summer – Everbright Social Media

Ready to turn your passion for art into a profitable online empire?

It’s time to master social media marketing for artists like a pro

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.

Tired of struggling to sell your art without compromising your vision? Discover the secret to maintaining artistic integrity while skyrocketing your journey

No more missing the social media mark with your audience

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.

Break the mold: understand how to leverage social media as an artist

Creating a strong brand presence

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:

Create visual storytelling on Pinterest. Pinterest is a visual search engine as opposed to regular social media. On Pinterest, you aren’t seeing what your friends and family are up to, or sharing and updating your life with your friends. It’s a place where people can go to find ideas, search for images, plan crafts or meals etc. By creating boards such as “Abstract” or “Watercolour Painting” it becomes like a homing pigeon for potential buyers and gets the right traffic to your work. I actually use it as a portfolio aside from my main website (true story). Include behind the scenes pins and WIP pins too.
Optimize your pins for searchability. You would think that your image alone would just pop up in the correct person’s feed. Yes and no. You show up in a person’s feed with keyword-rich words. By using keyword-rich descriptions and titles for your pins, artists like yourself can improve your content’s discoverability on Pinterest. You should also include keywords related to your art style, techniques, materials, etc. which ensure the pins show up in search results. Go to trends.pinterest.com to find the best keywords for your art.
With Pinterest, you can also link your website or online store to your pins and drive traffic that way. Pinterest underwent several changes to how to create the right pin for your purpose; but settled most recently on Simple Pins. And it is just that–a simple pin where you can link your site to your pin. Couple this with optimization, it will help a buyer not only visit your site but will help people see your pin in their feed to begin with. Make sure your pins are quality photos and high resolution!

I hope that helps.

How to Stand Out on Pinterest as an Artist: Tips for Growing Your Creative Audience

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.

The Power of “How”: Crafting a Compelling Narrative for Your Art

This isn’t controversial (lame), it’s just common sense and it’s helpful for artists to know.

Instead of delving into the abstract and often elusive “why” behind your art, storytelling is far more powerful because it’s grounded in real, relatable experiences. For example, did you go way off the beaten path? Was it raining? Talking about these experiences takes the viewer along for a magical ride and helps them to understand the process. Why you chose that particular colour or chose that type of paint and how difficult it was to blend, etc. will not be as engaging as opposed to how it came about. Furthermore, telling how helps you to talk about your art without coming off as boastful. It showcases your skills and dedication.

Sharing the tangible “how” draws your audience into your creative process and makes them feel a part of your journey. It’s not about saying, “Look how deep and meaningful my work is,” but rather, “I’m inviting you along to experience this journey with me.” This approach is entertaining and it humanizes the experience. It creates an emotional connection between the art and the viewer.

Storytelling helps to build trust and loyalty. It gives the client something to hold onto and take with them by putting it in their home. So give them something that makes them feel special with a special take home story. Sweep them away whenever they look at your piece of art. Whether it be a postcard or a painting.

Finally, from an SEO perspective, the more people talk about you and your work, the more conversations are had and from different perspectives and this boosts visibility. People search for all kinds of artistic processes for all kinds of reasons. By sharing your “how,” you’re not only engaging your audience but building a narrative about your work.

So in the end, it’s about them. People want to experience things. From the comfort of their chair. At home. And they can do this by having a piece of your art. It will transport them to that story, just like sharing your iTunes library with someone. You’re both linked through that connection. It helps Google, it helps you, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Art Festivals: The Superior Choice for Promoting Your Art Beyond Social Media

Seems backwards right? Like I should be promoting only social media considering my services, but here we are.

But it still stands—social media is only one piece of this two piece puzzle here. Since COVID restrictions have lifted, festivals are back in full swing.

Why am I posting this now instead of at the beginning of summer? Well because registration is usually in Feb March, and this will give you enough time to come up with the required minimum you would need for submission.

