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In previous articles, we talked about basics so you can understand NFTs, the technology behind them, and their markets. Now, we will change direction and talk directly to artists and artistic souls interested in NFTs.
If you are not an artist, you can still read this because building a community is crucial in any area of life and business.
So if this speaks to you, keep reading!
What’s the one thing that every merchant needs to survive? Of course, it’s customers. Without customers, you just have merchandise collecting dust.
Furthermore, to have customers, you must have shoppers. To have shoppers, you must have a community, and to have a community, someone must build it.
While NFTs don’t collect dust in the traditional sense, they can collect dust in the metaphorical sense if there are no customers.
The more NFTs you have sitting around collecting cyber dust, the fewer people are going to be interested in dusting them off and taking them for a spin, so to speak.
So, before you spend a single minute or a single dollar making NFTs, you need to put some serious thought into building a community of shoppers – not just any shoppers. You need people who might be interested in what you have to offer.
There are several other words we could use in place of “shoppers” such as target market, demographic, followers, fans, supporters, or even your tribe. From here on out, we will refer to them as your community.
In the past, even up until recently, the best way to build a following was to get out there and be sociable, shake some hands, make some fans, and so forth.
The pandemic changed that for a lot of people – especially performing musicians. Although this is still a great way to build a following, it is not as necessary as it was in the past.
When it comes to building a following today, especially for selling NFTs, social media is an absolute necessity.
Social media platforms are the most efficient and effective tools for promoting yourself. You can bet your last dollar that 99% of people who buy NFTs have social media accounts. The trick, of course, is to get their attention.
Currently, these are the top social media sites:
There are also social publishing sites where artists can promote their work.
Here are just a few popular examples:
Each of these platforms has its own system for publishing content and building a community. We could go over each one in more detail, but let’s talk about what they all have in common and why you need them.
We’re putting this rule before all the other tips. That’s because you can post all the content you want, but if you don’t interact with your community, you’re just wasting your time and theirs.
Do not just post and run.
When it comes to selling art, there’s one fact that’s inescapable. Community building is about storytelling. If you’re not telling a story, then you are just a decoration.
If you’re not intent on remaining anonymous, then it’s a good idea to present yourself as often as possible as a real person. That means posting pictures and videos of yourself and maybe hosting live online events.
(Pretty much all social media sites now have live broadcasting features.)
A lot of artists post photos and videos of themselves creating their art. This is part of your story, and it gives your art a story as well.
Whenever you sell a piece of art, talk about it on your social media. Thank people!
Make customers feel like they’re special.
If you sell some physical art, ask the buyer to take a picture of it displayed in their home. If it’s a CD, ask them for a picture of themselves holding it. If it’s an NFT or marketplace sale, you can take a screenshot of the sale.
If you just post once in a while, you’re not going to get much love from your community. It is important to post daily if you can – preferably multiple times each day.
It’s certainly okay to sell your work on your social media feeds. Just don’t make it the bulk of your presentation. Remember that the purpose of your social media is not to advertise but rather to build and lead a following and to be the star of your story.
Unless you’re very lucky or insanely brilliant, building a large enough social media following to make a living as an artist can take years. You just have to chip away at it day after day.
In the beginning, the slow growth rate of a social media account can be disheartening. However, as the years go by, your network will grow faster and faster.
Don’t get frustrated and give up!
Whenever you’re working on your social media channels, take some time to imagine how it will feel to have tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of eager followers.
How will it feel to wake up to scores of new followers every single day? How will it feel to get hundreds of likes and encouraging comments for every post? How will it feel to announce your latest NFT collection on social media and then immediately sell out?
If you have any questions about this article or NFTs in general, feel free to reach out!
We are also building an NFT community for artists here in Croatia, so if you are interested, reach out on any of my social media platforms: https://nftartxpert.carrd.co/
See you in the next one, where we will talk about how models can use the NFT to their advantage.
P.S. I will be in Split for BlockSplit 4, so we can chat there! 😀
The article was written by: Ivan Markov, NFTartXpert
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