Are you an artist trying to figure out how to market yourself on social media? I was too, just a few years ago!

Since then, I’ve learned a lot and wanted to share some tips with you guys!

Please note: I’m not an expert on this matter, but I have managed to triple my stats on a few key social networks over the past year, and slowly but surely grown my online presence since creating the Julie Erin Designs brand.

To illustrate this, below is a screenshot of my Wordpress stats since starting this blog in 2013, and as you can see, it has gone up steadily each year.

By the way, I do have a full time job and other life commitments outside of this endeavor, so I am only able to dedicate a few hours per week to creating and marketing my designs.

This leads me into my first tip which is: Dedicate just 5-10 minutes a day to your social media game.

• Start by taking on just one task per day on one of your social accounts.
• Some examples include: Tweet an image of your latest work (don’t forget to include relevant hashtags). Like and/or follow some new users on Instagram.
• Don’t feel overwhelmed.  You should be able to do this during your coffee or lunch break, on the way home from work on the bus, after dinner, or whenever you have an idle moment.

Focus on just a few social media platforms.

• Try out different platforms but then hone it down to just a few, and then focus on content and growing your followers.  My top 3 are Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I dabble on others but I get the most engagement for my time on those 3.

Set up a social media calendar, so you can easily plan and see what you need to do for the week.

• Don’t overwhelm yourself with an over-loaded calendar.  Start with just one task per day that can be completed within a few minutes.
• Create a visual calendar using your computer, a planner, or you can find lots of downloadable worksheets online.
• Do what works for you and your schedule.
• Learn the etiquette for your chosen social media app.  On Twitter you can share multiple times per day, but on Facebook you may only want to share something every few days.
• Example: Monday: Tweet about your latest design, tweet 2 sold items. Tuesday: Share a new design on Instagram.  Wednesday: Blog post about new design, and post to Facebook page.  Friday: Tweet new blog post.

Have a blog.

• Use it to showcase your art work, items for sale, share art tips, supplies you use, your sketchbook, whatever you can think of.
• Connect with other art bloggers. Follow/like/comment on their posts.
• Pro tip: Don’t forget to link to your blog from your social media profiles.

Use (free) apps to make your life easier.

• Buffer or Hootsuite.  Use one of these apps (or something similar) to schedule a few posts to your social media accounts for the day. This could even be your one task of the day, if that’s all you have time for.
• Crowdfire or similar apps which help you track followers and unfollowers.  You can also search for people who follow similar accounts and then like/follow them.
• Photo editing apps such as Canva and Photogrid. There are several out there, so find one that you like. Use it to create and edit images of your designs and products right on your phone.  While you could also just make these images in Photoshop on your PC, being able to make promo images on the go makes it so much easier to get it done when you have a spare moment.
• Example of an advertisement I created using the Photogrid app:

Keep a list of content ideas.

• Keep a list on your phone or somewhere, so you never run out of ideas for fresh content!
• Examples: Sold items, new designs, WIP’s and sketchbook shots.
• Check out my Twitter and Instagram feeds for more content ideas!

Make use of hashtags (important for Twitter and Instagram especially).

• Use relevant hashtags so that people can find your work.
• …but don’t overdo it. Figure out what works on which platforms.
• Monitor those hashtags and like/follow others who are posting to that hashtag.

Make use of tagging (Instagram and Twitter).

• Sometimes, when appropriate, you may want to actually tag another user (such Zazzle or Redbubble for example) on Twitter or Instagram, if you are showcasing their product. You may get lucky and they might even re-tweet or feature your product!
• Go through their tagged feeds to find similar users to like and follow.

Engage with similar users.

• Connect with other bloggers, as mentioned above.
• I sell my art work on POD websites such as Zazzle, Redbubble and Society6, so I try to engage with others who sell on those sites as well.  I do this by either liking their work directly on those sites, on social media, through forums or Facebook groups.

To learn more about selling your art on POD websites, check out my detailed post on the subject!

Post to shopping websites.

• If this is appropriate to your style of art work, you may consider posting your products on shopping websites such as Pinterest and Wanelo.

If you have the opportunity to do so, take a social media marketing course at your local college or university.

• I took a short course which was very informative and turned me on to some new apps and strategies.
• Think of it as an investment in your business.

Speaking of SEO (search engine optimization)– use it!

• Do a quick search and learn some SEO basics which is especially important for your blog.

Other resources you may find helpful:

• Where to sell your Art Online
• Selling Your Art on POD Websites: Zazzle vs Society6 Pt. 1
• Selling Your Art on POD Websites: Zazzle vs. Society6 Pt. 2
• Blogging for your Art Business
• Creative Apps for Adults
• 10 Ways to Get over Artist’s Blocks
• Tips and Tools for Creative Entrepreneurs (Pinterest board)

I hope you guys have found some useful information here, and don’t forget to follow my blog to get more tips like these in the future!
 
Feel free to share some of your own social media marketing tips below!
 
Cheers,
 
Julie