Self Promotion as a Children's Book Illustrator
Regardless of what methods you use, there are 3 golden rules for advertising that you need to consider. These are:
Number 1 - Targeting
No matter what you are promoting, marketing is only successful when you are speaking to the right people at the right time. Fortunately, today's modern marketing methods make that more accessible than ever, so it is essential to keep our target customer in mind at all times.
Number 2 - C2A
You must always have an action you want your audience to take. This is known as a C2A or a "call-to-action". You need to have one of these on every piece of outward-facing material you have. For the most part, you will ask your audience to go to your website as this is the most complete place to find out more about your services.
Keep your C2A simple and only ask the audience to do 1 action. For example:
Bad C2A: "to uncover why my illustrations are perfect for you, head on over to my latest blog or if you want to see some more work, then look at my Instagram @exampleillustrations."
Good C2A: "Discover more work www.example-illustrator.net"
Number 3 - Engagement
It is essential to recognize what makes people engage with you and use this knowledge to create great adverts and promotions. I constantly look at what has done well and what has not done so well. Once you develop this understanding, you can tweak and change how you communicate to your audience and refine the messaging to create higher engagement and make your advertising and promotion more effective.
TIP: When analysing your marketing performance, have one goal in mind. This could be website visits or social media followers, but the goal must be consistent.
The internet can be a scary place; however, it can also be your best friend if you use it right. If you fear putting yourself out there, now is the time to tackle this fear, as this is the quickest and easiest way to find work. Starting out, I didn't know anyone in the industry, I had no author friends or parents in publishing, I knew very little about the world of books. I knew I loved drawing, so I got an iPad and sketched every day after work (sometimes during but don't tell). One day I felt like my art was strong enough to be put out into the world, so I joined a few Facebook groups; this brings me to my first tip for finding work: Facebook groups.
Facebook groups were my primary source for finding self-publishers. Groups like 'book illustrators and authors' are full of people asking for illustrators to illustrate their books. You can find other projects for illustrators too. The community is strong, and you can also use them for advice and tips. I highly recommend everyone starting here. You might not have to be on them for long, but if you are open to starting with low budget books to build up a portfolio, there is no better place to start. Here are some pros and cons of Facebook groups to be aware of:
Pros:
● Frequent posts with work opportunities
● You can see the profile of the person putting up the post, which helps with security
● Often the authors have little to no experience, so it's the perfect learning opportunity
● It's free!
● It is quick and easy to do. Just leave a comment under a post
Cons:
● Often the work is a meagre budget
● Competition is high and from all over the world
● No guarantee they will respond
● Often posts are not detailed enough, and the comment section is spammed
Summary: In my first year, over 50% of my freelance work came through Facebook, so I highly recommend you give it a go. Don't be disheartened if authors don't reply, make sure you only comment on work that fits your style and don't spam the comments!
Image: My first paid book through Facebook
You likely already have an Instagram as part of your online presence to post your latest work and interact with your audience. The platform operates on an ever-changing system of rules and algorithms that work in the background to promote specific content to different audiences; this is known as organic promotion. There are many ways you can take advantage of these rules and algorithms to make Instagram want to promote your work; however, I don’t believe instgram is the best way to get work so if you are serious about being an ‘Influencer’ it may be best to find an online course that focuses on this. Below are 11 ways you can boost your organic reach.
1. Set a goal for your Instagram account. Use your bio to include a C2A— "Get a free book consultation."
2. Know your hashtags. Use good, relevant hashtags for your content to bring eyeballs to your account. Keep a list of hashtags that work for you to copy and paste to save time and lookout for new hashtags that will broaden your audience.
3. Post consistently. The algorithm works in your favour if you post quality content that receives engagement regularly. Find your best time to post and set a schedule. If you have an Instagram Business account, use the Insights feature to see valuable Instagram analytics, learn more about your followers, and see when they're most active.
4. Mix it up. Take a step back and look at your content. You should have a good mix of photos and videos to favourably influence the algorithm. Videos get engagement and keep viewers on one platform, which is the channel's goal.
