9 Social Media Marketing Tips for artists selling art online

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Are you ready to start marketing on social media?

Have you been marketing on social media and disappointed with your results?

In this post, I will share my favorite Social Media Marketing Tips so you, too, can have your art seen by thousands of people.

Social media marketing for artists is similar but, in other ways, entirely different from how other businesses market on social media platforms.

Many people and businesses are learning up-to-date social media marketing techniques from successful entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk and Michael Stelzner.

Gary and Michael are changing the way businesses look at social media.

Social media is continuously changing, and they will be the first to tell you, “Every business is unique, and there is no quick solution to any question.”

If you like to read and would like to learn more about social media marketing, I recommend you get these books from Michael and Gary. (I also listen to the audio version at times when I am in the studio.)

Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition by Michael A. Stelzner
#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’sEntrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness by Gary Vaynerchuk
Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk

The first tip I would like to share with you is no two social media marketing tips are the same.

No two businesses, large or small, will see the same results from a social media marketing strategy.

I know this might sound discouraging, but it is not.

What you want to take away from this is that:

You are unique.
Your art is unique
Your audience is unique
Your social media marketing must be unique

Below I will go over some basics you will want to address for your social media marketing plan. I will also share some strategies that have worked well for me and others.

One thing to keep in mind, not every strategy will work the same for everyone.

Just like other advertising strategies, you have to try an idea to see if it works for you or not.

If a strategy works for you, keep doing it.

When you see no results from your actions, stop wasting your time on it, and try a different strategy.

By the end of this post, you will know….

Best social media marketing strategies
What social media marketing means
Best social media networks for artists
Social media marketing mistakes to avoid
Social media marketing tools

Before you can start implementing a social media marketing strategy, you need to understand what social media marketing is and how it can help you grow your art business.

Techopedia defines social media marketing as:

“Social media marketing (SMM) refers to techniques that target social networks and applications to spread brand awareness or promote particular products. Social media marketing campaigns usually center around: Establishing a social media presence on major platforms.”

Marketing is merely making people aware of your art brand and products.

If done correctly, social media will help you build your online presence more significantly than you could have ever imagined.

The question I often hear from artists is, “What is the best social media platform for artists to market?”

Like I have told you earlier, no one marketing plan will work for everyone.

The same is true for social media networks.

You might find that one social media platform will give you better results than it would for me.

Even though you will find different results from different social media sites, you will still want to start with the heavy hitters.

Top Social Networks For Selling Art:

These are the top social media platforms artists are using to market their artwork (build brand awareness).

Below are some articles to help get you started.

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

I provided posts for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because these are the three top social media networks artists are doing well on.

I learned a long time ago to focus on only one or two networks.

There is not enough time in the day to market on all the different platforms.

The best social media marketing tip I can give you is discovering what networks work best and make the most of them.

Painting Repeat Patterns by Hand: A Daily Practice by Cleo Papanikolas on Creativebug!

Learn everything you can about marketing your art on the networks your target audience is on.

If you do not see results on a particular social media marketing platform, stop wasting your time and focus on what platforms produce results.

Now that you know what social media sites you should start working with let’s discuss a social media marketing strategy.

What is a social media marketing strategy?

Business Dictionary defines Marketing Strategy as,

“An organization’s strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business.”

A social media marketing strategy would combine all marketing goals into one comprehensive plan utilizing social media networks.

Before you start marketing efficiently on social media, you must first identify what you would like to achieve.

First, write your vision and your goals.

Then come up with a plan to achieve your goals by using social media as a marketing tool.

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How to use social media for marketing:

Create Content
Develop A Plan
Publish Consistently
Publish Quality Content
Use Images
A/B Testing
Analyze
Join Groups
Be Social

Once your goals are written down and a strategy, you are ready to build your following and reach your goals with social media marketing.

Keep in mind that not all of the tips will work for everyone.

Many variables will affect the outcome.

The best way to succeed on social media is to try ideas, assess the outcome, and then develop a strategy based on what is working.

#1 Create Content

To succeed as an artist online, you need to create content that engages and excites your audience.

The content you write should be shared on all of your social media networks.

A good strategy is to make a teaser post for your social media sites that include a link to your art blog so the reader can read the entire post and social media images to catch the reader’s attention.

The content you write has to be valuable and entertaining, so the reader will want to continue to read the entire post.

