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Instagram, Facebook
Social Media for Artists
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and others are at present among the most effective ways for artists to become the word out about their art. Every bit with any form of communication though, you have to know how to use it in order to reach the people yous want to reach and go to where yous want to go with your work. Social media is no panacea and just because you're active doesn't automatically hateful your art world profile is destined for success. The post-obit list of practise's, don'ts, recommendations, and suggestions is designed to assist you lot attain your art-related goals with maximum benefits to you lot and minimum inconvenience and irritation to others...
Practise'S:
* Treat other people as y'all would in real life. Just because you can't meet them and they can't see you is no reason to conduct yourself other than how you would if you were speaking to them in person.
* Update regularly. Prove that yous're active and engaged. Very few people volition return to a folio that's updated once a month or less. If they return at all, guess how often they'll return? About as oft as y'all update... if that.
* Decide why you're on social media and focus on that. What do you want people to know well-nigh you and your art? How do yous intend to get your message across? What are your goals and expectations? The better you empathise and maintain focus on your motivations and intentions, the meliorate others volition understand them as well. On the flip side, the more disjointed, confusing, and unrelated your posts are, the fewer people will follow or friend y'all. Nobody follows annihilation they can't understand.
* Decide how public or private yous want to be. If you are on social media to advance the cause of your fine art, and so make your profile and postings every bit public every bit y'all experience comfortable doing, preferably ALL public. The more individual you brand yourself and the less accessible you are, the more than difficulty people will have finding and learning about y'all, trying to communicate with yous, getting to know you, and most importantly, keeping tabs on your fine art life. The more you make individual, the more you lot give the impression that yous're not really that interested in communicating with anyone exterior of your circumvolve. Going public gives everyone a chance, including total strangers who may well continue to become some of your best friends or biggest fans.
* For easy cross-posting and cross-referencing, make sure your proper name and username are identical on all social media platforms you lot use. The best name to use is the one you lot sign your art with, the 1 people know yous by. If you use aliases, nicknames, or pseudonyms that are not full general noesis, you make yourself harder (and sometimes fifty-fifty impossible) to notice.
* Be consistent in the content of your postings. Unified posts on similar topics or with similar purposes make it easier for people to follow what you're up to, empathise who you lot are, what y'all're like, what your creative perspective is, and where you're going with your work.
* Brand your posts interesting. Focus on narratives or story lines or themes or plot lines or questions or opinions or any aspects of your art life are the most pregnant or meaningful to you (and hopefully others too). Update regularly-- at least several times per calendar week-- and make people want to return to your folio again and again for every new and exciting episode. Instagram and Facebook in particular are basically realtime blogs-- and interactive at that. The potential to actively involve others with your art and artist life are limitless.
* Write posts that encourage people to visit (and revisit) your page. Offer something they want to hear about-- tangible or intangible, it makes no difference-- every bit long as it's something. For example, talk candidly nearly your fine art or your mean solar day-to-day life equally an artist-- your challenges, triumphs, inspirations, perspectives, latest torso of work, etc. Brand it more than simply nearly you. Brand it something that others tin can identify with, be role of, learn from, reverberate on, gain insight from, chronicle to, share related experiences about or participate in, annotate on, or respond to. Posts that appoint, encourage or invite dialogue are also the most probable to be noticed and shared by others.
* If yous desire people to like, encounter, share, or comment on your art, requite them adept reasons. A good reason has to exist more than "look at my art" or "my latest art" or "my fine art in process" or "what practise yous remember about my art?" A practiced reason includes the viewer and possibly even benefits them in some mode to respond or participate in your thread. Post about your time in the studio, sourcing ideas, your progress on detail works, your process, your goals, the purpose of your art, your broader mission as an artist, and then on. The more people who tin can place in some way with what you're doing or what you're going through, the more involved they're willing to get.
* No matter what yous're posting nigh, nowadays it in means that encourage others to add their thoughts, feelings or experiences-- to comment, like, and particularly share. When people act on your posts, friends who follow their activity volition be able to see your page. In other words, people who don't know you lot discover out about you, and if they similar what they see, they might cheque out your folio, comment themselves, follow you, make friend requests, DM y'all, or brand contact in other ways. This is the "ripple consequence" of social media, the power to expand your circles of friends and contacts exponentially in some cases.
* If you want to contact or appoint particular gallery owners, dealers or anyone else in the art community who you lot admire or respect, start slowly. Follow them, similar their posts, read their posts, comment if appropriate. Your actions may catch their attention. They might visit your folio and check out your art, your website, or more.
