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How to REALLY Grow on Social Media as an Artist | Tips for 2019 – Liron’s Podcast Episode 87

Art, creativity and the art business. In this episode we’ll talk about what it REALLY takes to grow on social media as an artist, and how to do it FAST!

This episode is actually based on a YouTube video I published a short while ago. Here it is!

As a quick note – I’m taking a very MACRO approach to this. I’m giving you the general guidelines I found work for me, and the overall approach and strategy.

Another note – For more specific tips on INSTAGRAM, be sure to check out my LinkedIn or Medium post on the topic.

Here’s a quick summary of the tips:

How to REALLY Grow on Social Media – For Artists

1. Choose your platform.

Every type of art will better index on different platforms. As a visual artist, I’m focusing on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Different types of art will find different homes.

2. Learn the rules.

Every platform has its own rules and best practices. Doing them can really help you with local growth. Another distinction for some new insights I gained – don’t let the platform rules dictate your actions or truth. Do what’s right for you, while following the best practices as much as possible.

3. Put in the work

That’s the first, second and third most important part. Post A LOT. Interact with others. Live on the platform. Learn and constantly innovate. Gain inspiration from others. And post A LOT (;

Also – be consistent, that means a lot for the audience following you.

4. Be Patient

Growth takes time. It may sometimes seem like you are putting so much work, with zero results to show for it. You don’t want to be delusional – so make sure you put out good content that HELPS / ENTERTAINS your audience. But if you’re really doing that, all you have left to do is be patient.

That’s also the time to mention – be grateful for the following you DO have. Reply to comments and messages and be there for them.

Conclusion

I hope you found this one helpful! Trying to dip into some meta topics that will help not just in the artistic sense – but also in building a brand and a business around your art.

Let me know if there’s anything you want me to talk more about (art or non-art) or elaborate on.

Here’s where you can reach out…

Liron Yanconsky

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Art Business Plans for August 2019 – What it Takes to Attain Success | Liron’s Podcast Episode 86

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In this episode I want to show you what it takes to build a successful business or brand around you and your art, and give you hope that with hard work – it is possible!

Art Business Plans for August 2019

I discuss goals and tasks that fall under the following categories:

Art & painting
Business & Products
Communication
Routine & Health
Financial

Every one of these is important and represents an important aspect of my work.

How I Set Goals and Tasks for my Art Business

I discussed this in a previous daily podcast episode more in depth, but the way I treat this is by:

Setting yearly (and 5-year) vision, goals and plans
Using these to create monthly tasks
Using these to create daily tasks

This ensures I always know what I’m doing.

No Artist Corner

I’m doing an experiment this month, turning the podcast into something that’s easier and more natural for me to post.

So I’m taking a more free-flow approach, so no Artist Corner for now.

But for now, here’s where you can find me:

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Always Make it About the Customer – Artist Business Advice | Liron’s Podcast Episode 85

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In this episode we talked about how to become BETTER at SELLING, by thinking about the customer’s “selfish” wants and FIRST, rather than what we think we have to offer.

Marketing Didn’t Come Easy For me

I’d like to emphasize how marketing didn’t come naturally to me initially. It’s something I learned slowly and gradually.

Sales, funny enough, came more naturally. I already had the right mindset when it comes to selling and helping the customer get what they need and want.

But marketing, awakening the imagination of the customer, talking about their pain points and needs… That – I had to learn.

And you can too!

Most People Talk About Their Product

Most people tend to talk about THEIR product. The benefits it offers. What makes it good, and so on…

The problem is – most people don’t care. They only want one thing – to have their “problem” solved.

Ask Questions!

The perfect example is someone coming to my art booth and carefully observing the paintings. They show interest, so it’s fine for me to “jump in”.

But if I simply start talking about the paintings, why they are of good quality bla bla… I don’t address the customer.

Instead, I’d much rather ask questions. That way I’ll know what they want. So I may ask “Are you looking for something in particular?” or “Looking for a gift for someone?” and so on…

That way, even if they go “Nah thanks just browsing” – at least I know not to waste too much energy for the time being.

Find The Common Interest

Once you gained enough info, you can see if there’s what I like to call a “common interest”. You want to sell a painting – they are collecting paintings from around the world / want a gift for an art lover and so on…

Once there’s a common interest – selling is EASY.

And here’s another fun fact – the common interest may be – They’re just looking to have fun and look at art, and you want to share your work with someone. It doesn’t have to end up in a sale.

Online and Offline

The skillset of always thinking about the customer is extremely crucial for both selling online and selling offline.

The main difference is that offline you have more physical feedback, and you have to sort of narrate the customer’s thoughts and test out different ideas. More on that in a future episode.

Conclusion

I hope this gives you some idea of how important it is to first consider the potential client’s wants, needs and pain points.

Let me know your thoughts in a comment below!

Artist Corner – Geremia Cerri

Today we talked about geremia Cerri, a fantastic Italian watercolor painter. I love the authenticity of his work. He paints in the impressionistic style I like the most, but has a very unique “signature” of the end result.

