By Michele Smith
Facebook – MicheleSmithMarketing
When you are an aspiring model and you finally have all of the necessary photographs for your personal portfolio, the question now is what marketing tools does a model need to use next to help find work?
One last thing to keep in mind when it comes to photography is to make sure you have the “right” amount of photos. While there is not a magical number, the number of photos in your portfolio should simply reflect your personality – you do not want too little or too many; so there may be a little of trial and error when it comes to what works specifically for the particular model.
What is the next key component in a model’s marketing toolbox? This of course would be a professional website. While there are several schools of thought when it comes to a model’s website (specifically, whether a model should have one or not), but in general most industry professionals agree that in this day and age a web presence is an absolute necessity. The con’s to the website argument is that there are tons of individual websites out on the internet and it is easy to get lost. In addition, when it comes to getting modeling jobs, it is really more of an “in person” hiring opportunity vs. hiring a model online from their website pictures.
The website is a great supplemental tool when it comes to supporting any modeling casting calls, as you will be able to display even more of your photos and modeling work. Keep in mind your website should be created by a professional and this is certainly not a D.I.Y. activity unless you are skilled programmer. A professional developer will also know how to integrate all of your social media (yes, you need a presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and allow you to easily update all of your social media profiles with a simple click.
While most modeling agencies do have websites where they list all of their talent, most models have not seen the benefit, as they are lost in the sea of other models. This is where having your own professional website comes into play, but if you do not have time to market your website, it is an unnecessary expense. The “if you build it they will come” theory simply does not work here. Another reason why any aspiring or current model needs a website is simply that a website presence gives great exposure. When you have a site, you pretty much have a 24-hour, 7 day a week search possibility for art directors and photographers; which will ultimately result in costs savings for the model.
There are three possible options for models for an online web presence. The first as discussed above is the personal website. The second option is a free model listing site, where you can upload photos and even link to your own website. There are a handful of these out on the internet, however they are not prominent. Last, but not least, there are paid model listing websites or paid virtual modeling agency websites. Costs here vary across the board depending on services offered, but the at the end of the day a website is an important part of ay model’s marketing toolkit.
For more advice see How To Find Work As A Model – Part 1
