it needs more clarification? Give me your feedback here in comments, via Twitter, or FB!

Ahoy, Mateys!
Jen