Are you becoming overwhelmed with all the social networks that are out there?
Artists are taking advantage of social media to grow their audience and increase sales.
With so many different social media networks, building a brand using social media might feel overwhelming.
But if you develop a plan that compliments your objectives, you will soon see that it is easier than you think.
In this post, I am going to share with you some social media marketing tips I have learned over the years that will help you to reach your goals on social media.
By the end of this post, you will know…
- 10 social media marketing tips
- Best social media network for your art business
- How to develop a marketing plan
- The importance of keeping your profile page up-to-date
- Learn who your target audience is
- What content works best on social media
- Best social media marketing courses
Social media networks have changed the way people connect with others and how businesses conduct business.
Does it seem like every time you turn on the computer hear about the birth of a new social network that will help you to sell your artwork?
Why have social media networks become so popular?
- Easy for people to connect with family and friends
- A way to meet people who have the same interests
- Social networks are free
- They are user-friendly
Marketers also learned the benefits of making a presence on social sites.
- Businesses can reach a large group of individuals with little to no expense
- Companies can solve a customers problem in real-time
- Can reach a larger audience worldwide
What does this mean for artists?
As an artist, you will be able to showcase your art to more people than you could have ever imagined.
Learning some best practices will help you save some valuable time and be more productive with your efforts.
10 Social Media Marketing Tips
Below is a list that shows you how businesses use social media.
- Platforms
- Social Media Marketing Plan
- Profile
- Target Audience
- Be Consistent
- Quality Content
- Assess Your Efforts
- Mobile Friendly
- Engage
- Be Willing to Change
Social Media Marketing Platform
There are so many social media platforms that you can use to market your artwork.
You will hear people say you should be promoting your art on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Instagram, to name a few.
Showcasing your art all of the major social sites might sound like a good idea at first, but in time, you will realize you are not getting the results you were hoping.
Start with one social media site.
What is your favorite?
When it is at the end of the night, what site do you visit to see what’s new with your friends and family?
The one social media site you use the most would be a perfect place for you to start.
Spend your time marketing on one site and grow your audience.
You will soon see that marketing on a social site will take more than just posting an image up once in a while.
You will have to make a regular presence and converse with your audience.
Related post: Choose One Social Media Platform to Focus On
Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute, shared his thoughts on this subject.
“When you first start blogging, you think you have to be everywhere your customers are at. I actually believed that until quite recently. But success in publishing, believe it or not, hasn’t changed much in 100+ years. There are four things – focus on one content type (is it textual, video, audio, in-person), one platform (my blog/website, iTunes, YouTube, etc.), consistently deliver relevant content to a specific audience, over time. That’s it. In the beginning, I became so distracted about trying a bit of everything that I wasn’t great at anything. Own something amazing and build an audience on that platform. Then (and only then)) should you diversify to other platforms.)”
Social Media Marketing Plan
You can start developing a marketing plan after you have decided on what platform you will be using.
Each social media network is unique.
Take some time to learn how others are marketing on the network you will be working on.
The next step is to know what your objectives are.
Ask these questions:
- Do I want to focus on building my online presence?
- Do I want to grow a loyal fan base?
- Do I want to drive traffic to a particular destination?
- Do I want to increase sales?
Decide on one thing you would like to achieve and develop an action plan to achieve your goal.
When you have reached your goal, review the questions above, and design a new social media marketing plan.
Related Resource: How to Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook
Social Media Profile Page
Schedule time every year review and update your social media profile.
- Is your profile image up to date?
- Does your profile share your mission and vision?
- Do you have a link directing your audience to your art gallery on your profile page?
Most social networks have this option if yours does take advantage of it and include a link wherever you are allowed.
- Is your Bio up to date?
Some sites limit you to the amount of text you are allowed to use in your bio.
Review yours and see if there are any adjustments you can do to make it better.
Who Is Your Target Audience
Antonio Tooley quoted Joe Griffin, Co-Founder, and CEO of Clearvoice in an article posted on Social Media Today.
Joe said, “We are going to be more aggressive in social this year, but strategically, we’re going to be much more targeted. The existing targeting capabilities in Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, in particular, have never been stronger. We’ve created a 5,000 keyword portfolio breaking down our audience into buying cycles and interest categories (primary, sub, and tertiary).”
How many articles have you come across that claim they can help you to get 1 million followers on a social media platform?
I have seen so many headlines like this and I have fallen victim of the click-bate headlines.
I have waisted so many hours trying to build a large following on my social media business accounts, and when I was falling short, I would get discouraged.
Everything that I read would not get me to that magic million number.
I took me some time, but I finally realized that it is not the number of followers on my social media sites that mattered to my business. It was the type of followers that increased my revenue.
I would rather have 1,000 followers who were interested in owning what I created over a million followers that would never purchase my artwork.
Instead of trying to reach everyone, put your efforts in reaching people who would be interested in purchasing your artwork.
Related Post: How to Find Your Target Audience
Be Consistent
Some people feel they have to post a significant amount of content to be noticed.
A few years ago, this tactic work.
Times have changed.
With so much content being delivered, you will want to focus on posting on a consistent schedule and producing high-quality content.
