Content for arts sake
I’ll be focusing on my art from here on out, leaving this blog to rest for a bit.
Thank you to everyone who follows me here.
This is not a NY resolution thing. I don’t really abide by that. You should set goals to achieve them regardless of the time of year.
See you in two weeks! Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year!
Online marketing is only one piece of the art marketing puzzle. You want to be spending more time on your art than working on your social media. Here are some ways to combine online and in-person marketing that will help you reach a larger and more targeted audience.
One option is to use your social media to promote in-person events on your website, through newsletters and on your channels. As I have mentioned before, letting people know when your next show is, or which festivals you’re participating in can be very beneficial to meeting your clients and potential buyers. You can make posts showcasing the art that will be available or videos of you getting ready for the show and preparing. Another way to make the event even more exclusive is to offer specific pieces for sale in advance that would be otherwise for sale at the festival. They would have choice pick before you took them to be sold.
Once the festival begins, you can document and share the experience of the event through your social media channels like Facebook, then review the event through your long-form content, highlighting the experiences afterwards. This will give the opportunity for those who couldn’t attend to experience it also (which extends the show, but more about that later). Share live updates through photos and video. You could showcase your booth or art that garnered a lot of attention. As a side tip, pay attention to the pieces that were popular, you’ll want to keep them in mind. Tag event organizers and thank them for the opportunity to attend the festival. This will help build relationships for the future.
You’ll definitely want to build your email list. Have an iPad ready to type their email into your database or on Notepad. It saves time later as you won’t have to re-type and possibly misspell their emails. Tip: get them to do it themselves. Once you get their emails, it will be useful for announcing future events and special, early access to exclusive pieces. For those who were interested and didn’t buy, have a way for them to follow up like through the email list. For those who couldn’t attend, offer limited-edition prints or smaller works that were exclusively available at the event and link them to your online store. This will extend the event to online sales as well.
Festivals are one of the best ways to connect, get customers engaged and see more of your art. Extending the event to your website and back online helps improve greater reach to everyone who is interested in your art.
3 Key Lessons for Successfully Marketing Your Art Online: Insights from My Journey
1. You need a good website.
And a way to take in money. Plus a gallery with very good image quality. And a bio and contact form. In addition to this, add a blog or vlog or podcast (but don’t actually start a podcast because everyone has one). The point is that you want some long form type of material to build authority and give you some type of credentials in the industry. “Street cred” AKA expertise. Not only this but it adds legitimacy and is a way for people to contact you and potentially buy your art 👀
2. Be consistent and post regularly (enough to let them know you’re not dead).
Post a variety of stuff (but still have a theme) and diversify your platforms until you find “the ones” (1-2 maybe 3). Research and choose wisely. Use scheduling tools like Buffer or Metricool or whatever works best. So go ahead and share your artist experience. The theme could be studio updates and make a video of your space. You could post processes like painting or drawing, or you could simply post photos of finished works. You’ll also want to repurpose your content. All of this will help you build your authority and it will help set you apart from the rest.
3. Engage directly with your fans.
Why? It builds connection with your fans and it will help develop your audience. So this means hitting reply to comments, answering DMs and/or sharing your struggles and successes with your art. Whatever helps you to connect with your tribe. Tell your personal story and people will reciprocate. Also, sharing your inspirations is huge. What do you do when you encounter artist’s block?
As a bonus, automate where possible. Simplify your process and batch it. Studies show that batching can speed up the process tremendously—Henry Ford style.
So as a disclaimer, my overall goals are for mature audiences. Whether it be for my own art or for social media purposes. And while I’m big on Pinterest for artists, it’s important to keep a few other platforms on rotation in order to reach optimal number of eyeballs. The platforms that have the best audience for artists for their type of content is Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Plus a website. With a blog or some type of long-form content.
It’s one of the strategies recommended by many to be as successful as possible. One reason is because platforms change all the time. They upgrade, become obsolete, demographic changes, the list goes on. As a caveat, this is if your target market is older. I see many artists on TikTok, but as per my last post, I suggest avoiding it if your goals are for a mature audience.
Something else that artists should consider when beginning their social media journey and will help turn your audience into dedicated fans is sharing your authentic artist journey. This can include genuine stories about your path, maybe your struggles and your growing pains. Maybe you paint abstract art and so you could talk about bringing emotion to life through your painting or by discussing the expressiveness inspired by life experiences–it focuses more on the emotional impact of your work. This can be a powerful hook for connecting with your audience.
