In this day and age everyone has social media and it’s no different for actors, but as such you may want to think twice before going without a website.

Social media is a great way to put yourself out there and connect with fans. Being free, it’s one of the most popular ways in which actors promote their name and work, not only with followers, but casting directors and agencies.

So if you have social media, do you need a website? The short answer is yes.

Social media is all the rave right now, but who knows when that high will die down. It probably won’t happen anytime soon and if Facebook and Twitter disappear for some reason, something else will surely take their place.

According to Philip Hernandez, a respected acting teacher and singing coach in New York City, as great as social media is, an actor should most definitely have a website that they can control and design as they wish.

“A website is a calling card that you can say ‘check me out at http://www.JoetheAwesomeActor.com’ and then on ‘www.JoetheAwesomeActor.com’ you have links to your Facebook, YouTube videos or twitter. Telling an agent or casting director to look you up on Facebook is not really professional. Sending them to your site is.”

You can stay on top — or hire someone such as AltoMedia to do so — of all your social media sites, but they are still influenced by others. A website, which doesn’t have to be too fancy, but you can add all the basics, such as your CV, headshots or photoshoots, biographical information, etc.

An actor can build or have a website built relatively inexpensively and may have to dish a monthly amount if they want a third party to take care of the administration of the site. After all, trying to become a household name will take a lot of work and dedication and who has time to create a webpage?

Of course you could do it yourself, but most actors simply do not have the time or knowledge to create a website on their own. In summary, don’t send your Facebook link to a potential agent or other studio executive, it’s just not professional to do so. You need a website.

Thinking about creating your own website to showcase your talent for all to see? Let us know if we can help.

[Image via Kevin Leslie/Twitter]