Hi!
I am no professional, but I did notice much reaction from Instagram by just choosing Tags carefully. I used a software named: Rite Tag to choose hashtags and just added them to the end of the description.
Whether these convert is another art of its own. But I did notice the hashtags working there yes, so my experience supports the Instagram tales as well.
Hi there!
I read through all the posts and thought it to be a little more clear maybe to respond to many posts and comments with one, adding some touch of my own experiences and observations.
Before the shock of the pandemic, I worked as a saleswoman at events and fairs. It has been around 8+ years since I started. Little before the pandemic though, I already felt like moving on and said goodbye to the partners. Briefly said, it was not good for my health or anything else. Financially and energetically draining more than providing.
By the side, I was testing and analyzing the similarities and differences between online marketing and offline marketing just out of curiosity. Digging a bit deeper though after some expressions of interest for me to provide sales mentoring. How can I provide any mentorship with only limited experiences though? And especially, having made my conclusions based on feedback and word-of-mouth rather than clear financial comparisons from which I always earned only a previously agreed upon, sometimes even ridiculously low percentage out of.
To be honest, in overall perspective I do not see much difference between a social-media platform and a traditional shopping mall. Considering a traditional day without an organized event therefore: at both of them people normally pass you with complete ignorance, if you do not constantly work on catching their attention and preserving it while you have it.
Additionally, you must be considerate and respectful for Their time, attention and Their focus. It may sound harsh, but first-hand you are just an additional time-consumer to Their planned schedules. So without respect for Their personal space and preferences, you can not get much respect really.
Social-media platforms are thankfully more flexible when it comes to the use of our time, meaning that the posts and comments can be published any time and will be available later-on as well. This is why I have personally come to enjoy writing somehow. There is less pressure on my own speed of work, same way with necessity for speedy and clear self-expression with acts. This ānow or neverā mentality is a bit more stretched out.
An addition to these benefits is that it is technically a lot easier to share what has already been posted compared to the offline options. The only common problem though, which is very similar to offline comparisons of large fairs and global events, is overwhelment. Meaning here the constant growth of huge amounts of content in all varieties.
This is what I noticed being highlighted here as well by @Lochy and @haikujaguar , where it may even be more complex to catch sincere attention online than it probably is offline. Now, that is obviously my own translation here. I just noticed a connection there with what customers at events have pointed out to me. āIf we could, we would buy everythingā has been a common phrase.
Which means there is just too much too fast for them, to be able to come to any conclusions for a decent choice or a decision. Conversion therefore is a story of its own - how would they find enough interest to support our work financially?
In such comparison I have honestly noticed offline-means to work faster in terms of receiving financial support. It may be connected to the feeling of trust. This is also why videos have often had better impact than just text and photos: we can see and meet the person in person which helps us to naturally trust them more. It obviously does not mean that text and photos would not work, there is just the difference in how we do it.
In overall, I did wish to mention to @Lochy and @haikujaguar that it is not always about what we do or even the platforms we use. That often-times, these do not make much difference in final anyway. Some platforms and solutions are just more comfortable and easily understandable for some people and for other, some other platforms.
The same goes with certain acts: it is so common to copy acts and expect the same results as someone else has had. Sincerity of our action though just always trumps it all no matter what, primarily based on my offline experiences at least. Therefore, it is never about the step or the act that makes one successful, but more about the Why? and from thereon, the How?. Awareness about a variety of possible action-steps is always good for inspiration though.
Offline example of this, is practically every event where almost every company-owner is fiercely fighting for a better spot, some even offer to pay more etc. In reality though, the ones who do their own advertising independently from the events and connect with customers more often through social-media in addition to face-to-face events, have always had significantly better results no matter-the-weather so to speak.
So our ability to connect and sincerely communicate, to uphold curiosity for our customers and their needs, their interests and concerns has so far proven to be the only true measure of success. Only thanks to customers = people with interest to what we do, we have some income. If we do not have them or expect the event organizers or online platform owners to hand-them-over to us, we truly get nowhere. Because quite obviously this is just not their focus, even though so many seem to expect it to be nowadays.
