This is a tale of two artists.
Frank began posting a work of art a day on social media about a year ago. In the beginning, things were slow but they eventually started picking up. Within six months he had a growing list of followers and art was starting to sell. Frank continued his daily practice, sometimes painting in the morning and putting the work up on the same day.
A year later, Frank is on his way to a thriving online art business. The power of social media became a tool for him to grow his audience, present his art to the world, and sell work.
And then there’s Steven. He, too, began posting work on social media around the same time but to date, has had little success. When Steven came to me, he was pretty pissed off, to be honest. He asked what he was doing wrong. He was frustrated and beginning to feel like all of his efforts on social media were nothing more than a time suck.
It’s not so much what Steven was doing as it is what he wasn’t doing. Simply posting images of artwork on Facebook or Instagram will ultimately do little to grow your viewership or your business. Sure, you may get lots of well-meaning appreciation from family and friends, but ultimately that won’t take you to the next level.
Luckily, these days social media is set up for people who wish to use it as a catalyst for their independent businesses. Here are some concrete ways to market your work and learn to navigate the toolbox available online.
1. Investigate programs and apps available that allow people to purchase things directly from Facebook or Instagram posts. A few notable versions include the Shop Now button on Instagram which allows viewers to purchase what they see with a simple click, or outside services such as Yotpo that partner with your social media apps allowing you to include links in your bio directing folks to where they can purchase your beautiful work.
2. Tap into social media marketing. After all, no one ever sold a thing without a little marketing. Even weekend yard sales come with signs directing traffic toward secondhand treasures. So why would marketing through social media be any different?
Social Media marketing is a huge field these days. It is used widely by everyone from the biggest chain department store to the littlest mom and pop.
Facebook offers marketing tools that allow you to boost posts to a greater audience for a nominal fee. There are also tools to track your viewership and clicks, see who is being reached and what you need to be doing to reach more people.
3. Once you begin to have a following on social media, be sure to engage. When people comment on your work (and especially when they comment but don’t buy) join the conversation. Maintaining contact is a great way to turn onlookers into customers.
Social media can truly be a gateway for very good business. The trick is knowing how to use it like Frank did. Ultimately, Steven was able to get his own social media business up and running with a little help and support.
Social media marketing doesn’t have to be nearly as terrifying as it may sound. Expert support is at your fingertips when you subscribe to Praxis Center. Head over and join us and unlock the key to the online world.
do NOT attempt to change your instagram account to a business page to sell art. the video and instructions they give are INCORRECT. there is NO option for changing the account to business as it shows there is the the list depicted. i just wasted 3 hours setting up a business Facebook page, which i really did not want to do, however it was a prerequisite for getting the instagram page to be business. fair warning. it will not work.
after sending 3 complaints it looks like they fixed it. what a PAIN!
[…] Carey, B. (2017, December 5). Two Artists – One was Pissed Off, One was Celebrating. Retrieved from https://blog.praxiscenterforaesthetics.com/this-artist-built-a-career-through-social-media/ […]