5 habits of good artist-marketers

Here are some marketing habits of webcomic folks and indie artists, that I see out there ever day.

Make a lot of art / Talk about what you make

Seems like a lot of people create things in little bursts. You see a little of their comics or art, and then you don’t see them again for months at a time. Then you forget about them.

The people who stand out are the folks who create on a regular basis, and show what they do. Constantly.

Why does this work? Well for one, they’ve got something to talk about. People want to invest in (and support) brands that are going to deliver. (Entertainment, products, personality, etc.)

Miss Monster is someone that I feel does a great job at this. Sure she’s not a webcomicazi, but she is making a living from her art online. Pay attention to folks outside of the webcomic world.

Be authentic, be you.

For your marketing message to resound, it needs to be perceived as real. Instead of pretending to be something you’re not, just be you. People aren’t stupid, and they can detect smaltz from 312 feet away.

When you post on your blog, on Twitter, or wherever, use you own true voice/attitude/personality.

In truth, it’s easier to market consistently with you own voice anyway. The most difficult thing that I see is that many folks don’t know who they are just yet; they’ve not found their voice. I’m not sure how to help there.

I think that Scott Kurtz does a good job of having a distinct and unique voice in his writing. Sure some folks find him grating, but I can hear his voice in my head, when I read his writing.

The additional benefit to being uniquely you is that it can’t be easily replicated in the marketplace. You win because you’re you!

Good comics equals good marketing

An effective marketer realizes that having great content IS great marketing. If you make a webcomic, the better you make it, the more it will market for you.

Look around, and watch XKCD in motion. The amount of marketing that is done on his behalf by Randall Monroe’s fans is astounding. That kind of exposure would cost tens of thousands of dollars to pull off in the real world. He’s getting it for free, because he rocks it. His excellent comic IS the marketing. Don’t forget that quality is job one.

Stay on target

I spent 15 years jumping from one unrelated project to another. One week I was in a band, and the next I was trying to make enormous stilt puppets. Long story short, this lack of focus prevented me from gaining any ground out there.

Once I started Steam Crow, I knew that I had to create stuff that fit underneath this umbrella of friendly monster stuff. If I wanted to start a band, it’d better be a Monster Band. If I wanted to make a puppet, it’d better be one of my characters from Monster Commute.

Examine your passions, and make sure they align with what you’re doing. Make your passions into your business, and you’ll have a much better chance to say on target. Without focus, you’ll never succeed.

Zig, when they zag

It pays to not do what everyone else is doing. Pure and simple, it’s easier to stand out.

As we all know, there are 10 bajillion webcomics out there about the gang of friends that work at a video game store, and their pratfalls. If you make one of these comics, you’re probably going to have a tough time to beat out Penny Arcade and company. You’re much, much smarter choosing a genre/focus that is more individual and unique.

Same goes for your marketing.

When we looked around at conventions, everyone seemed to be using black and red on their signage and banners. That was great, as black and red looks cool, and is a powerful visual combination. But EVERYONE was doing it.

Which is exactly why we chose brown and orange for our Steam Crow booth. It was different than everyone else, and it stood out from the sea of black and red.

There are probably endless ways to cut away from the pack, if you just look for them. It’s okay to be different. Just do it consistently. Like judo.

Dawna at our mini-booth at APE 2009.

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Daniel m. Davis is the co-owner (with his wife Dawna) of Steam Crow LLC,  a Phoenix, Arizona studio that creates characters/stories/goods with a monster imagination.

He also creates the Monster Commute, a 5 day a week monsterpunk adventure comic.