So the main nut-to-crack with social-media or any online marketing therefore, as it seems to me is: how to connect with people sincerely and dedicatedly enough, that both of us would be able to distinguish trustworthy from untrustworthy and savor this connection even when the growth of attention may start to overwhelm?
@bradguigar I truly like your perspective! Though I can not fully agree with it.
I must admit that I have personally unfollowed most of the artists that I actually admire because of the external content they are sharing that is not connected to their own artwork.
If I admire your art and wish to hear of your art, then why would I be ok with my feed being filled with everything else but your work which is what I assumably asked for through following you? This is how brands work: clarity of focus. It has been pleasing though to read some personal stories or tutorials etc. which by itself is connected to the author and their art usually. So with real connection to the work itself, it has been a good addition.
Undoubtedly, sharing interesting content more and doing it often will catch the attention of more people. The question there is whether it would catch and hold up the attention of the ones with actual interest to our art? How can we connect it well enough? My experiences show that careful selection of content is a hell-of-a-task on its own. Meaning, it is very time-consuming if not even awfully time-consuming. Especially if our interest is not to get cold and ignorant followers or even more-so, to not lose the dedicated followers we already have. The choices we make there most definitely have an impact as much as my personal experiences have shown by now.
An idea I personally came up with was to simply: interact. Which is what I have been using in the offline-sales practice as well. This in online-practice, has meant searching out profiles and posts by certain hashtags or keywords and commenting or asking something connected to the content they have shared.
It sure is rather time-consuming as well and probably takes more frequent posts from myself to have some impact in overall. Though I find it personally rather rewarding. There is a feeling of being connected, more than when I would just work on finding things to post and simply sharing much. So I have decided to focus on interaction so far, though quite honestly I have no true clarity on how well it may go or how little or more effective it could be in final. As of now, it has been more humane at least.
So I personally would not consider focus on content as a bad thing for creators, for in my perspective this is what they should be doing - to focus on Their work. Though it is true again that without people to buy or support our work financially = sales or patrons, there is not much point in focusing on it again.
I have noticed a general lack of awareness about marketing as a form of art on-its-own. It is honestly quite odd to see so many company representatives as well as even owners to expect good results with close to 0 dedication to the choices of their marketing tactics or even providers. A lot of airy, dreamy, up-on-the-clouds convictions and expectations there.
It is prone to criticism, but even big companies with quite expansive, large market-holds do not seem to truly have much understanding (clarity in their own minds) in what they are doing marketing-wise. This is where it gets more painful and risks are higher also, so holding on to old-patterns is obviously more common. Their trust is in the old. Though it has often resulted with pointing their noses high while overlooking quality as well as complaints, advisory or any feedback from customers. It is definitely not 100% of course, but the percentage does seem oddly high. When the quality and support from customers falls, what happens?..
Therefore, I do agree that there should be a lot more focus on marketing in overall, not only by artists, but I personally believe that also by the bigger-players. Considering here mostly the effectiveness and general impact of the marketing tactics. A lot of unpractical use of finances there.
@Lochy Thanks for the Recurpost idea, it looks promising!
@gareth.southwell Lots of followers is just something that can guarantee a potential that at least 1 person would find some true interest in what you are sharing. This is a somewhat comic perspective I have noticed many company owners having. Obviously there is some truth to it, but profitability is a whole other story.
In overall, getting a lot of followers is not very difficult. Getting supportive and dedicated followers is a work on its own and obviously requires a lot more.
Very true! Iām on a lot of different social media with varying results regarding my following and follower interaction. My Facebook page for my jewellery has over 1k followers, but very low engagement. My Pinterest has over 4.2k followers and lots of engagement, but not on the right content and very low traffic numbers to my website. Most just repin the content Iāve shared from others, or, are other creators looking to copy my work rather than in supporting me in it. My following on Instagram is growing, but very slowly. However, I get more interaction with followers there than anywhere else. As for Twitter, Iām on it, but I hate it more than words can describe and it mostly stands dead.
I do think itās gotten a lot harder to grow a following though. I have multiple Facebook pages (one for each type of work I do), and, with the newer pages, it feels like an uphill battle to get them seen. Of course that could be because of changes in Facebook page algorithms. They seem determined to push everyone into paying to promote posts in order to get any kind of visibility.
