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In today’s episode I’m sharing my take on how to build a STRONG social media following, specifically for visual artists.
I first want to provide 2 disclaimers:
- This is from my own personal and limited experience.
- I’m using harsher terms than usual to drive home the point, but it’s your responsibility to find what works for you (: There is NO one right way.
The Hard Truth About Building a Social Media Following
Here’s the thing – I get asked about this topic so often with the undertone of “how can I get this done easily?”.
The answer is – you can’t.
This takes time, effort, concentration, strategy and actually CARING about your potential audience.
And even more so – there aren’t any shortcuts – this will take away from your creation time, from your other work. The only way around it is to pay someone to do it for you, and EVEN THEN you have to be involved to a large degree to dictate the direction and make it work.
Bottom line – there are no free meals. If you want to succeed you’ll have to put in the SERIOUS work it takes.
So Many Platforms for Artists
There are SO MANY social media platforms, with so many focused on VISUAL content. We visual artists are at a huge advantage in many ways.
And with some creativity you can also utilize video platforms and even audio content, just like this podcast!
2 Pillar Principles for Success
Here are the two main principles in my opinion:
- Consistency
- Listening to your audience
Both are extremely important. No one builds a true social media following without posting consistently. It’s simply a must, in my opinion.
Look at all the accounts you follow – any of them just disappear for a year or a month? Most likely not…
Frequency Does Matter
Yep. I attribute a lot of my YouTube channel’s growth to my posting frequency being higher than the average (3 times a week). Most creators in my niche post once a week or even once a month.
For several times in the past I’ve posted as many as 7 vids a week! But that was a little insane and I lowered it to my current frequency, which works really well for now.
Never Stop Posting
I know I’m using harsher terms than usual, but this is really how it works to some degree. People who build a strong & engaged audience never stop posting.
It’s simply a part of what you do.
This doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks at all, 100% of the time, but for the most part, it never stops. Or at least it continues for as long as you want to preserve your audience and keep the interaction going.
I hope I haven’t discouraged you haha. Feel free to reach out to me using any of the places mentioned below, and let me know if you have any follow-up questions.
– Liron
Instagram – @LironYanIL
TikTok – @Liron.Yan
YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art
LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky
Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky
Twitter – @LironYan