It's been far too long since I posted here, and I have something to post about today. A big part of my current strategy to get eyes on my BigShadows.net store is to organically grow an audience via social media, and currently I have a post in the Liminal AI group that has hit huge.
It occurred to me that putting a circus underground in a cavern pushed a lot of buttons. It's incongruous, which is always a popular theme. It's nostalgic, as traditional Big Top circuses are now largely a thing of the past. It lends itself to warm practical lighting, which creates an ambience that is very appealing. And finally, circuses have an inherently spooky quality that is, I think, largely due to the presence of clowns. The casting of circuses as sinister and otherworldly was cemented in me at a very early age by the Ray Bradbury novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," and a little later by the works of Peter Straub, in particular "Shadowland." The scary clown has been a cultural touchstone for decades, crystallized by Pennywise in Stephen King's "It."
I hoped these images would find a warm reception at the Facebook group, Liminal AI, as some of my previous posts there have performed half-decently. I wasn't prepared, though, for just how big the reaction to this post has been, with over 8,000 reactions and over 3,200 shares (arguably the more meaningful stat) as of today. It's still going, too; slowing down but still provoking reactions, comments and shares.
Of course, having a post like this one catch fire doesn't directly translate into any tangible benefit; "Facebook famous" isn't really a thing. It helps raise my profile, though, and even more importantly adds to the number of people who follow my page. The more people looking at my feed, the more people will see my posts about my Big Shadows merch. A certain small percentage of those will actually visit the store, and a further small percentage will buy something. This post has gained me 30 more followers so far and I anticipate at least a few more. So, getting there. Slowly and incrementally, but getting there nonetheless.
Take care!