You can check out his work here: Geremia Cerri on Facebook

And here’s where you can find me…

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

— Liron

Importance of Experimentation in Art – Break Your Own Patterns | Liron’s Podcast Episode 84

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In this episode I want to talk about just how important experimentation is in art. This connects to everything – improving, developing a unique style, enjoying the process and more!

What I mean by Experimentation

As this is aimed at visual artists, mainly painters – here are some relevant examples of experimentation:

Utilizing different techniques
Using new tools
Trying out different approaches & work processes
Painting subjects you are unfamiliar with
Using colors you’re not used to

Why Experimentation is Important

Unique and individual Style – Yes! Experimentation will help you incorporate and implement new elements into your style, that will in turn make it more YOU.

Novelty & Burnout Prevention – Experimentation will help you to continue enjoying your medium in the long run. It will keep things interesting and even less expected!

Preventing Complacency – Constant experimentation and challenging yourself to try out different things will help to prevent settling in your patterns and becoming stale in your growth and development.

Caveat – Focus & Improvement

I think experimentation can become a crutch / escapism , if used to the extreme. If you are only trying new things all the time, you don’t really have to become proficient in anything…

That’s why you want to balance it out with a routine, and with working on the basics of art and your medium.

The answer is always – Both!

Artist Corner – Marc Folly

In this one I feature Marc Folly, an incredible French painter who’s style I find very intriguing.

He has a way of connecting areas and leading the viewer in a very clear way towards points of interest.

He’s a master of wet in wet and negative painting techniques.

You can check out his work on his website: Marc Folly

And here’s where you can find me…

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

— Liron

Separate Money From Your Time – Artist Advice | Liron’s Podcast Episode 83

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Hi there, Liron here! In today’s episode we’re talking about the real way of increasing your income as an artist over the long haul.

This is one of the ideas I’ve been most fascinated with when I just got started in the art world – Separating your money from your time.

Hitting The Ceiling

If you spend time working for payment, you’ll inevitably reach a ceiling at some point. There are only so many hours you can work a day.

Your per-hour rate may increase, but there’s still a limited number of work hours during the day.

Being a Gatherer VS a Farmer

Gatherers have to actively look for income sources, while farmers build an eco-system for generating income.

Nothing’s easy, or “passive”, but a system works better.

My system is my online courses and books. These products are available online. I don’t have to spend any more time on them (other than marketing, which is an inherent part of what I do anyway).

They are ready to be consumed, there’s an unlimited amount of them and there’s nothing to produce – thus – low overhead.

Creating Systems that Deliver Value

A good system is one that delivers value as automatically as possible, and encourages future value generation.

When someone purchases my Draw Anything course, they are also added to my sales funnel. They are then offered super-relevant products in the future.

These are products that had a lot of thought put into them. It’s what people need. And by giving people what they need you create value (content that helps them improve in their art and craft, in this example).

And when you create said value, you can also get value back from the customer (in the form of payment).

And the most beautiful part of it all? It’s all automatic!

There’s A LOT of setup involved when getting started. A lot of research, testing and experimentation. But once you get going the process becomes much more automatic.

Automation Example – Selling Artwork

A normal process of selling paintings would be to, perhaps, reach out to people who may be interested, and try to sell to them.

But we can automate that too. If you can find, for example, a gallery that will work with you – you give them your artwork and they provide you with potential customers.

You give up some upside, of course, but for many – this is really worth it.

Another way of automating the selling of artwork is by creating prints. That way, a one time investment (a painting) can turn into a continuously value-generating item.

Quick System Examples for Artists

Courses & Books

If you have specialized knowledge in an art field, instead of only providing something like private lessons – you could create a paid digital product. I have multiple books and courses on a wide variety of topics.

Membership Sites

These are websites with exclusive content for your customers. It’s a similar concept to any other product. But in this example, it’s a recurring payment (usually cheaper per-month than a one-time product), and you provide an environment that is updated with new information.

Many news podcasts work with a subscription model. They are perfect for the job, as there’s always new information (NEWS!).

Your Platform VS Others’

As we discussed a moment ago, there are advantages and disadvantages to doing everything on your own, or leveraging other platforms.

Usually, what platforms provide is marketing – audience.

I sell MANY MORE courses on Udemy than on my website, but make a similar amount of income from both sources (as they take a large cut). The marketing prowess of Udemy still makes it worth it to have my courses there though.

On your own platform you have full control, but need to do EVERYTHING on your own.

Generally Speaking, I feel like it’s a MUST having your own platform. That way you’re managing your risks, and aren’t fully dependent on other platforms.

And that’s pretty much everything we talked about in this episode.

Artist Corner – Michal Suffczynski

Today we talked about Michal Suffczynski, a Russian architect and painter. He works in both pencil and watercolor, and his landscape paintings really impress me. You can check out his work here: Michal Suffczynski’s Website

And here’s where you can find me…

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

I hope you enjoyed this one. Take care, and we’ll talk again really soon,

— Liron