Within the last year, I've returned to the DeviantArt site and have realized how truly of a useful site it is to artists. Seeing all the amazing artists on there has become a big part of my inspiration for my own work. And while I'm not able to spend as much time as I'd like to because of my schedule, I was still able to increase my amount of followers on the site by more than 10x as much within the past few months or so. But I've noticed while many artists do very well on DA, there are also many artists on the site who are frustrated in the fact that they just don't seem to get much exposure. So I decided to help those artists out by providing tips on how to gain exposure specifically on DA.
Marketing, no matter the site you're using, is generally the same in that it's about relationship building. It doesn't mean you become best buddies with every person you want following you; obviously that would be quite difficult if you end up with hundreds or thousands of followers. But, if you think about every artist you follow (whether visual arts, musical, writer, etc.) or even businesses you shop at, you have some sort of a relationship to an extent with them. What I mean is they provide you something that you find of use to you (information, products, entertainment, etc.), and in return you follow them/buy their products/spread the word about them. For those of you who are FMA fans, it's similar to the law of equivalent exchange.
So in order to get people to follow you, you must provide something that people will find useful to them. And in order to provide to others, they first need to know you even exist. So let's apply this knowledge to DeviantArt and look at some of the ways specific to the DA site that you can use to provide to your DA community and make your existence known:
1. Llamas: Yes, llamas. If you're new to DA, or never used it you're probably thinking..
Llamas are one of the easiest and quickest ways to give someone something on DA without it costing you any money. They are DeviantArt badges in the form of, well, llamas. They originally started as an April Fool's Joke by DA but people loved them so much that they kept it as a regular thing. Their purpose is just for fun, but many people appreciate getting them, and they're a great way to get people to check out your page, considering they have to go on your page in order to give one back to you. To give someone a llama, go to the top right corner of their page, go to the give button that has a gift icon next to it and then click "give a llama badge". Quite simple, and as I said, free.
As you can see in the drop down options, you can also give people cake... but that costs you points...
 |
| Mmmm.. looks delicious... Why can't I eat the virtual cake? |
You can also donate premium memberships, using either points you have or paying for it. When you donate a premium membership, the top of that person's page will display that their premium membership was donated by you (unless you choose to do it anonymously). Usually people are so thankful for these, they will immediately watch you. And many people will be drawn to your page when they visit that person's page and see you were the one who donated the membership to them.
You can also just simply donate points, and this gives them the freedom to do whatever they want with the points. This is a great thing to do for those who can't afford points/memberships themselves. You can do this by either using the give button up top, or if they have a donation pool on their page, you can use that. Doing it through the donation pool is similar to giving the membership in that your page will be displayed as having been someone who donated points to them, unless you chose to give anonymously. They will most likely check out your page in order to thank you, and others will see you donated to them and will probably check out your page as well in hopes of getting points from you. Be warned, you may end up getting people on your page who will ask if you can donate to them. If this bugs you, you can put a note on your page saying "do not ask me for points".
Also, if you're fortunate enough to have a lot of points donated to you already, donating may not cost you any money either.
3. Favorites: Back to some free options. Adding other people's work to your favorites can sometimes be useful in drawing them in to your own page. I say sometimes because doing this doesn't particularly have a high draw rate, especially if you favorite a popular piece that has a lot of faves already. However, there are many who will go to your page to thank you for faving their work, so it still may have a small draw. I mainly find favorites as a useful way to build a collection of work that inspires me to grow in my own work. But that's not what this post is about...
4. Comments/Critiques: Let's take the favorite a step further. Leaving comments on other people's works is another great way to get yourself known and more likely to get attention than a fav. I've found it somewhat rare for people not to leave a comment on one of my pieces after I've left them one. And if you leave a good/interesting comment, it may encourage others who also check out that piece of work to check out your page. This doesn't only apply to art work, it can be a comment on a journal, on someone's page, or even a poll.