For the most part, I only post once a day around the same time on my Facebook Artist Page Rustic Designs By Dave.
My audience has learned when I will be posting and look forward to the post of the day.
I have studied many different strategies and have found that providing quality content and being consistent with the times I post, works best with my audience.
Every artist’s audience will be unique.
You will have to find what your audience is expecting and provide that to them.
The key is to be consistent.
Once you know what works, perform it on a consistent schedule.
Quality Content
Social media is changing, and it is becoming harder for businesses to receive free organic reach on social media sites.
The reason is simple. There is too much content being delivered.
If you want your audience to see your posts in their news feed, you will have to produce fantastic content.
What is fantastic content?
It is content that your readers will want to read and share with their friends and family.
Think about when you visit your favorite social media site to catch up on what’s going on.
How many posts do you pass by before you stop to read more about a post?
The post will have to catch your attention for you to stop scrolling.
You need to produce something that will make your audience stop and want to learn more about what you are saying.
Creating content that will stop your audience in their tracks is not easy to do.
You will have to find out more about your audience and study the progress of your efforts to pinpoint what will work best.
Assess Your Efforts
You need to know what is working and what is not working.
If you want to separate yourself from the crowd, you will need to understand what your audience likes.
Amy Lynn Andrews, blogger, and social media specialist, understands the importance of assessing her efforts.
She stated:
“My most popular post How to Make Money Blogging is successful because it addresses a very common question and it appeals to readers on many levels. Beginners are interested in the basics and intermediate to advanced bloggers are always looking for more ways to monetize.”
I assess my blog posts monthly to see any patterns based on specific content topics.
By knowing what topic my audience is interested in allows me to produce more content they will enjoy.
Google Analytics is a powerful free tool offered by Google that will provide you with valuable information regarding your blog post traffic and much more.
Mobile Friendly
Google and social media sites are favoring more mobile-friendly websites.
With more and more people using their smartphone and tablets to search for content online, Google and social media sites are ranking responsive themed websites higher in search rankings.
Related Post: 5 Reasons a Responsive Site is Important for Artists
You might also want to consider keeping an eye on new platforms that are performing well on mobile devices.
Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor, speaks about Snapchat on the Huffingtonpost.
This is what Gary had to say:
“If you are running a business in 2016, you need to be thinking about Snapchat as a channel to grow your customer base. Period.”
The critical thing to keep in mind is that you do not want to market on too many sites at one time.
You want to be the best, and you can only do that if you are spending quality time on the social network.
On the other hand, it is always a good idea to see what is trending.
You might discover a platform that will produce better results for your time invested.
Below are some books you might be interested in by Gary Vaynerchuk:
- #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take On Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness
- Crush It!: Why NOW Is The Time to Cash In On Your Passion
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
Engage
So many marketers see little benefits from social media marketing because they lose focus of the real picture.
Social media networks were created for people to have a place where they could go to be social, hence the name social media.
Why are so many businesses only focusing on what pictures will produce the most shares, what is the best video length, how many words should be in the post, and so on?
The focus should be on how to engage with your audience.
The easiest way to get started is to respond to any comments made to your posts.
I take the time to answer every comment personally made to my posts.
It only takes a few seconds to open your social media app on your smartphone and respond to a comment.
This is a sure way to build trust with your audience.
Another way for you to start a conversation is by asking a question on your site.
The only rule of thumb is to make sure your question supports your brand. You do not want to ask, “What is your favorite wine?” if a wine has nothing to do with your artwork.
Be Willing To Change
If someone asked me, “Why I was successful in the businesses I have started,” my answer would have to be, I am willing to change my game plan.
I have no problem scratching an idea and trying something new.
I am always researching and following all of the trends that are going on and implement what relates to my business into my marketing strategy.
If I do not know how to use a new social media platform or tool that will benefit my business, I will take the time to learn everything I can about the site and or tool and incorporate them into my marketing strategy.
If it works, great, if it does not work, no problem, I discard it and move on.
I have no pride in saying, “I came up with this plan, and I will sink with the ship if it does not work.”
Failing is not an option.
I will try new things, learn from the process, and integrate my findings with new strategies.
Change is good.
Change creates growth.
Social Media Marketing Courses
Social media is continually changing.
To make to most of your social media marketing efforts, you will want to keep up-to-date with all of the changes.
There are many blogs and courses that will help you to stay on top of all the social media changes.
One of my favorite sites is Social Media Examiner.
It is a good idea to read blog posts weekly, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, you might want to consider taking a course.
If you do not stay on top of the changes you will soon see all of the artists fly by you.
Below are some of the best social media marketing courses available.
Your Social Media Bootcamp by Jasmine Star
Hype Your Brand on Instagram By Sue B. Zimmerman STAFF FAVORITE
Build a Social Media Plan That Actually Makes Money by Ryan Deiss
Conclusion
Take a step back from your social media sites and see what is working and what is not working.
Start with the basics and work up from there.
Strive to do your best.
Hard work will always pay off.
Popular Art Marketing And Sales Tutorials
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
Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers 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 vital 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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