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Do you have an Instagram account? Have you been thinking about implementing an Instagram marketing strategy to help build your following? In this post, you will discover 7 Instagram tips for visual artists selling art online.
Instagram Tips For Visual Artists Selling Art Online
Are you becoming overwhelmed with all of the social media choices that you have to market your art online? It almost seems like there are new social media sites popping up every month.
Have you noticed that every new social media platform claims to be the best choice for marketers.
If you have followed me for some time, you already know my thoughts on this subject.
When I help artists grow their art business, I provide them with information on how to use the most popular tools that are available.
More important than that, I teach them how to be more productive with their time by only focusing on works for their niche.
Just because Pinterest is providing me tremendous results might not mean you will see the same.
In order for you to build an online art business, you have to try new tools, learn how to use them, then assess the results. If you see that there is potential then go full force. If you notice that you are wasting your time stop using the tool and try a different one.
7 Instagram Tips For Visual Artists
Below are some best practices for your Instagram strategy you can start using today.
Tell Your Art Journey
This first tip is all about planning.
You want to create a feed that will inspire people to scroll through your feed. Only showcase important, relevant content and remove any clutter that will distract your following.
Tell a story with a purpose, just like you do with your art. You want people to be intrigued with your art and artistic journey. The goal is to have them looking forward to your next chapter.
Instagram is a visual social media platform and you have an advantage over most businesses, you have a creative mind. Use your strengths and take the time to develop a strategy that will help you to connect with your following and build reach a new audience.
Here is a great video showcasing 5 artists that are doing very well on Instagram.
Take a look at what they are doing and see if you can use some of their techniques to help build your following.
Hashtags Matter
The second tip I would like to talk about is hashtags. If you have a Twitter account, you already know the importance of hashtags. Implementing a targeted hashtag strategy that relates to your business is something you will need to use to get people to show up to your page.
You might have seen people who use too many hashtags. Do not do this, it becomes annoying. Instead, focus on a few key hashtags that describe your business and mission. The goal is to make it easy for your target audience to find you.
Watch this video to learn more about hashtags.
Captions Count
The third tip is about writing a great caption. As artists, we communicate our message visually but adding a great caption might be the hook that catches the fish.
A couple of tips about captions to consider:
- Make them entertaining.
- Make them inspirational.
- Say more with fewer words.
- Use easy to read fonts.
- Do not distract your image.
- Always include your artist website and art blog’s URL
Mistakes to Avoid
The best way to learn is by making a mistake or learning from other people’s mistakes.
Here is a list of common mistakes that you will want to avoid using in your Instagram strategy.
- Not being consistent with your posting schedule. Posting sporadically is a great way to have your followers forget about you.
- Using poor quality images. Instagram is all about telling a visual story. Take pride in your images and only publish the best.
- Too much text. A caption is a great way to hook someone in, but if you are not careful you could easily lose your audience’s attention.
- No artist website or artist blog URL in the profile. I am all about making the most of your time. The goal is to increase your online art sales. Increasing sales is done by driving your target audience to your artist website. Include your URL in your profile so people can visit your site.
- Not engaging with your followers. Social media sites are all about being social. If you want to be successful on any social media channel, you need to engage with your audience. Take a few minutes to respond to all comments left on your posts. It only takes a few seconds to respond and the time you put in will show you great results.
Scheduling Tools
In order for you to be more productive with your time, you need to take advantage of the tools that are available. I think it is safe to say that as an artist, you would rather spend your time in the studio instead of uploading images on Instagram. The catch 22 is that if you do not spend time marketing you will not sell your art.
Take advantage of scheduling tools like Planoly.
You can save a ton of time scheduling posts. The time saved can be used for other things you could be doing, like sitting down and enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
Create a Shoppable Instagram Page
In the past, people would have to click on a link from the profile page if they were interested in purchasing a product they saw on Instagram.
This was not a good experience for the buyer and seller.
You have heard me say time and time again, “Social media changes every time you blink your eyes.”
If you want to stay in the game you will have to keep up with all of the changes. Not being aware of the changes could give your competition an advantage.
The big change Instagram has made that everyone is talking about is letting buyers purchase items directly from Instagram.
You might want to consider creating a Shoppable Instagram Page for your Instagram account if you are planning on using Instagram for your art marketing strategy.
Here is a video that will help you learn more about selling on Instagram.
Instagram Stories
The last tip that I would like to talk about is Instagram stories.
Instagram stories allow users to upload images and videos that vanish in 24 hours.
This is a great strategy to have your followers come visit you on a daily basis.
Conclusion:
Social media is a great way for you to build your following.
The problem that many artists have is finding time to work with all of them.
You will see the best results if you only focus on using one or two platforms.
There will be a trial period you will have to put in place to find out what will work best your niche and art business.
Instagram has become more popular and might be a platform that will work for you. Give it a fair shot. If you find you are not getting the results you were hoping for, start focusing on a platform that is giving you the results you want.
Start implementing these 7 Instagram tips for visual artists selling art online and start watching your following grow.
You might also be interested in:
- Is SEO Important for Artists Selling Art Online
- 5 Apps for Your Instagram Art Marketing Strategy
- Digital Content Marketing – What Artists Need to Know
- Sell Art Online Checkoff List – What You Need to Succeed
- 7 Essential Tips on How to Sell Paintings Online
- Is SEO Important for Artists Selling Art Online
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
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Wonderful !
Great tips, congratulations for your article.
Very good!
Thank you very much for sharing this knowledge.
I wish you much success with your blog.
Thank you Alisson.