At the end of the blog post, create a clear call-to-action that will direct the reader to the destination you would like them to go.

The best way to succeed on social media is to start by creating great content in several different mediums, such as blog posts, videos, and images.

If you need help with your art blog, join all other artists taking the challenge.

Grab a copy of the 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists today.

28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists

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If you find it challenging to sit down and write content for your art blog or social media posts, hire a freelancer from Fiverr.

Many talented freelancers on Fiverr are looking for work, and they are very reasonably priced.

#2 Develop A Plan

If you want to succeed at anything, you must have a plan.

Answer these questions:

Why am I on social media?
What social media platform is my target audience visiting?
What would I like to achieve on each platform?

After you know what you would like to accomplish, take some time to learn about the platforms you will be using.

Each platform is unique.

The way people communicate, engage, and post will all be different.

You can not use the same strategy for all.

Learn when the best times to post are.
Learn how other artists market their art on each platform.
Learn what other artists are posting on each site. Become aware of what is working for them.
Learn how to be social on each site.

Once you have figured out the best way to communicate with your audience, start developing a unique plan for each site.

#3 Publish Consistently

You will only see real results by being consistent with your actions.

It does not matter how often you publish posts; what matters is that you are consistent with your schedule.

If you think you will see results posting a tweet today and nothing for five days will work, you are wrong.

If you want to post once a day on Facebook, make sure you do it every day.

If you want to post five times a day, make sure you post five times a day.

Your following will notice when you are posting, and they will look forward to your new content.

If you are inconsistent with your posts, your fans will forget about you.

They will think that you are no longer publishing content, or even worse, you are not selling art anymore.

Every social media site will have different rules for how often you should post, when you should post, and what content you should post.

Marketing your art effectively on social media becomes a lot of work.

You will have to decide what will fit into your schedule.

It is better to start slow.

Start with one post a day.

If you can be consistent for a couple of weeks and think you can add another post, do it. Just make sure you can fit it into your schedule.

The good news is there are plenty of social media tools available for you to help make posting easier.

Or hire a freelancer from Fiverr.

Answer these questions to help you set up a social media calendar.

How often will you publish?
What social media platforms will you be posting on?
What type of content will you be providing for each platform?
How often will you reach out to your followers and influencers?

#4 Publish Quality Content

Quality content will beat quantity every time.

Think about it. Would you like to read garbage just because it is there?

No. Your time is too valuable. You live a busy life, just like everyone else.

You will only spend time reading something that provides value.

Respect your reader’s time and only provide your best content.

Again this all goes back to your planning. You will have to decide on how long it takes you to produce top-quality content.

If you want people to stop what they are doing to read your content or watch your video, you need to make sure it is good.

#5 Use Images

People are attracted to images because they can process messages quicker with images over text.

How great is this news?

You are an artist. You create visual stories.

Use this to your advantage. Be creative with your images. Bring your following on a journey.

There will be times when you are sharing text content. Include an image with the text.

It is also a good idea to include a link where the reader can read more about the subject you are sharing.

You can create beautiful images for social media by using Canva or Pic Monkey.

#6 A/B Testing

Have you heard about A/B testing?

You might have heard me say before only two out of ten people will read your content after reading the headline.

That means only twenty people out of one hundred people who have stopped to read your headline will take the time to read further.

The main reason you create content is to build an online presence.

If people do not know you are an artist or where they can purchase your art, your art will just be hanging around in your studio.

If you put in the time to write content, you want people to read it.

You have to take the time to write great headlines.

Here are some tips that will help you to write better headlines, such as:

Use between six and nine words per title.
Numbers in the headline tend to convert well.
“How to”attracts the reader’s attention.

To learn more about writing headlines, visit, How to Create Headlines That Attract Art Buyers.

Even if you utilize all of the tips for writing headlines, you will not know if a caption is working for you or not until you publish it.

This is where A/B testing gives you an upper hand.

A/B testing is when you use the same content but have two different headlines to see which converts better.

This strategy is commonly used for blog posts and landing pages but can also be used for your social media posts.

If you are posting some text from a blog post with a link to the page, you should be using a title to catch your follower’s attention.

Post it throughout the day or week with different headlines instead of posting your blog post once on your social media platforms and forgetting about it.

