Sunday Mailbag- How do Clients Find You?

Q: Congrats of your artwork for the CNN series! I’ve seen it everywhere. How did CNN find you to do that job? In fact, what’s the most effective way you market yourself to clients today?

A: Thanks! I have been very surprised at how much CNN has used the art I did. It’s been fun to see it so many places.

I try to remember to ask clients where they found me, just so I can track what is the most effective way potential clients run across my work. In CNN’s case, it was via Instragram. The art director searched for hashtags like #caricature and saw my work pop up. Then he went to my Instragram profile and perused the work I have posted there, and subsequently to my website to see more work, and from there he contacted me.

The old school model of advertising in sourcebooks and illustration directories are nowhere near as effective as they were 30 years ago when I was just starting out. The directories themselves have moved on from focusing on printed book directories into online versions using keywords for searching for specific types of illustrators. While they seem to be useful for some I haven’t found them to get me much work, so I no longer use them.

The most effective way to market yourself as an illustrator these days is through social media, particularly visual based ones like Instragram. It takes a long time to build up a following so your posts show up in more algorithms, but constant posting of images and good use of hashtags, etc. will eventually get your work to end up in searches for the type of work you do, which hopefully will result in work.

There really is no magic bullet or ultimate resource for getting your work out in front of potential clients anymore. You have to utilize multiple resources such as a strong website, social media, and possibly paid online illustration directories so you have a presence in any number of possible places where an art director might be looking.

Thanks to Grant J for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about  cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here!