Some artists request critiques on their art as well. These are basically comments with a 100 word minimum and it allows you to rate the piece with stars based on vision, originality, technique, and impact. This is a great way to show off your expertise and show that you know your stuff (that is, if you actually know what you're talking about). The critiques are publicly displayed on the piece and allows other users to rate if the comment was fair or not. But if you're looking to write something short, you'll have to leave a regular comment. Usually artists who request critiques are looking for some kind of constructive criticism, but remember, you can give constructive criticism and still be nice. If you don't like a piece, it's better to not say anything than to be mean about it. And whether you leave a comment or critique, please be honest. Don't pretend to like a piece if you don't just because you want more page views. People prefer genuine comments and usually can tell if you're being fake.
5. Thanking: I mentioned that with many of the above steps, people will go to your page to thank you. Thanking people for faves, watches, comments, etc., shows that you appreciate them, and really, it is just a polite thing to do. That step of politeness can turn someone who only favorited one of your works to someone who now watches you and favorited multiple pieces of your work. If they left a comment somewhere on your page, you can thank them by replying to the comment. Otherwise, you can thank them by going to their page and leaving a thank you comment on their page, and maybe while you're there, check out some of their work as well. I'm sure they would appreciate it.
Being an overall nice person and showing that you actually care about others and about what you do is a lot more likely to draw people to you. If you act like a jerk though, don't be surprised if you hardly have anyone following your work.
6. Forums: I actually haven't really done much on the DA forums. As I said, I'm not able to spend as much time as I'd like on DA. So I can't speak too much on forums. But I do know many successful deviants came to their success by being quite active on the forums. If you're new to them, you may want to start off by just commenting and being part of topics others have started. You can see what type of topics often get the most feedback, and then you can apply that knowledge into starting your own forum threads. Many people will ask questions and look for help or tips on forums. If you know the answers to their questions or have useful tips on the subject, people may thank you by watching you.
7. Groups: I personally find groups as one of the best ways to gain exposure. They are also a great way to find other work of similar interest to yours. When you contribute your art to a group, all the people who watch that group get notified in their messages of your art contribution (including people who aren't watching you). There are MANY groups on DeviantArt. You could find a group on just about any topic. And you can even start a group yourself if you'd like. Every group has their own rules. Some require you to be a member of the group in order to contribute artwork, while some don't (you can be a member of a group and not "watch" them if you don't want notifications from them). Some groups limit how often you can contribute, and some don't (warning to groups that don't have limits: these often flood the inboxes of those who watch these groups, so your pieces may end up lost in a sea of artwork and therefore may not be viewed as much).
8. Contests: Contests can be fun if it's based on a subject you enjoy (otherwise it may be a waste of time). Sometimes DeviantArt teams up with other big artists and companies and hosts contests. You will be notified of these in your message center under "Contest Announcement". These can often lead to you having a fun badge after participating, even if you don't win. If you do win, not only do you get major exposure but there are also all sorts of amazing prizes, plus, many times a prize of an actual money amount. Realize that there are usually hundreds of people entering though, so make sure to put forth your best work if you enter.
Sometimes other deviants or groups will host contests as well. Usually you will find these announced on their journals and prizes can consist of point donations, premium memberships, features, or even some of their artwork. Many of the art contests will feature all of the qualifying art until the winner is announced, so this may be a good way to gain a little exposure even if you don't win. Especially if it's hosted by a popular group/deviant.
You can also host your own contest! Offering points, or even art, can draw a lot of new people to follow you, especially if you require them to "share" the contest on their own page in order to enter it. You can create your own rules as long as they're legal and follow DA's policies. ;)
9. Journals: I see a lot of people on DA who just hardly ever use their journals. Even if you're active on your account, having a journal from 6 months ago can make you appear inactive and may draw people away from your page. Journals are great because they can be used in so many different ways. They can also be a great way to make your page more personal and human, rather than seem like some distant artist. Here are some ways you can use your journal (although not limited to these ways):
- Personal updates. You can use it for what its called; a journal. However, while updating everyone on your personal life will definitely make you seem more human, it can also make you seem unprofessional. So it may or may not be something you're interested in doing.
