Since I have taken on the task of resurrecting my freelance career, I have been posting feverishly my latest illustrations in several locations with the hope that someone will like my work and ultimately hire me. While doing these posts, I realized that I made multiple mistakes that really may have hurt my marketing efforts. I am listing these errors so maybe it will help any new artists, as well as myself, overcome any further advertising missteps.
Take the illustration below. Although I was very please in how it turned out, in a marketing standpoint I realized that I made several mistakes.
Whenever I post a new image I always add the name of the work, a copyright and my name to the description of the image. Always a good idea. However, upon closer inspection I discovered any real lack of marketing my talents.
The mistakes are in the image itself. First off: all I did was sign the image. It’s a start. If a potential client wants to find out who I am he or she could google my name and find the results (fortunately when I google myself I find my website is listed fourth, just below an author, a photographer and a college professor). However, I shouldn’t take the chance that a prospect will take the time to google me.
Which brings me to the second mistake I needed to overcome. Nowhere on this image is there a mention of my website. Since then I now include a faded version of my logo with my website address in every image, along with copyright information which also has my web URL listed. Now, if anyone wants to log onto my online portfolio the address is easy to find.
With those missteps addressed, I realized one more glaring error in my art. Although I do indeed normally sign my work, I usually have my signature at a bottom corner of the illustration. I realized, what if someone has decided to re-post one of my illustrations, and that same someone decided to crop it a little tighter (due to space on the website or something else not quite so honest).
The signature at the bottom right corner of my illustration allows for my name to be completely cropped out (see above image). Now, not only am I not credited for my work, but MY ART can be easily claimed by someone else. Not good!
My newer illustrations (and I am currently working on my older stuff) now carries my logo, and my copyright or byline. Also, I now incorporate my signature within a central portion, or other area that cannot be easily cropped out. On my I’m Batman caricature, you can see my signature appears just below the Caped Crusader. Even if my logo and byline is cut off, I can still lay claim to my work.
These are just a few marketing mistakes I have overcome. There are more that I have discovered and will post my solutions in days to come.
If you have found some marketing mistakes that you had to overcome, let me know.
