Five golden rules for social media strategy

Apply these tips to each of your accounts for social media success

1 Create a strong profile

Provide as much professional information as possible, including your name, expertise, website, online shop or Patreon page, and links to all social media and creative communities, such as deviantART.

2 Share engaging content

Always post crisp, highquality images of your work. Engaged followers are best, so share relevant, valuable content. Establish trust by replying quickly to enquires. Remember, the more comments a post has, the more it’ll be shared.

3 Post frequently

The ideal frequency depends on your audience and what you have to say, so experiment for each platform. (Engagement rates on Facebook are 18 per cent higher on Thursdays and Fridays). Never post for the sake of it, though. Keep it meaningful.

4 Cross-promote

Different platforms have different strengths, so use them in tandem. Want to increase your YouTube subscribers? Do what Ross Tran did and create a teaser video to upload natively to Facebook. Looking for more Patreons? Share a tutorial on Instagram and link to Patreon.

5 Ditch the hard sell

The best way to increase sales is not to sell. Don’t turn people off. Grow your audience organically and, as long as there’s a clear link somewhere to your work, sales will follow. Help your followers spread awareness for you by giving them what they want: visual eye candy and engaging conversation.