5. Build trust and a following with UGC. Add user-generated content to tap into other people's networks and give conversations a nudge. We know that customers trust other consumers. User-generated content that speaks positively to your work builds trust and attracts people to work with you too.
6. Use Instagram Stories. Participate in this attention-grabbing format to be creative and funny. Stories help expand your reach by letting you tag other accounts in your Story to tap into their networks. You can also use hashtags in your Story to encourage people to find and connect with your account. Remember, more than 70% of Instagram users follow at least one business, so this network and format are a channel you can't ignore.
7. Appreciate engagement ASAP. Respond to engagement right away to show your audience that their comments are encouraged and appreciated. Instead of just liking a comment, speak to your audience, follow them, and thank them for taking the time to make a comment.
8. Align and appreciate back. Do some research, find accounts that align with your own or identify industry influencers. Like their content and open up a dialogue. Remember that their followers will also see your comments and click back to your account. Offer real comments, and don't be afraid to use emojis.
9. Learn from your top performers. When you measure Instagram and the effectiveness of your content performance, pay attention to the formula of the content that gets the best reach. Test each aspect of this content by repeating hashtags, visual style, copy style, etc., to help you strategize well-performing content going forward.
10. Tag a friend. Create engaging content that invites your audience to tag a friend in the comments. It's a simple tactic, but once you've built up good, consistent content, your audience can suggest your account to their own networks and quickly expand your following and potential impressions.
11. Go live. Live video is offered at the top of a feed, actively keeping you in front of your audience. The live video format on Instagram lets followers tap into your account as you broadcast. You can engage back and forth with your audience. It's an excellent medium for exciting announcements, as well as personalized checking in with your followers.
TIP: I have said it before, and I'll repeat it for the people at the back INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING DOES NOT EQUAL MONEY. If the above stresses you just have fun and find other ways to market yourself. I, for example, don't love making videos or stories; therefore, I don't do it. I do love interacting with people and posting good quality photos. Find what you enjoy and stick with it. Play with all the features above and find what works for you. Most of the successful illustrators I know don’t even have an instagram account.
Image: Kirstie Watson contacted me originally via Instagram, we are now working on our sixth book together!
Setting your business up on Google is easy and free. It is an excellent way for people to leave you public reviews, and the more reviews you have on Google, the more likely they are to promote your business. As well as reviews, you can link to your website, add a contact number for people to call you and photos of your work. These things make Google trust your website and increase the number of people who visit your site.
You can get set up here: https://business.google.com/create
Freelance Platforms
Next, you have platforms like Fiver and People Per Hour. Personally, I don't recommend using them; however, if Facebook is too much for you, these may be an excellent place to start. If you are looking for real-world experience and portfolio work, then for most, the small budget doesn't matter. I would recommend, though, that you pick sites that take a percentage fee and not ones that charge you a monthly one. This way, if you don't find work, you don't lose out.
Networking
Networking is a fantastic way to find contacts within your field. You can join local groups, go to local events, or even join in on conversations all over the world online. Personally, this is a scary one for me, but the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a great place to start for book illustrators. They have local critic groups and events you can attend.
Another option is to reach out to local businesses, charities, or people. I did this a lot when I started a graphic design and came away with many local charities wanting work. This is a fantastic way to build up a portfolio and get real business testimonials. The best way to do this is to drop a friendly email and send it to the right people. You can even find the owners on LinkedIn if they only have a generic email available.
Do any friends have a business you could do some work for? Maybe their mum has a birthday coming up and would love a personalized product? Does your brother know anyone at work who would need an illustration? Everyone is a possible client; until you ask, you never know.
Image: My first ever book created with a family member
TIP: Always carry a business card with you and always be nice about businesses in the industry. You never know who you're sitting next to!
A family member of mine once went to an interview at MTV records when she started her career. The interview went dreadfully, and she lost all her confidence and the interviewer was terribly rude. On the way out, she was in the lift crying to a man about how much she wanted the job and loved MTV records. Turned out the man was the CEO and gave her the job the very same day! Now imagine if she had acted differently.