Social Media: 2019 Update
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A couple of tools I use for social media marketing, particularly if you are time poor, or like automation.
Scheduling software.
I use Buffer and Tailwind to schedule out social media posts. If you are time poor, these are awesome. You can book a time once a week/fortnight/month, to focus specifically on the content you want to share in the world. This is great if you target audience is on social media at a specific time, but you are at work/asleep/doing art. Here is a quick review of both.Tailwind
This is my goto for Instagram and Pinterest. The interface is awesome for both of these accounts and you can link between. They give suggested posting times, based on the interaction of past posts, or niche trends. The Instagram tool also gives you relevant hashtags you can use. You can also save a group of hashtags that you use consistently. I've found this hugely useful. It also provides tracking information. There are a ton of other really great features too. The Instagram tool allows 30 free posts before you have to pay. It's $15US a month for the Instagram tool, and $15 a month for their Pinterest tool (total $30US). Cheaper if you pay yearly.Buffer
Buffer is another scheduling tool. I use it for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+. It also does Pinterest and Instagram but I prefer Tailwind for those social media. Like tailwind, it does give suggested times to post. It is free up to 10 posts, but if you want to schedule ahead it will cost $15US a month. Cheaper if you pay yearly.Note: Instagram only allows for the automation of single image posts for business accounts. Videos, slideshows etc aren't available yet to scheduling software. Tailwind has a good workaround - you can still schedule a post with the description and hashtags, and instead of automatically posting it up, you can have it message you everything. You can then log into Instagram on your phone, copy and paste the description and hashtags, then replace the static image with the video/slideshow etc. It's not purely automated, but it definitely helps.
Automation software
Want to post something on Instagram, and automatically have it posted to Flickr? Automation software can help with that.Automation allows you to essentially create a program that is triggered when you take an action (eg post on Instagram) and then take an action (get that post, and put it on Flickr). It sounds complicated, but the below suggestions make it really easy.
The two best are IFTTT.com and Zapier. Both have limited free tools available, and you can pay for for the advanced stuff. For what most people here would use them for, I wouldn't bother paying.
The way I use this, is for syndicating my content to places that really aren't worth me actively posting to every week, but if a small handful of people find me there, I might as well automate it.
And these programs aren't just for social media. If you find yourself doing the same action again and again, see if you can automate it using these tools. It could save you hundreds of hours and headaches.
A word of warning
If you do use these programs always double check that it works according to plan. This software is great, but it isn't perfect. Check the results of all your automation to make sure it is working the way you want. Particularly for the first couple of posts.Also, I don't recommend automating your main social media accounts. You still want to have some personalization for those. The scheduling software should be enough for those.
If anyone else has some tools they look, feel free to let us know
(I geek out about these things) -
@smceccarelli Thank for this intro to Behance Simona! I will have to look into it now! I also keep thinking I have to dive into the other platforms more. I try to share as much as possible on FB and Twitter, but my number of followers isn't going anywhere (while IG keeps slowly growing). So I guess there are some different strategies I don't understand for these platforms. Linkedln I have absolutely no idea what to do with! I don't even have an account.
One thing I am always wondering about is - if you have limited time for social media (which we all have!) is it better to focus your energy on one or 2 platforms and have them grow well or to have a presence on all the platforms but not doing good on any of them (or doing so-so)
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Wow, thanks for all that awesome I formation @Nathan! Lots to think about.
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@nathan said in Social Media: 2019 Update:
- What would Jane like to know about this piece?
- What hashtags does Jane like to follow?
- How can I use this facebook ads thing so Jane will see my new art and love it?
- What's Jane struggling with that I can help her with?
- What value can I give to Jane?
- How can I make it a no brainer for Jane to hire me?
This is great stuff Nathan, thank you.I have come across these ideas in doing some branding and social media branding courses too but your questions are way more clear. It makes great sense. I think in my case my ideal customer/audience might actually be two or three so i might make more characters
Great stuff.
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Me too Irina... I've come across information on these topics but Nathan spoke in a way that felt more applicable to me... the target audience!
I think I'll have to have different "target audiences" for each of the branches of my art business--one for print customers, one for book buyers (that one is double layered, because there are the people who will ultimately buy the book, but then there are the agents/editors/ADs that you have to sell the book to first), one for art class students. All are interrelated but still distinct from each other. As I get more clear on those, I may or may not have separate social media accounts for each one, depending on where and how much they overlap. All things I plan to figure out in the coming year... whew.