I have come to the same conclusion and doing the same thingā¦sortaā. Too many artists in the world with the same goal in mind.
Iāve been using Hive.blog and benefiting both from being paid in crypto for posting, plus not being censored. My art and ideas have been blocked and censored for years on mainstream social media, so it eventually was counterproductive to use Fbook, Twitter, Insta.
Itās interesting what folks say here about conversion; I find that, especially nowadays, both the polemic and the blinkering (the information blackout) on mainstream are meaning that artists like myself are literally invisible - or worse! Iām stripping everything back, and using more organic/ less automated ways of connecting with people - and I agree with others who mention that this kind of ānaturalā approach is more solid, sustainable.
I also started studying whatās going on behind the scenes with surveillance, manipulations, etc, and am working at getting out of that whole system asap.
Iām exlporing Mewe just now, and getting a feel for whether or not itāll be a long-term option. Considering moving over to a non-Patreon alternative also, as itās becoming less sustainable now that Iām earning just over ā¬100 p m.
I just joined MeWe as well along with Parler. Still figuring them both out, but Iām liking them so far. Especially Parler, thereās a fairly active artist community over there. If youāre looking for another Patreon-like site, maybe give āBuy Me a Coffeeā a try. Itās completely free (they take a 5% commission on payments made to you, but thatās all). I just signed up there to compliment my Patreon as it allows people to make a one-time support gift (would love to see that option here as well),
i think the reason why a lot of artists might avoid parler though, is because itās notoriously filled with right-wing extremists and conspiracy theorists.
Donāt believe everything you hear about Parler. Most of it is super exaggerated by those that want it to fail so that people donāt leave Facebook and Twitter.
itās not just some internet rumor, theyāre pretty well known for it. there are many (1) reports (2) of (3) right (4) wing (5) extremism (6) and QAnon (7) conspiracy (8). you can read up more about their criticisms and founders with plenty of linked sources on wiki too.
just based on all of these publications, and more, i still think itās fair to let other creators know about the audience on that site. plenty of us are women, lgbtq+, poc. and would be uncomfortable giving that kind of website any ad sense or traffic and hosting our art there. just my two cents.
Thereās plenty of those on the other social media platforms as well though. The platform is just a platform, itās the users that are responsible for what they post and who they will or will not interact with, not the site. Same as any other site, you can ignore or block users you donāt what to be involved with. If youāre concerned about what people may comment on your posts though, they give you a lot of moderation settings over what you will or will not allow to be posted on your content.
Personally though, if I concerned myself with where a potential audience stood on political/social/etc. issues and whether or not I agreed with them, Iād be anxious all the time and it would be a total waste of energy and a robber of joy. So long as they arenāt requiring that I violate my own beliefs, I donāt care where they themselves stand.
That said, itās neither here nor there to me if you choose to give Parler a chance or not. I respect your right to choose where to promote your art and where not to and for whatever reason, not every platform is everyoneās cup of tea. I simply have far too many issues with Twitter and Facebook that Iām willing to give them a try, but thatās my choice though and it doesnāt mean it has to be everyone elseās.
I run a Mastodon instance on the side (I even have a second Patreon for it to let some of my users help me pay the hosting bills) and I have noticed a very strong correlation between āfediverse servers that are full of harassing assholes and/or people who love posting racist trashā and āfediverse servers that claim to be about Free Speech as their primary goalā.
I mean if you know from the start that your preferred audience is people who think Trump won the election then sure, go for Parler.
Anything that isnāt the mainstream narrative, is considered controversial or even a threat to our collective security these days. Conspiracy is a term used to dismiss anyone thinking outside of the very limited aperture of the agenda narrative. Iād prefer to be on a platform that is open-minded, and which gives a wide spectrum of living women and menās views and perspectives. Parler from first dip seem to have a strong ethical policy.
Thanks for affirming my feeling about Buy Me A Coffee, Laura - and for mentioning Parler - Iām interested to look into them moreā¦ Iām finding Mewe very slow, but everything starts small, and exiting mainstream is a bit of work, eh!
