Thoughts on Social Media as a Tool For Art Promotion: Part 2

These aren't hard rules. Mostly just thoughts and suggestions that may or may not be useful in building a following on social media. You'll have to experiment with them and make a judgement call on which aspects you're willing to devote most of your time. Also try to make up your own strategies based on your observations. You're the best judge of what works and doesn't work for your art.

My thoughts are a little messy, so I apologize for that.

• Post regularly - Some people unfollow simply because they don't see any activity for large amounts of time. Posting regularly and somewhat frequently (at least once a week) will give your blog predictability. People will know when to expect posts and they'll expect to see something new when visiting your page. Posting frequently increases chances that one of your posts might become viral and net more new visitors. In this case queues can be very helpful but not every site offers this tool.

• Network - You scratch my back and I scratch yours, but expect to rarely get reciprocation back. Showing appreciation to artists whose works you love through likes, reblogs, and comments can translate to some traffic to your site and it feels nice to do! There's always a chance you'll make a new friend as well if you speak up. But don't expect to build a network quickly. Relationships take a long time through consistent communication to establish trust. So don't get frustrated, be friendly, and keep at it. 
• That said, some artists do the follow and then unfollow when someone doesn't follow back thing. I don't think that's a good strategy. Your aim is to build a following of people who actually like your art. If you have a following that doesn't like your art and follows out of some obligation it may be as empty as having bought bot followers.

• Fanart - Probably the fastest and easiest way to people's heart. Making appealing fanart will attract people pretty easily if you make sure to tag and send to groups where fans know to look. I've found a lot of artists I love through fanart. But that doesn't mean you have to feel pressured draw whatever is popular, unless you enjoy it yourself. Draw things you like and you'll attract likeminded people eventually. Doing fanart consistently of a series you love will help you build a following over time. If you don't like doing fanart, then don't do fanart as it's not for everyone.
• Thinking of things in terms of fanart and original art, I think the main distinction to make is that one is art depicting licensed characters and the other is not. However if you make art of your friends character isn't that fanart? If you make art of the Sears Tower isn't that in some way fanart? What I'm trying to get at is that everything has a "fanbase." Some like furries, anime girls, animals, sci fi stuff etc. If you keep drawing what you like, if it's original art, you will eventually attract "fans" of that peculiar thing. It's not as immediately lucrative as licensed characters but it's something to keep in mind.

• Processes, Sketches, WIPS - Especially popular on sites like Instagram. People enjoy seeing the work that went into an artwork. Posting processes and tips too can help others and attract people to your page.

• Recognizable Name - This touches on building your "brand". Having one name on one site and a different name on another site won't make it easy for people to remember you and your art. Whether it be an alias or your real name try to remain consistent. 

• Make good art - Ultimately the above tips won't matter much if you don't make "good" work. However that's a subjective concept. What makes something good? Appealing? It's not an easy question to answer for anyone. You may notice some prolific artists aren't what you personally believe is good. But remember that they may satisfy someone else's standard of good. They may have great marketing skills. They may have just been in the game longer than you. It's not something to get discouraged about but rather think about it as a learning experience. Try to figure out why. You might not get to an answer. So what can you do? Working on improving your craft is one thing. Read and practice smartly to improve. People will recognize good work whether it appeals to them or not. Since it's hard to predict what appeals to people one year and the next year, work on what you like and cultivate it into something you can be proud of. Get your work in enough faces and you'll eventually find enough people who are interested in your work.
• It takes a while - It takes a long time to build a following anywhere unless you're an extremely talented artist from the get go. The key is to keep at it.

In the end, I think it's important not to beat yourself up over social media. People and interests can be fickle. 

If you have any tips then feel free to comment about it.