Another social media marketing tip to take advantage of is to use different images for different headlines.

A post that might not have done well on your social media sites might be its title.

A different title might cause an unusual reaction and have your post go viral.

#7 Analyze

You have probably heard me talk about this too many times to count.

It is essential to analyze the results of your posts to build your art business online.

You have to know what is working and what is wasting your time.

Most social media platforms have an analytics section for businesses.

Use this information to help you learn more about your audience.

You do want to sell your art, right?

In most cases, art sells online after an artist has gained a collector’s trust.

You will be able to gain your following’s trust by learning more about them.

Take some time to review how your posts did and how your following reacted to the posts.

After you have gathered the data, decide what your next move should be.

Do not just throw spaghetti at the wall and hope it will stick.

#8 Join Groups

There are many groups available for artists on social networks.

Search for Facebook or Twitter art groups.

Join the ones that relate to your artistic style and goals.

After joining the group, spend some time observing how people in the group communication.

Do not just start plugging your art.

People will get frustrated and start to block you out.

Instead, use the groups to share your knowledge to help people.

This helps you establish yourself as an artist and authority in your niche.

This might sound obvious, but it is important enough to be discussed.

Social media networks were created for people to have a place where they can be social and meet new people. They were not made for businesses to sell and advertise.

Most artists and businesses do well on social media because they understand this and develop a marketing plan accordingly.

Most of their efforts are to provide valuable content that helps and entertains their following. These types of posts build trust. In between those posts is information about products.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a master at this and wrote a book covering this strategy called Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World.

I highly recommend reading this book. It will change the way you market on social media forever.

The biggest mistake I see artists make is not engaging with their audience.

I don’t know if artists think that selling art on social media is just about posting images they have for sale. It does not work that way.

Social media is one tool to help you build an online presence.

Your mission for digital marketing is to have your art seen online. Use all the available tools and use them the way they were meant to be used.

Social media is for socializing.

You can build your online presence by being social on social media sites.

Marketing your art online is not easy.

It takes planning and a lot of demanding work.

But if you want to sell your art, the time invested is well worth it.

Develop a daily schedule for your social media marketing.

Your plan should include providing valuable content for your audience, engaging with your following by responding to all the comments left on your posts, and learning about your following as individuals.

Don’t make the same mistake other artists make by just promoting your artwork.

You have probably noticed that marketing on social media sites could eat up a good portion of your day.

There is some good news that I would like to share with you.

There are social media management tools that will help to make your social marketing more manageable. After all, you do need to spend some time in the studio.

There are too many tools available for me to mention, so I will tell you about some free tools that will help you save some time.

SocialOomph

Social Oomph’sOomph’s free level allows you to schedule tweets and tracks keywords on Twitter.

The Pro version, which is inexpensive, allows you to access other platforms such as Facebook, Tumbler, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.

Buffer

Buffer’sBuffer’s free version allows you to schedule posts for one profile and limits you to ten posts at a time. This is perfect if you are only working with one platform.

One feature many people enjoy is the ability to schedule recurring posts. You can reschedule the same post throughout the day to reach more people.

Hootsuite

The free level allows you to connect up to three social platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

You can schedule posts, but you can also respond to posts all in one place. If you are working with two or three social platforms, this might be a win for you.

Sell Art Online Basics

There is more to selling art online than posting your art on social media sites.

Take advantage of all the tips listed above and focus on the other digital marketing tools available to help build your online presence.

Also, take some time to build a solid foundation for your business. Some of these areas might seem too necessary, but they are critical.

Goals
Website
Email List
Blog
Social Media

For more information on, visit Sell Art Online Startup.

Where to Sell Art Online

If you want to sell your artwork online, you will need to have a place where people can view your art and a way for them to make a purchase.

Depending on how far you would like to build your business, you might want to create a website with WordPress.

I recommend doing this if you plan on selling art long-term.

Visit Art marketing tools to see all the tools I use for my website.

One of the best ways to develop a social media strategy is to learn what is working for the social media experts.

Study everything they do, including:

What social media channels they are on
If they use social media advertising
How they engage with their following

After discovering what is working for them, try it on your social media channels and see what works.

Remember that not all social media tips will produce the same results.

Use a social media calendar to develop an effective social media calendar.

You might also be interested in:

10 Social Media Marketing Tips every artist must know

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