Can we take a break from crypto for a minute and discuss growing an online business?
I am a digital artist who finally feels confident enough to put a price tag on my art. As such, I have begun offering commissions. However, this thread can be about any online business trying to grow, not just art commissions.
I am still in the beginning stages. I have tried to reach out to multiple people on Facebook and Twitter. I tried paid promotions on both of these platforms. The results I got were meh. On Twitter I got a lot of views but almost no interaction, except for obvious bots. On Facebook, I got a lot of likes on my promoted post, but from several fake accounts and a weird demographic that I'm not targeting at all (Mexican gangsters)
This leads me to conclude that paid promotions are not a good way to grow my fan base, at least not initially. So I have tried a different strategy: I am doing an art giveaway. I will draw someone's request for free, but they must retweet my post, like it, and follow me on twitter. So far, I have had almost no interaction on that post, but I'm not too keen to spend another $50 to promote that post as well.
Anyone else ever been in my boat? What are some other things you did to get noticed by your target demographic?
I should also clarify: when I say that "I am in the beginning stages," what I mean is that I have been trying to start this "business" for about 6 months now. I have had only had three customers so far.
Michael Russell
Do a commission for free for me. It's not like it's hard or something. Oh and it's my birthday today too. That'll be every message you'll get.
Camden Wright
What a sad thing to look forward to Maybe if I keep believing, my dreams will come to life...
Benjamin Nelson
Build a portfolio, boost your sales skills and look localy
Elijah Jackson
>look locally No one in bumfuck nowhere, Indiana, wants to buy anime fetish art. I'm targeting online weebs
Joshua Murphy
welp Jow Forums is the right place market your shit on the appropriate boards though
Mason Cruz
>anime fetish art
the answer is patreon
Brandon Morgan
Ive heard furry porn pays pretty well
Asher Kelly
Yes that is the ultimate goal, but it's pretty hard to advertise a patreon when you have no followers in the first place, right? Still in the "getting people to know I exist" stage
Lincoln Edwards
Anyways I don't want this thread to be just about me, if you guys have any online business shit you do through social media, feel free to talk about it here too
Leo Gomez
No online bussinesses for me, I got zero skills
Jeremiah Campbell
I’m finna start an online gaming site, like multiplayer mini games
Blake Bailey
hey me too
Ayden Carter
What's wrong with selling art to mexican gangstas? They have no clue about art. You can jew them out of their money bigly.
Landon Lee
Instagram is king man. You have to be aggressive in promoting your stuff. What demographics can you target, what makes your stuff unique? Also, things take time. Maybe try to do something that might be outside your wheelhouse but what might be a more popular subject/theme to get exposure. I'm working on getting my shitty online comedy shit going which my fanbase is growing but it takes a lot of effort and thinking outside the box. With the amount of content available the odds of just randomly being discovered are nil. Also, network with motherfuckers
Charles Gutierrez
Competing for cash prizes.
Take fee for playing, use half the fee to build pool for a EOM tournament.
Mason Thomas
awfully quick to assume the website is heavily dependant on money, but you're right.
What are some good, simple pooling games? I'm thinking something like drawing straws between 10 users, where the longest straw wins the pot
Liam Nguyen
>I have tried to reach out to multiple people on Facebook and Twitter.
That's silly. Shill on various discords, reddit, Jow Forums, places where your actual audiences are.
Try building a community (start with a discord).
Joseph Moore
Is this you, Blumber
Thomas Hall
That's penny slots man.
I was thinking something that was a little less random like mario party style. Short sweet mini game that takes a little practice
Cooper Barnes
how do you avoid bots though? once money is involved people will be creating bots like crazy
Grayson Thomas
there is a LOT more money to be made generating sales in a new market rather then going after the existing market. if you are able to sell your product in Indiana locally, your customers will be more dependent on you.
Asher Davis
..captcha?
Cameron Morgan
I hate instagram so much. You can't do ANYTHING without a phone, but I hate typing on a phone...
Gavin Jones
a user could enter the site, fill out the captcha, then turn on their bot when the game starts if it's a skillbased game
Isaiah Flores
Welcome to the real world you have to do things you don't like sometime hippie
Logan Roberts
Have you considered that maybe your art is shit?
Austin Walker
Don't be an idiot. Twitter and facebook allow you to see how many people have viewed your stuff. Out of the 2 or so people that see a post, they seem to like it.