Social Networks like Facebook and Myspace can be a huge time waster. Despite huge amounts of people using them daily, they really aren’t a great place to advertise or sell things. That’s because people using those sites aren’t looking for stuff to buy, they want to be entertained. But they can be a great tool for communicating with fans, art lovers and customers. You can’t do this with just a big list of “friends”, but by forging actual relationships with people.
Getting Profiled
When you register on a social networking site, they usually give you a unique web address (like facebook.com/username). Most people just pick a name off the top of their head, but when you’re using your profile for promotion you need to be more thoughtful about your username and your web address. It may seem boring, but your first and last names are the best choice: they make it easy for people who know your work to find and “friend” you, and they will identify you as a person rather than a marketing entity.
You might be tempted to use the name of your company or your website address as your username on social networking sites. It makes sense in theory, but savvy social networkers will assume that these profiles are nothing more than advertisements. In order to market your art successfully in this community, you’re going to need to be a real person that people can identify with and forge some kind of relationship with. It’s hard to think of someone named “ChicagoDesign.com” as a friend.
The same goes for setting up your profile…be a person, not a business. If you’re an artist, add a sampling of your favorite images to the photo gallery on your profile. If you’re promoting a creative service like graphic design, upload samples of your work to the gallery. Add a link to your website and some personal information. Obviously, you need to keep it professional, so no crazy drunken photos or funny YouTube videos!
I've created a list of online art communities where you can employ the tactics discussed in this post.
Make New Friends
The heart of your social networking efforts is building a network of “friends” who are interested in your work. Start off by sending friend requests to people you actually know personally or professionally. If you find other artists that you like, or people with similar interests in art, add them to your friends list. Make sure the people you add to your network are affiliated with or interested in your field of art (or at least art in general). Review any friend requests similarly…a large network of uninterested people is worse than useless. Build your network with fellow artists and art lovers and you have a better chance of making an impact.
Some of these communities frown on requesting tons of friends so don’t go overboard. If you’re clever about who you get on your friends list, your network can grow naturally. Look for other artists whose work is similar, related, or of the same genre as yours and add them to your network. Every now and then, stop in to make a comment or post an image in their comments. The people in this network may like your work and send you a friend request!
Building a network to promote your art takes more than just sending friend requests. You’ve got to participate in the community and interact with people in your network. Check out some of the art galleries that others have posted and drop some comments or words of support. Chat with people via instant messaging or on forums. Be casual and sincere in your interactions, and let your quirky personality come through.
If you expect people to pay attention to you, you’ve got to return the favor. Spend a few minutes every day interacting with the community and look for new opportunities to expand your influence. If you make real connections with people, they may spread the word about your beautiful paintings or the great websites you design.
Sharpen Your Tools
Most social networking sites actually offer a variety of tools for communicating with your network of “friends”. Here’s a list of some of the typical features and how you can use them to sell your art:
Blog – The blog in your profile can be a powerful tool for promotion, as long as you don’t use it to post updates about the antics of your house pets. Artists can use it to tell people about upcoming gallery appearances, new projects, or new artwork. Freelancers or creative professionals can use them to announce new creative services and showcase client work. Even just posting images of new art regularly can keep visitors coming back for more. Be personal and conversational in your blog entries; let your personality come through a little.
Messages / Email – Use mass messaging features to draw attention in the same way you’d use the blog, though I advise you to keep these messages very short and point the reader to your blog or website where they can get more information. You must be very careful not to use these features excessively or unnecessarily…and make sure that the people you’re emailing are interested in what you’re sending. Message too frequently and people will start to ignore you, or worse, they will get annoyed and un-friend you.
Event Invites – Use these to send friendly invitations to gallery shows or exhibitions of your work. Make sure you provide all the necessary information, and any related website links.
Websites like Facebook and DeviantArt frequently add new methods of communication with friends, so look for ways to use them to communicate with your clientele in fun and useful ways.
Encourage Opportunity’s Knock
Creating a quality network of artist and art-lovers takes time…this is a long term investment. Spend a few minutes a day responding to messages, posting comments and adding some new friends. Limit the amount of time you spend and focus on areas of opportunity:
Start local –Artists and art fans that live near you or the galleries where your work appears are great additions to your network. These are the people most likely to turn up at your shows and maybe buy a painting.
Follow “Cool” People – Many popular artists have large networks of fans in their friend lists. Friend artists like this that have a sizeable network of people who may be interested in your work. Post the occasional comment or new image on their profile and maybe you’ll get some new fans.
Be unique – One thing that creative people have no shortage of is personality and uniqueness. If you can give people something they can’t get anywhere else, whether it is a unique artistic technique or a particular subject matter, finding a niche that no one else is filling is the best way to enter a competitive market.
Do, or Do Not
It can be tempting to spend way too much time marketing your art via social networking. But you can waste huge amounts of time and see nothing for your efforts. I recommend spending a few hours per week interacting and building relationships, but you’ve got to work smart. Spend your limited time on activities that align with your marketing goals and remember that your real product is your artwork. Choose one or two of the most promising communities to participate in, rather than trying to manage relationships and promotions across dozens of profiles.
If you take nothing else from this article, it should be that simply creating profiles and walking away isn’t an effective strategy. You’ve got to be a real person who contributes to and participates in the community. Social networking can strengthen client relationships and expose thousands to your artistic creations if you have the time and patience to do it correctly.