Learning Online Marketing

The one skill I need most right now happens to be one of the ones I have the least experience in: marketing.

I believe I have a good idea and good products. I like to think my art is both unique and original and that there is an audience out there for my work, but marketing and advertising my brand to try to find those customers has not been easy.

Instagram: my main strategy has been to grow my brand on instagram, as its the network on which I've spend the most time and invested most in to build my personal presence online. I've been able to generate a moderate following by building my personal page for years, and have piggy-backed off that to grow my @Fluxgear account. I now have four instagram accounts: My personal page, my Flux business page, my Reif's Treats other business page, and my pup's page.

While I've seen steady growth, I've found that the audience build, while they appreciate my art, aren't necessarily ready to buy. Thus, I've found myself struggling to find new strategies to reach a larger audience and one that might be more ready to buy.

Facebook: I honestly hate Facebook as a platform. I think it a bastion of negativity and while I think there is an opportunity for growth there, my personal distaste for the environment makes it difficult to focus on the medium.

Twitter: I've long used twitter for political discussion, but I recently created a (mostly) politics-free account @FluxbyJake. While I've only got a few hundred followers, I've found that there is a thriving community of artists, and potentially an audience that might like my work if I get the right retweets.

Still, organic growth is not easy, especially when you are a team of one and you'd prefer to focus on the making of art rather than the selling of it.

I've been trying to learn the world of online advertising as well, but it's so easy to just toss money at ads that might not yield any results that its a bit terrifying.

Anyway, one of the things I have learned is that blog posts help SEO. Which is why even though I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, I suppose it can't hurt to write down all the things in my head on this here website.

If you do happen to be in marketing, and like my work and want to help me out, please do feel free to contact me with any advice you might have. Thanks!