Next, one needs to consider building trust and doing it through consistency to show integrity and create authority on the web. Building trust takes time and dedication, which is where a lot of artists struggle. Balancing consistency with their art and at the same time, being consistent on the web…something’s gotta give. Never mind responding to comments, reviewing analytics to compare last quarter, posting content or putting out fires. Erhmeghrd. You build trust and show expertise through long-form content. So this could be blog posts and articles, YouTube/video series or vlogging, or podcasts or whatever. Do it for a long time. Like at least a year at the bare minimum.
So in conclusion, first, put on your thinking hat and choose your platforms. Whatever you settle on. Next, decide on your long form content. Then, create posts starting off with the suggestions above like, talking about your journey as an artist. Then do it for a long time. Consistently.
For you, as a Gen X artist who wants to speak to the right demographics, you’ll want to be on Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
According to my research, Facebook demographics come in with Gen X (ages 35-54) and Millennials (ages 25-34) taking the most space. About 23.5% of users are between 25-34 years old, and 18.2% are 35-44. It is slightly male dominated coming in at 55% male and 44% female. *
Pinterest is heavily female-dominated, with women making up about 77% of users. It is however skewed to Gen Z and millennials (25-34). ** However, I found that between 2015-2024, a significant amount of interior design aesthetic “updates” went towards interior design aspects like furniture, decor, paint etc. and prioritized a modern look. They also included eco-friendly ways to update their homes. (So, no buying cheap art from Home Sense or Winners or wherever you go to get cheap, fast and disposable art. #winning)
And LinkedIn comes in with the highest paid crowd on any of the platforms I mentioned and they’re also the highest educated. They come in with the most earning power of 75K or more in general (US). LinkedIn’s user base primarily consists of Millennials and Gen X, with 47% of users being Millennials (ages 25-34) and 38% being aged 35-54 respectively **
Why are these numbers important? They are your target market, or should be. Unless you’re an outlier. But it’s still very useful to know so you make informed choices.
With this information, you won’t be marketing to the wrong demographic, dancing for the wrong audience (literally), and losing your integrity and stressing. You’ll be on the mark by talking to people your own age and it will be marketing that both you and your audience can understand and appreciate.
And something I’ll say again is that social media for artists isn’t 100% about selling. It’s about nurturing your audience and letting them know you’re alive, making art and are there for them. Commenting, sharing and liking goes a long, long way in this there land of the internet.
I think one thing most artists forget or maybe don’t consider is building a strong brand presence.
I see this on ETSY a lot with crafters a lot. They underestimate not only the energy you need but mostly how long it takes to build trust and show expertise. People who have talent, a market and a great product, expect that because they have these qualities, people should jump for their product. It’s said that 20% of the outcome is from 80% of work input. Not only this, but a long-term presence that showcases authority over time, enables trust for the client. Which is really important here on the internetz. It takes time. Something most successful people either don’t mention or outright lie about to sell you that thing they are selling. For those who are in the know, know, it’s a marathon, not a race.
There are many quiet successes along the way.
Some tips for building a strong brand presence on Pinterest include the following:
I hope that helps.
Did you know that the most popular time to send an email for a marketing campaign is Tuesday at noon? Souce I don’t care either but I find the concept of email marketing campaigns tricky for a business because when you initially signed up to get my download, I just became long term spam potentially ☹️ But if you want or need my product, you need my pointers and information and I become your hero 🙂↔️
Between you and me, in the vast wasteland of email subscriptions, the sheer number of abandoned fake emails and unsubscribed newsletters that I have actively worked on getting rid of would make any mother proud. True story.
Artists have the worst click-through rate and highest bounce rate when it comes to email marketing. So I suggest not to do it annoyingly. You can however be not annoying and do simple things like update people on your next show, or if you’re having an open house or if you are selling courses and you have a promotion. Like once maybe twice a month. I promise you I will not unsubscribe if your information is pertinent, informative, something I’m interested in knowing more about and I like you. Not annoying.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing, but the ironic part is, I’ve read a number of fairly strongly worded articles about copying your art friends with your social media strategy. Ironic because we are all so different. Us artists thrive and build our success on what makes us unique. Right?
