At last week’s Social Sharing Savvy training sessions, I received numerous questions along these lines:
“How can I get more subscribers/followers/fans?”
Watch the language you use and the energy around it. In particular, I’m worried about using the g-word: get.
“Get” could mean anything. It could mean that you buy a list or sleazily grab email addresses from people who didn’t ask to hear from you.
To my ears, getting sounds greedy and aggressive.
With get, the emphasis seems to be on quantity rather than quality.
It sounds like you’re only interested in the marketing numbers when you should be far more interested in connecting with people who, in turn, want to connect with your art.
You don’t just want numbers. You want the right individuals to add up to those numbers.
Stop looking for shortcuts. Start doing the hard (and much more interesting) work of caring about people and connecting with them authentically.
Instead of getting, focus on attracting.
These are the 3 steps to attracting people to your list if they are followers …
1. Care about the people who respond to your art and to your content.
Recognize them, engage them, and remember them.
Love them. Honor them.
They’re more than numbers. They’re living, breathing human beings with big hearts and souls.
When you care about people, you can ask them if they’d like to receive your emails or follow you.
Then …
2. Create content that is of value rather than just a bunch of noise and extra emails.
Don’t send emails or post social media updates because you have to. Do it because you want to deepen your relationship with your followers.
Once you commit to this approach, your content will improve and you’ll be more enthusiastic about sharing.
Focus your content on your art if you want people to connect with you as an artist.
The reason people follow you is because of the work you do in the world. Don’t keep it from them.
3. Repeat often.
Care, create content, care more, and create more content. Consistency is key.
If you really care about the people who love your art, you won’t take action only when you want something from them.
You’ll keep reaching out. You’ll keep caring.
Doing the above earns you the right to ask people to attend your opening, buy your art, or sign up for your class.
This process isn’t a quick fix, but doing it shows your commitment. It proves to people that you’re in it for the long term – not for simply gathering numbers.
7 thoughts on “How To Attract More Followers to Your List”
I can’t wait to get started!!
Thanks, it was good!
I couldn’t agree more with everything you said, but I still thinks it begs the question being asked. Let’s reframe it into your terms: How do we attract more followers that we want to be in dialogue with about our art, who love our art and that we can connect with on a lot of levels?
I can post on FB or create blog posts according to your 3 steps above, but the likes I get on FB seem superficial (I think this may be an issue in general) and my blog posts reach a very small audience (those that have signed up to follow me). How do I reach out and find those people that I want to attract and dialogue with? Where or how can I publically get my information out there so that the right people see it? I think this is the question we are all asking. As big as social media sites are and the internet in general sometimes it feels like a very isolated space.
Here are some things I have thought about trying or have tried:
1) promote my best posts on FB – yep pay for it – I can see which posts create the most buzz in the group I am trying to connect with and those are the ones I should promote
2) start a FB group and moderate it on a topic related to my art that could attract like-minded people (artists and potential customers)
3) Ask like-minded artists or some of my key friends/fans to share my FB or blog posts with their friends on their FB pages (recently someone did this without me asking them and I got 10 new likes from people that seemed genuinely happy to have “discovered” me.)
These are just some ideas around concrete suggestions to find those people that I want to attract – I think, Alyson, that we are all hoping that you may have some other helpful, practical tips like these to share with us. I think some of these with consistency and quality is the key to building that all imporant list.
Thanks for spending the time with us live – I really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Alyson, my husband and I were among the 600 who listened to your webinar. What you say is absolutely right. In my former hairstyling career, I found ways to bond my clients to me and help them enjoy spending their money with me. The very best way was a simple one like remembering birthdays, spouse’s and children’s names and keeping profiles with their “likes and dislikes.” I sent thank you cards and let them know I appreciated our relationship (& their business). I guaranteed my work and meant it. These are all soft skills to hone in any mode of commerce and I find it sorely lacking in the marketplace today. I know how I feel when someone sends a card to thank me. Personal touch counts even in the ArtBiz! That resonated with me during the webinar, so thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for listening to it, Kate. Michael Lynn Adams wrote a guest post for me called Marketing Lessons from a Hair Stylist. Good stuff! https://aaartbizold.wpengine.com/2010/03/michaellynnadams.html
This class couldn’t come at a better time. I need to tune my message to fit the people I want to reach. Now that I have started blogging consistently, I know what kind of posts I can cobble. I am looking forward to make sure they saying what I intend. Thanks. Ann
I love this article!!!! Care is the key in life. Thank you.