@claregalloway You are very welcome! I hope they work out well for you! Oh yes, exiting mainstream platforms is no easy task. Iām not going to delete my other ones, but, once I get things established better on these new ones, Iām going to make a pinned post that redirects to where Iām most active now. If they ever sort out the things I take issue with, Iād come back. Until then, Iām going to be as inactive as possible over there.
I have always only promoted my work on Instagram, or Aminoapps.
I wouldnāt say Iāve been successful with either one of these, but Iāll tell you my experiences anyway.
For Instagram, Iāve been on there for 3 years, as I started in 2018. Recently Iāve reached 400+ but below 500 followers, and how i got there is by joining artist support communities. You can look up artist support posts where you can promote your art in the comments for free. Another thing is to use these artist support hashtags, as well as doing art trends and using that art trendās hashtag. For example, Draw This In Your Style, aka #dtiys which is when you draw another artistās dtiys post in your style. These two tips fall under a very important lesson. You need to be involved in the art community.
On Aminoapps, there are a few communities where you can post your art. Iāve not had success with this, as the largest art community, Art Amino, is over saturated(?) with artists and so it is unlikely that you will be noticed. However, you just have to be persistent with your art. There are many challenges, and you can also request to be featured, if I remember correctly. That means that if you are featured, you will be on the front page when people open up the community app. With Art Amino having about 700k members and 200+ members active every day, you have a possibility of reaching new people.
I hope I helped even just a bit ^^ Goodluck!
Hi creators! Just wanted to share that we have a Social Media Marketing 101 coming up this week - you can learn more and register here: Workshop: Social Media Marketing 101 
I totally understand what youāre going through, and youāre definitely not alone. A lot of us are feeling the same way :/. This take is coming from someone who has chronic illnesses, canāt leave my house, and canāt work even part time, but does have a handle on how to manage my socials!
Hereās what I can say: repurposing, refining, and reposting are your best friends when it comes to managing your social media. It also helps to make content in advance, hold off on sharing it right away, and accumulate high-value content. So when youāre slowly releasing that content over time, you can make more content as thatās being released. I know thatās a tough thing to do, but itās also made all the difference for me personally. I focus on Instagram as my main platform. Batching up posts as draft makes all the difference an eliminates some of the panic and frustration of keeping up with the algorithm. So chooses 1 platform as your main, the strongest and highest preforming one, or the one you enjoy being on the most, and hone in on that. Next, repurpose that content to other platforms.
Repurposing - So what I do is prioritize IG, repost whatever I put on IG to my facebook page, then to twitter, and so on. All on different days at different times. Basically recycle what youāve got! With this system, including batching posts, I can create content for weeks in advance and just post them as I see fit. (If you do this on IG remember to save your captions in a phone memo!! Things can go wrong and you might have to start a post over. And also if you have to log out, your drafts will disappear so itās always good to type out your captions and save them with hashtags so you can just copy/paste it.)
Refining - What specifically are you known for, or how would you want your and your work to be described? Do you like using certain colors or certain tools? Are you a fan of a certain show or genre that could inspire your work? By creating art based on your passions and what you like, itāll be easier to come up with and create content. Itāll also help you brand yourself so that you stand out! Show people who you are. Talk how you wanna talk, create what you want to create, be 100% yourself. People will notice and appreciate it eventually, I promise. Itās not easy to do, but if you donāt find as much fulfillment in fanart, donāt give up on your original ideas. Theyāre worth making and sharing. I promise the right audience will appreciate it at some point (and this is coming from personal experience.)
Lastly, repurposing - It also is important to know that you donāt have to be producing new content 24/7! The goal is to pace ourselves out, make high-value content thatās enriching for us, and find a way to make it intriguing to our audience. Itās hard to find a balance between promoting your work through the lense of business owner and also a content creator (depending on what your goals are) but thereās a sure-fire way to do it. Mix in promo, behind the scenes, wips, and inspirations behind your work when you can. And of course, people love seeing unfinished work 
so definitely utilize that to space out content and give yourself plenty of room to breathe and take your time drawing. All in all, I know others have given solid advice here so I donāt want to keep rambling, but even popular artists like loisvb and Kuvshinov Ilya repost older works to keep them afloat. Itās always better to go with the quality > quantity.
I hope youāre able to find what works for you, take all the breaks necessary and not lose hope <3.