Well, on the flip side, art is the ultimate way to connect and to speak to your tribe 🤷♀️ So what separates us from everyone else? Your unique voice. It’s because once upon a time you decided to niche down and also get a super good skill set. As Steve Martin once said (and Cal Newport reiterated) be so good they can’t ignore you. Then the world is your oyster. You are set apart🤘
So in conclusion, marketing isn’t about selling poorly thought out ideas. It’s about connecting. Find your unique voice first. Then, you begin asking where am I going to find my audience that will spend the money I am asking for? Which festivals? Will I have an open house? Am I starting out with just friends and family and awareness is most important? Money will come later? It’s a little bit different when it comes to art because our “product” isn’t a one and done type of thing. We’re selling a story and an investment here people. Something that the client can take with them and remember you (and the story) forever. Yeah, a bit overwhelming. Similar to like leaving a legacy. Like having a child. Jk. Sort of.
Discover proven strategies to make your art shine in a crowded Pinterest space.
Since you’re likely doing this social media thing on your own and standing out can feel like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. The recommended posting frequency is 3-5 times per week if you’re aiming for growth. How many times per day of those 3-5 times per week? 1-2.
Yikes. Between art and posting (because you likely have more than just Pinterest), how will you ever get it all done? As I have said before elsewhere, schedule your posts and focus on engagement. Engagement is heads and tails more important than likes. Consistency is needed for growth and authority. Engagement allows your fans to meet personally with you. It gives you authenticity and a realness you might miss otherwise. Social media is still somewhat impersonal, real interaction breaks that barrier.
Once per week ensures consistency. Twice enables you to reach different audiences at different times.
What kind of growth can I expect? Again, once per day three times a week enables consistency. Twice per day three to five times a week enables a steady increase over 3-6 months. In saying that, the quality of your pins matters as well (sorry). A quality pin is a bit subjective, but keep it simple. Your niche also matters too. you can expect to double your monthly views with this strategy.
At the end of the day, put your focus on creating high quality pins that resonate with your audience. Consistency and quality are key to creating a loyal following and also driving traffic to your website or long form content choice.
Algorithm changes affecting reach?
Solution: Diversify your social media presence across multiple platforms and mix up your content types for different audiences. Also, consistent engagement is a necessary evil. Sorry.
Focus on: Building a direct connection with your audience through email lists and personal websites. Create evergreen material mixed with SEO-rich hooks and keyword heavy content.
Follow these suggested steps for a more effective, long term social media strategy:
Don’t put all your art in one algorithm basket: diversity your social media presence like a pro. If you keep chasing the algorithm, and are inconsistent with your fans, by posting content that has a short life span and being difficult to reach, your social media will age fast and you’ll be exhausted and frustrated if you’re trying to grow. As an artist, trying to make art and chase invisible and ever-changing rules to manage your following won’t be manageable in the long run.
What I suggest instead is to create evergreen content mixed with content that has those catchy, SEO rich hooks to draw new eyeballs. Evergreen content is content that has longevity. It’s content that is honest, real and speaks directly to your fans. More niched so to speak. It’s not to say that tactic-y, catchy content is superficial per se, it still needs to resonate and be authentic, but at the end of the day, you still need to be you. Your true fans, those who will stand by you no matter what, will be there for it. By mixing content types, you can continue to resonate and say what you want (and stay sane) while still being able to grow your audience.
When it comes to email marketing, it’s a double edged sword. I don’t know how many email subscriptions I’ve personally unsubscribed to. So the solution I believe is to make that email list, but reach out when you have an update. For example, when and where you are teaching a class, or have something of significance to say–you had a baby and are not taking commissions at this time, or that you will be unreachable for X number of weeks. People know where to find you, they can go to your website, to your blog (which you should be updating regularly but more on that in a moment), they can go to your YouTube, etc. Over emailing is just a nuisance and is quite frankly off putting. To me, it sort of suggests desperation if you have nothing of significance to say except that you would like their money. It’s like that friend who reaches out only when they want something. This leads to “what if I have a sale happening for my art?” And my thoughts on that are, if you are needing to put your art on sale, then something is wrong with your art or your pricing strategy. I recommend to not do sales, unless it’s on a class you are teaching, or some package deal of classes you are selling, or whatever but never your art. Or at least. rarely. Well, no, just don’t.
In addition to this, you should be updating your website consistently with new content, or commenting or connecting…something of that nature. It is an absolute must to have a website and if you are serious about your art, it’s a non-negotiable. It should be simple and effective. It’s one way to satisfy the requirement of long form content to nurture. In addition to that, you should also have some type of short form content like Instagram or TikTok, etc. But as far as a website goes, there should be at least a contact page, a gallery of your art complete with pricing and way to purchase your art directly off of your site.
So hopefully, by implementing some of these ideas and strategies, over time your social media presence will have longevity. It will be sans cringy and it will be manageable. The end.