- Art Career Updates. A little more professional but still personal; you can share updates on your art career. Do you have a new gallery exhibit? Let everyone know. Maybe you're going to have a booth in the artists alley at a convention you're going to, make sure you include the details. Add links to other artists if you recently did a collaboration. If you have a different website, include that too.
- Features. You can add thumbs of all your favorite artwork of other artists (or even your own) to your journal as a feature. Make it more interesting by adding a feature theme, where all the featured work correlates with a specific theme of your choice. Those artists will appreciate this and may even choose to feature your work or check out your page. Many others, like me, may appreciate it as well because it allows opportunity to find other great pieces of work. If you make features a regular thing you post, people may watch you just because of enjoying the features you post. If you're not sure how to post thumbs, go to the art pieces page and on the bottom right, there is a code under "thumb". Paste it into your journal, and voila!
- Contests. As mentioned in the contests section, you can host contests in your journal!
- Tips/Advice. People really appreciate these, especially if it's on something they're struggling with. It can be advice on how to do something on DA, or specific art tips to help people become better artists. I, myself, will often watch someone if they have a lot of great advice or resources on their journals.
- Commissions. If you want people to commission you for work, post a journal with your rates and some examples of your work.
- Be creative. You can post stories. Surveys/Q&A. Something Funny. There's a lot you can do with your journal, as long as it isn't against DA policy. So make good use of them.
10. Polls: This feature can only be used by those fortunate enough to have a premium membership. I find these very fun and a great way to interact with your watchers. This can be very useful in gathering information about your watchers (for example: reasons why they watch you), and that info can be used to create a better draw for new watchers or to better your art. It can also be used to get to know and become closer to your watchers, especially useful if you have large numbers of them. Lastly, sometimes it may stop someone who was just merely passing by your page, and get them interested in finding out more.
11. Make Friends: If you find people on DA who share similar interests to you and seem like a person you would get along with, try to get to know them. You may not be able to become best buddies with every watcher you have, but that doesn't mean you can't befriend at least some of them. If you have watchers who consistently comment and fav your work, send them a personal message letting them know how much you appreciate them. Maybe even connect with them on other sites, or, in the real world (conventions are a great way to do that)! Having connections, no matter what career you're in, is almost always useful. And having friends who support what you do, and whom you support, can really help in encouraging each other and spreading each other's names around to other friends!
12. Good Content/Art: Probably the most important thing you should do; make sure your content (meaning your artwork/writing) is good enough for people to want to follow. If you only focus on all the other things I mentioned above, but hardly focus on putting out good art, it can get you a somewhat decent following, but it will only go so far. If you have great work, and don't do any of the other things I've mentioned, you're more likely to get a large following than someone who does those things and never posts work or posts mediocre work. As an artist (whether visual arts or writing), your larger focus should be on developing your skills to become a better artist. You should never stop learning/growing. Even the great historic artists themselves continuously practiced and developed their skills. If you're a beginner, that's fine, many people will enjoy watching you grow. In fact, people may watch you just from seeing that there's large amounts of progress in your work. But if you've been working on your craft for a long time, try to mainly post finished looking pieces. Most works in progress should be kept in the scraps folder of DA, otherwise it may make you seem amateurish.
And that concludes my 12 tips for increasing exposure on DeviantArt. I hope they will be of great use to you. When used properly, you may find DA to be one of your favorite sites used for your art. Just keep in mind, don't do these things with only the intent of fame/money. That will show to others and will make you appear very ingenuine, and therefore these tips won't work as well. Your art should be a form of expression and posted as a desire to share yourself and what you have to say with the world, even if it's your career and your income is based off of it.
If you're interested in "watching" my DeviantArt page, you can find it at http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/!
Did I miss anything? If you have other suggestions for increasing your exposure on DA, or you have any questions and/or concerns about what I've said, let me know in a comment below! I would love to hear what you have to say.
No comments:
Post a Comment