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@sarah-luann But do you think one can't do a single socual media account, say a single Instagram account targeted to all your ideal audience personas? Like they are all different people but essentially they are from the same tribe. And one time you post something for tribe person 1 and another for tribe person 2 and 3 but it still is relatable to person 1... I dunno, must think this through :))
also, how can one find out what hashtags a particular person is following? Is that possible?
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If you are just starting out, I recommend just having one ideal customer. When you are first starting out, focussed action is far more effective than trying to target multiple different people. It is better to master communication with one ideal customer, than be mediocre with multiple.
So you need to make a decision - who is the #1 person you want to speak to? Assess your long-term goals. Do you want to be an indie artist? Do you want to be a prolific children's illustrator? (Yes, you might want to be both, but for now pick one - you can pivot later) You need to focus on actions that bring you specifically to this goal. Anything else will have you spinning your wheels - especially at the beginning of your journey.
A great question to ask yourself, both in the moment, and when you are creating actions for a longer term plan is:
"What's the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"
(This question is from the book, The ONE Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan - highly recommended)It is not an easy question to ask. And many people feel that by focussing on ONE thing, they are leaving things on the table. This is where the term Return On Investment (ROI) comes into play. It's a business term, but it comes from the understanding that resources such as time and money are limited, so how can I get the most out of it.
Regarding @Sarah-LuAnn and the idea behind multiple social accounts - I recommend having one for each social media you choose to be on. Projects come and go, and your target market may change over time as your goals change. However, there is one consistency with all of them, YOU. Brand yourself, and market to one target audience from there.
Here is an example. Note: I have not tried this, but this is how I would first approach things. The key to marketing is to try, test, and refine - I would approach the below example in the same way.
Let's say that my big goal is to be a children's illustrator and get published. The key here would be to develop relationships with publishers and art directors (I'm guessing here, but for the sake of example, let's assume this is true).
The first thing I would do is research individuals who fit this bill. Who are the people that make the hiring decisions? I would actively make a list of 50 or so individuals that fit the criteria. I would then list out their social media profiles, and email address - yes, there is research involved.
This is where social media comes in. Firstly I would fill my social media with things they would be interested in seeing, and knowing about me. This is the opportunity to show off your best work, how you solve problems and other things. Think of it as an informal resume/portfolio - almost a behind the scenes of how you work. The only difference is, instead of trying to sell yourself, you are facilitating a relationship. The content is designed to let your target audience know, like and trust you. They know what you are about.
Set a schedule to continually update your social media. It doesn't have to be a lot. Once or twice a week to maintain regularity. I would still do the standard social media marketing thing with the posts (hashtags etc), however the focus of all these posts is to build relationships passively - we are not actively interacting with these people in this instance.
Once I have a handful of posts that represent you and your brand (I would imagine you would already have this content). Go back to your list of 50. You will now need to start actively interacting with these people. Follow all of them on social media. Pick your top 10 to focus on. Reshare some of their content. Comment on their posts (always from the position of adding value). Interact with them. Over time these people will likely start to notice you.
Once you have started interacting with them (eg after 10 interactions), I would then send them an email. Now this email isn't trying to sell myself. It's the next step to deepen the relationship. Separate myself from the crowd and built rapport.
Over your interactions, you might start to have a question you might like to ask the person. Or maybe you know of something that you think will honestly help them. Sometimes you just want to send them a message to acknowledge and show gratitude.
Whatever it is, email them. Mention that you are a children's illustrator and have been following them on social media (to remind them where they may have seen you), and mention something that you specifically liked (to show that you are a real person).
Then ask your question or show your acknowledgment. (Note: With questions, make sure it can be answered easily in one or two sentences. "How can I get a book deal" is way too broad)
Keep your email short, simple and to the point. However, don't forget they are a person too.
Hint: Include links to your social media and website in your signature. It looks natural, and many times they will click and find out more - hence why we filled it out before.
Continue interacting with these people. If you are happy with how the first 10 are going and can manage some more interactions, go to the next 10 on your list and build relationships with them.
From these interactions, it is a lot more likely that you will start to get work offered to you. Later down the track, when you have built enough rapport, you can always reach out to these people and let them know you are free for any projects they might have in the works.
To summarise this example: My goal is to be a children's illustrator. My target audience is publishers, directors etc. So instead of using social media as a billboard, I'm using it as a networking tool to build relationships.
I am actively reaching out, rather than posting up on social media and hoping someone finds me.
Hope that clarifies some things.
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Oh, I wasn’t talking about doing all that now. I was speaking more of a “someday down the road” way. I guess I didn’t make that clear.
