There’s a lot of advice on the internet about marketing your art on Society6 / Redbubble/ Spoonflower / Zazzle /etc. from articles that walk you through uploading to “tips” that tell you it’s a long-game to get discovered (this ain’t that, folks). This is about actionable ways to market your art on POD sites.
So much of it is extremely vague, like "share your work" or very specific "I had a design uploaded years ago selected for a feature for national dog day" and most of it feels like it’s totally out of the artist's control, whether its an algorithm or a randomly selected feature. Or it’s not actually marketing. Trust me, it’s my other job.
My goal here isn't to disparage others' advice (it worked for them, thats why they recommended it), but to dig in to things you can take action on. To be clear, I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll sure as heck try to share them!
“Share on Social Media” … Great, but who am I talking to?
First and foremost, define your audience. This isn’t a one and done task, but an ever-evolving piece of your brand and art style. For me, it’s about carving out a niche that resonates with the art I enjoy making: Coastal Inspired art for adding a little vacation in to every day. I’d consider my audience mostly women, who enjoy beachy motifs but are looking for something a bit more modern. Don’t overcomplicate it, but also be specific. Your audience should be the people who will buy your art, which is ultimately your goal (I assume…)
Now that I’ve got THAT down, how do I talk about my art in a way that makes people want to buy? Besides just sharing art squares (which, to be fair, does work for some folks like Katie Rhees for example) you should be creating content that resonates with your ideal consumer…. if you’re not sure who that is, or what your content themes should be? Check out my freebie for the Content Calendar Kit! It will help you choose your content themes (and round out who you’re talking to!)
All of my posts fit these themes, and they also tell my audience how to use or appreciate what I’m selling. (Not directly, but suggestively, like this post about getting organized which is one of my posts with the highest impressions in the last three months). This topic could (and may someday be) an entire post, but I want to be clear - you need to provide value to your audience - that may be as simple as bringing joy with art, but when you’re sharing a specific design on a product tell them why they should want THAT one. As an example:
Social Example:
This piece SPECIFICALLY hits a fashion trend, which is why “you” need it too. AND it’s a best selling print, providing third-party validation (social value) for the design.
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Providing value to your audience is how you’ll grow- valuable content is shareable, whether it’s someone sharing your art to their Instagram story, or sending privately to a friend who would like what you’re sharing. The more sharing, the more growth, the more growth the more people will see you posts and possibly click over to that link in bio to buy!
So now that you know who you’re talking to, about reaching them…
“Use all the key words available”
Cool. Society6 allows 20, Spoonflower allows 13. BUT WHAT KEY WORDS DO I USE?
First, Thank you Spoonflower for guiding a bit - it is actually very helpful. They recommend tagging motifs, seasons, design style, colors, etc. Second: See the above note on audience and themes. Once you have an idea of your audience, think about words they would search. Ditch “home decor” and think “tropical oasis” or “coastal chic” Key words (and SEO) are a challenge (and a whole career), so there’s some trial and error involved. You can also look at your hashtags on Instagram and see which posts have the best reach from hashtags and try to parse out which ones worked (again, not easy, but more tangible).
Finally, when you’re looking for keywords, check out what’s trending - on POD sites (Spoonflower has a trending section of Fabric), Pinterest has analytics (for business accounts), Google trends, or Social media (you bet i went in and tagged relevant pieces with “Coastal Grandmother” when I saw it pop up on Reels & Tik Tok). The key here is RELEVANCE. Forever and always.
One other thing that I recommend ONLY IN A PINCH, is to look at key words others are using. Do NOT DO NOT DO NOT copy and paste over exactly the same key words, but if you have a feather design, search “Feathers” on your platform and click on a few that have a similar style or feel to yours and see what tags they may be using. Every piece of art is different even if motifs are the same, so every cluster of key words should be different too.
“Get Found” they said…
This “advice” encompasses the “get featured” suggestion that by now I hope you’ve assessed is my least favorite thing to hear. It’s also the goal, not the action.
Side note, I had a carryall pouch featured on Society6 back in Feb 2020 - and got TWO sales… (I shared the image on Instagram if you’re curious). I make more now on designs that have never been featured. That being said, I'm going to scream if I hear "get featured" one more time as the #1 way to make sales on a POD site. If only it were that easy...
So anyway. I talked about sharing and keywords already which is a great start, but I wanted to give you a few more ideas that are a bit more out of the box. Everything I’m suggesting is something that I am doing, trying or will be trying.
Pitch your products to blogs, magazines, etc. This is a bit under-rated in the POD community, partially because you can’t offer a lot of things like discount codes for specific audiences, line of sight to future sales, and most people don’t want to send PR product because they’re not making the margin that you’d have if you had your own store. BUT, unlike your own shop - Society6 has an affiliate network, and is on LKT.it and other larger networks, which is an advantage! I try to pitch a few times a month via HARO, and always include that benefit. For example, in 2021 during the holidays, it landed me a spot on Readers Digest.com! A note - a lot of places require high res photos, which can be a challenge (Society6’s images are only 700x700 pixels), so I recommend purchasing your best sellers or the items you want to pitch and photographing them… which brings me to -
Collaborate with photographers to show your work in real life. I believe it goes without saying that you should be purchasing your own designs (not all of them, but some of them). If you’re not comfortable behind the camera, find someone who is to shoot your products in real life. In exchange for product, I got some amazing photos from @pbkpix who I connected with via this Facebook group. She’s also shared them on her instagram which has gotten me some additional exposure (Thanks Kelly!)
Do a giveaway with someone in your niche. This is on my list for 2022 - I’ve done giveaways in the past that made sense before I rebranded, but have yet to do a giveaway collaboration in the Coastal niche! This does cost you some $ in product, but gets your work out there to a new audience! Another option is to collaborate with another artist (although I think both parties get more benefit if there’s a difference in what you offer).
Create based on trends, but in your own way. Elizabeth Silver releases a seasonal trend guide - while “strawberry fields” doesn’t feel super coastal, I chose a sea foam, blush, and sage color palette that fit with my style and created a piece! Is it my best seller? No, but it got some great engagement on Society6 (likes don’t translate into sales necessarily, but engagement is page views and interaction, which has to account for something!) This also applies to seasons. Coastal Christmas here I come!
Create a portfolio to pitch to those who will use it. This is a bit more specific to Spoonflower for the general POD market. I got a chance to connect with Jessie, Spoonflower’s Artist Community manager, and she suggested pitching wall paper to Interior Designers (mind blown)! Another creative option is sending makers who use Spoonflower fabrics a portfolio of collections (complete with hyperlinks) helps make their lives easier in selecting designs, and visualizing how your fabric can be used. This is on my list to do for Spoonflower, but I’m currently focusing on trying to pitch my designs available for Deny Designs (if you want an example of what this could look like!)
Questions? Want to share what’s worked for you? Send me a DM, an email, or comment below - I’m not sharing to brag about my success, but to demonstrate real actions I’ve taken (and continue to take) to market my art, so you can too!
Other places to find inspiration and actionable ideas:
You can find me on Instagram, Society6, Spoonflower, and Deny Designs!