I’m sure you already are attending said festivals in your area (or out of town), so another reason I am justifying this bit of information.

And finally, nothing beats face-to-face interactions with the public. You can really show off your shining personality and explain the “how” part of why you painted the piece, where you went to get the pictures, etc. (You should have a website for people to go to and an email list as well).

So there, why art festivals are the superior choice for promoting your art.

Why AI Will Never Replace the Unique Creativity of Artists

I wrote this for my Facebook page.

I’ve been learning a lot about AI and how to use it. And as a traditional artist (uses oil paints, charcoal, pencil, physical stuff, etc.) and who took way too many art history classes, it reminds me of learning about when the camera first came out (late 1800s or so). Everyone lost their minds over it saying it wasn’t “real art”. It’s just a replica. (Some people say the same about painted, photorealistic art saying it’s “just a copy and there’s no imagination or interpretation—the purpose of art they say) 🤷‍♀️ But that’s a topic for another day.

Then Photoshop and the like came out. Computer graphics improved and artists lost their minds again. “It’s a computer, it’s not real art, it’s fake, and will take away from artists and replace them”, etc etc). But we adapted and learned how to utilize it. Myself included.

And now we arrive at AI and everyone is losing their minds again. Writers and artists alike. So I believe AI will take a turn like that in the past. We’ll learn to adapt and understand how to use it 🤷‍♀️

So there’s a (very expensive) history lesson in art and its evolution. Roughly speaking.

Attention artists: Stop chasing likes and follows and start attracting paying customers.

One of the biggest misconceptions about social media is the importance placed on vanity metrics. You know, the likes and follows—things that are meaningless really. Unless they are paying, loyal, repeat customers.

It’s incredibly hard to change this mindset as an artist because I am one! I thrive on likes, follows, comments and emojis🫶☕️🤷‍♀️💫

The only things that matter are saves and shares. Mostly. Oh, and reach. The number of new people that see your work.

The word on the street is that the algorithm has changed again for Instagram—Notorious for being impossible to gain any kind of traction on. But now Instagram is said to be favouring smaller, tiny accounts. So like, 50-200 followers. So rejoice! If you are just starting out, the universe is in your favour!

Get out your phones and start clicking away at the art you’ve done and post like your life depends on it. 🫡 God speed.

Artists, rejoice: Conquer social media marketing without compromising your artistic vision.

A few marketing tips…

1. Don’t just say that you are having a sale, explain what you are going to do for the client. What problems are you solving? Explain the benefits of having your art in their house.

2. Instagram is for nurturing relationships. They’re likely your crowd. Most of Gen X is on that platform and they’re the ones that you specifically want to reach.

3. Likes and follows don’t matter that much. Conversions, saves and shares matter more. Your content needs to speak to your audience, it isn’t for you.

4. Have a clear idea of who your ideal buyer is and cater to that niche. How old are they? How much do they make? What are their interests? Think about that (a lot) before you press “publish”.

Find me on Instagram, WordPress & Pinterest for more tips and tricks about social media management for artists. — 2021

How to unleash your creativity: Navigate social media marketing for artists with soul and substance.

When you remember it, it’s a gift (your abilities).

I think the biggest stumbling block for me when putting my art out into the wild was naming it. Omg I hated naming my paintings. I really overthought it. I ended up naming them randomly but like, then what?

Sometimes it’s things like that which inhibits us from sending out our creations into the world. Sometimes it feels wrong and imposter syndrome creeps in.

All this means is something isn’t aligning in your head with your skill set.

But sometimes we have too many voices competing in our head and taking the leap proves too difficult. If this is the case, wait. Sit down and think about it—what would really make me feel proud to send my stuff out there? What skill? What goal? What? Then focus on working that out in your head and do what you need to get it sorted. A lot of the time, it’s composition. Legit. This means you may have to start over again. Huge deterrent. Problem solved. You’re welcome. Just kidding.