Are you ready to start marketing on social media? Have you been marketing on social media and disappointed with the results you are getting? In this post, 9 Social Media Marketing Tips for Artists Selling Art Online, you will discover how easy it is to have your art seen by thousands of people. I will also share my favorite tips on how to save time on social media.
Social Media Marketing Tips
Social media marketing for artists is in some ways similar but other ways entirely different than how other businesses market on social media platforms.
There are many people and businesses 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 constantly 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 you 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’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, therefore your social media marketing must be unique.
I am going to go over some basics you will want to be addressing for your social media marketing plan. I will also share with you 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. 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
What Is Social Media Marketing
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 to 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 simply making people aware of your art brand and products. If done properly, social media will help you to build your online presence larger than you could have ever imagined.
When you see no results from your actions, stop wasting your time on it and try a different strategy.Click To TweetBest Social Media Networks For Marketing Art
The question I often hear from artists is, “What is the best social media platform for artists to market on?”
Like I have told you earlier, there is no one marketing plan that 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 platforms artists are using to market their artwork (build brand awareness).
Below are some articles to help get you started:
- How to Sell Products on Facebook Selling Art Strategies
- 7 Facebook Marketing Tips Artist Need to Know
- 12 Facebook Page Apps for Your Art Business
- Facebook Page Basics How to Build Your Following
- How to Create a Facebook Fan Page Step by Step
- Optimize Your Facebook Page For Art Sales
- How To Add Products To A Facebook Shop
- Facebook Boost Posts – Should Crafters Stay Away
- How to Add Multiple Images to Instagram Posts – Art Marketing
- How to Sell Art on Instagram Best Strategies
- 5 Apps for Your Instagram Art Marketing Strategy
- 2 Instagram Tools to Analyze Your Art Marketing Results
- 5 Ways Artists Can Make A Presence On Instagram
- 5 Instagram Features Artists Need To Know About
- 10 Reasons to Have Your Art Business on Twitter
- How to Search People on Twitter
- Setting up Your Artist Twitter Account
- 12 Twitter Marketing Benefits for Artists
- Increase Website Traffic With Twitter
YouTube
I provided posts for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because these are the three top social media networks artists are doing well on.
One thing I have learned a long time ago is 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 to discover what networks work best for you and make the most of them. Learn everything you can about marketing your art on the networks your target audience is on.
If you are not seeing results on a particular social media marketing platform, stop wasting your time and focus on what is working for you.
Social Media Marketing Strategy
Now that you know what social media sites you should start working with, let’s talk about 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 can 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 on how you can achieve your goals by using social media as a marketing tool.
If you have a tough time writing out goals, don’t worry. I have made a free video course that will help you to write the goals you can achieve. Visit How to Write Goals to get started.
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
9 Social Media Marketing Ideas
Once you have 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. There are many variables that will affect the outcome. The best way to succeed on social media is to try ideas, assess the outcome then develop a strategy based off of 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.
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 of the other artists who are taking the challenge.
Grab your copy of the 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists today. I have made blogging easy for you.
The best way to succeed on social media is to try ideas, assess the outcome then develop a strategy.Click To Tweet
#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 be 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
The only way you will see real results is by being consistent with your actions.
It does not matter how many times you publish posts, what matters is that you are consistent with your schedule.
If you think that 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.
In time your following will notice when you are posting and they will look forward to your new content.
If you are inconsistent with your posts, they 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 many times you should post when you should post and what type of content you should post.
This 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 you think you can add another post, do it. Just make sure you can fit it in your schedule.
The good news is there are plenty of social media tools available for you to help make posting easier.
Staying consistent ties back to your marketing plan.
- How often will you publish?
- What social media platforms will you be publishing 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 to people to stop what they are doing to read your content or watch your video you need to make sure it is good.
Quality content will beat quantity every time.Click To Tweet
#5 Use Images
People are attracted to images because they can process the message 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 that you are sharing text content. Include an image with the text. It is also a good idea to include a link to 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 are putting in the time to write content, you want people to read it. You have to take the time to write great headlines.
There 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 readers attention.
For more tips on writing headlines visit, How to Create Headlines That Attract Art Buyers.
But even if you utilize all of the tips, you will not know if a headline 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 convert 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.
Instead of posting your blog post once on your social media platforms and forgetting about it, post it throughout the day or week with different headlines. Another social media marketing tip to take advantage of is to use different images for different headlines.
The reason a post might not have done well on your social media sites might be because of the title.
A different title might cause a different reaction and have your post go viral.
#7 Analyze
You have probably heard me talk about this too many times to count.
You must analyze the results of your posts in order 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 every week to review how your posts did and how your following reacted to the posts.
After you have gathered the data decide on what your next move should be. Do not just throw spaghetti at the wall and hope that it will stick.
#8 Join Groups
There are many groups available for artists on most large social networks. Do a search on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for art groups. Join the ones that relate to your artistic style and goals.
After joining the group spend some time observing how people on the group communicate. 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 to establish yourself as an artist and as an authority in your niche.
#9 Be Social
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 are 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.
Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake I see artists make is that they are 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 tools available to you and use the tools the way they were meant to be used.
Social media is meant 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, engage with your following by responding to all the comments left on your posts, and take the time to learn about your following as individuals.
Don’t make the same mistake other artists are doing by just promoting your artwork.
Social Media Marketing Tools
You have probably noticed marketing on social media site could end up eating 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 am going to tell you about some free tools that will help you save some time.
Social Oomph’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 and more.
Buffer’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.
The free level allows you to connect up to three social platforms of your choice including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and more.
Not only can you 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 just 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 basic but they are very important.
- 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 consider building 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.
Here are some other options available:
Note: Before joining up for any site read the terms and conditions.
- Art Storefronts
- Art Pal
- Absolute Arts
- Aftcra
- Amazon
- FASO
- Fine Art America
- Image Kind
- Zazzle
- American Handmade Crafts
- Art Muse
- Artspan
- Etsy
- eBay
Popular Craft Marketing Online Video Courses
Are you ready to take your art business to the next level?
Investing in marketing courses and tutorials will maximize your profit and speed up the growth of your business.
Below are some of the most popular art marketing courses that will grow your online art business:
Most Popular – How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman
Most Popular – Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin
How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft by Megan Auman
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
Are you ready to start building an online presence?
Available on Amazon or Download your copy today.
The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams
The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are key elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Get More Done in Less Time The Part-time Artist
Proven strategies that will help you to get more work done in less time so you can sell more art and earn more money.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
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Great article, thanks for sharing, I am pt. trying to built up my art career so all you wrote here have been very useful to me.
You can see my artwork here:
facebook.com/ArtByMikkelHansen
twitter.com/ArtMikkelHansen
artbymikkelhansen.com
Hi Mikkel, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the post and found helpful value in it. Best wishes on your artistic journey.