Creators must create. But anyone who does creative work can attest to the challenges of making a living from their passion. Whether you design clothes, create art, make crafts, or create any other type of product, it can be difficult to get your name out there and sell your work.
The key is never to stop working and make as many people aware of it as possible. Being a female creative requires you to embrace self-promotion and networking. Here are some practical tips to get you started!
1.) Approach Your Work Like a Business
Many creators struggle with the business side of things. But if you want to make a living from your work, you must approach it as a business and think of yourself as an entrepreneur. That’s the only way to get discovered and build your brand.
Start by creating a brand identity for your company, even if you’re going by your personal name. Put together an appealing, unique logo and select the typography, color palette, and other designs you’ll use for marketing. Then, conduct market research to get an idea of where you can sell your work.
If you already have a specialty (e.g., art, crafts, design, etc.), draft a business plan that outlines strategies for achieving your goals. And include any relevant information about your business, such as your mission, target audience, financial forecasts, and more.
2.) Make a Professional Website
You’ll be relying heavily on online marketing as a female creative. The first step to putting your work online is to create an engaging portfolio website that’s easy for visitors to use and navigate. Your site should showcase your work in the best light possible. And if you want people to keep returning to your site, you must regularly post new content and images of your work.
A lot goes into building a website. If you have little to no experience in web development and design, consider hiring a freelance professional to handle the job.
3.) Stay Busy on Social Media
Besides making a website, engaging your target audience on social media is the most crucial task for getting discovered. There are countless artists that get their creative projects discovered and gain the bulk of their business on social media.
Billions of people worldwide use social media every day, and it’s essential to post quality content regularly to stay top of mind and attract more of your target audience. If you want people to follow you and check out your website’s content, plan to make at least one fresh post per day.
You can also utilize Facebook ads to promote yourself and your creative endeavors. You can design a Facebook ad for free with an online ads maker. Once you’ve chosen a template, you can customize it by adding your own text, images, colors, and other branding elements.
4.) Share Work from Others
Most of your social media content should focus on your own projects. But sharing work from other artists and designers who inspire you can help you attract followers and potential customers.
By the way, you don’t have to share content only from discovered and well-established artists. If you see something you like, consider linking to the other artist’s social media account or website, even if they don’t have many followers.
5.) Remember to Work
Lastly, don’t get so deep into self-promotion that you forget to put time into your craft and building your skills. No matter how unique and advanced your projects are becoming, there will always be room for improvement. Never stop mastering your skills and building your creative portfolio.
You will only get discovered as a creative woman if you learn how to promote yourself. Develop your brand identity and build a portfolio site that highlights your recent projects. Engage your target audience on social media every day. And never stop working on new projects and mastering your craft.