* If your goal is to make contact, thoroughly inquiry them first. Make certain they show fine art that's similar to yours, and represent or assist artists whose credentials or career accomplishments are comparable to yours. The fact that you lot're an artist and they're a gallery is Non a reason to make contact. And if or when you do make contact, give things a run a risk to develop earlier making requests. You never desire to give the impression right from the first that the just reason you're contacting or communicating with someone is to make personal requests or ask for favors.
* Participate in other people'due south posts and threads, particularly if they interest you or y'all'd like to know them amend. The all-time way to show people you lot intendance is to comment or respond to their postings or get involved in their threads. Existence generous and taking the time to share your thoughts with others-- not in cocky-serving ways-- is appreciated as much on social media as it is anywhere else.
* Go to know people gradually, just similar in real life. Friendships and business relationships evolve over time. Respond to people's posts, like their posts, like their fine art, share their posts, and maybe-- very occasionally at first-- send them brusk supportive or complimentary personal letters.
* If you're looking for feedback or input near your art, you get kickoff. Comment or offer input on the work of other artists, galleries or fine art people who yous respect or capeesh-- bold their posts invite those kinds of responses. You get noticed by giving freely of yourself and expecting nothing in return.
* Apply chat and DMs sparingly, specially with people you hardly know or don't know at all. Initiating chats is no different than walking upwards to someone at an art opening or anywhere else and starting a chat. If you feel the need to get personal, message first to detect out whether the other person is busy or whether they accept a moment to talk... earlier getting into your agenda.
* Retrieve near who you want to friend or follow and why. If you lot want to friend someone who doesn't know you, briefly explain why you are friending them. This is especially of import if near or all of your personal information is private and the person y'all're friending doesn't know who you are. Amend yet, make your page equally public as you lot feel comfortable doing. That way, people who don't know y'all tin can get a good sense of who yous are and determine whether to friend, contact, or engage with you lot personally.
* Get to know people's profiles before friending them. That way, you'll be better able to explain yourself in case they ask who you are. Ameliorate yet, explicate yourself in advance. Nothing complicated is necessary here; a well-worded sentence or two will do just fine.
* When you postal service images of your fine art to your folio, organize them into albums of related works. That way, people tin easily what kinds of art you brand and go to the album or albums that interest them the most. 1 giant album with all of your art is Not the way to get (as well disruptive, overwhelming, disjointed, labor-intensive, etc).
* When you post an image of your art, say something about it. Briefly introduce it. This is essential especially for people who don't know y'all or are seeing your work for the first time. Provide enough background information or explanatory for anyone to become a bones thought of what it's about and who you are as an artist. Descriptions or comments accompanying images of fine art always deepen people's experiences and encourage them to comment dorsum rather than simply click "similar" and move on. Ane to three sentences is more than enough in most cases.
* If you have a website (which hopefully yous do), occasionally use social media to drive traffic to specific images, pages or galleries on your site. When you do this, always make sure yous have something new or worthwhile for people to come across. Driving traffic to a stagnant website that looks exactly the same every fourth dimension people visit is not a skilful strategy.
DON'TS:
* If you don't practise it in real life, don't do it on social media. Equally impersonal as online interactions might seem sometimes, everything yous practise affects existent people with real feelings in real ways.
* Whatever you practice, don't inquire people for favors-- specially people you don't even know. Things never to ask for include contributing to your fundraiser, voting for your fine art in contests or shows, ownership your fine art, showing your fine art, etc.
* Never utilize other people'due south posts to promote yourself or your art. Either annotate specifically on the post or don't comment at all.
* Don't brand your pages just about what you want or need. Always leave room for others to join in on the conversation. There'southward much much more than to life than you, plus the fact that people prefer to visit pages where they tin can dialogue with others, become informed, share information, learn new things, be exposed to different ways of living and thinking, and and so on.
* At that place's no demand to phone call your folio "Beak Smith Artist" or "Mary Jones Fine art" or "Fine art by John." That'south existence redundant. What'south of import is to apply your real name, the one you lot sign your art with, and format your folio in a way that makes it instantly obvious to anyone who visits that they're on the page of an artist.
* Don't tag people yous don't know in your posts unless you know them personally or images or texts direct relate to them or posts they've fabricated. Tagging strangers only to depict attending to yourself is super irritating, plus now they'll have to waste time untagging themselves (and possibly blocking you as well). Tag an image of your art with someone's name if the art is a portrait of them-- and that's about information technology.
* Never tag strangers in cocky-promotions, bear witness announcements, or other art news. If you want someone to know what you're upward to, ask to send them a private message instead-- but at all times, make certain yous accept a really good reason that involves them, not simply you.
* If most or all of your data is individual, don't contact or friend strangers without starting time introducing yourself, explaining who you are, or giving a reason for your request. If people you are friending have no idea who yous are and tin't find out anything from your page, and so what reason do they accept to have your request?
* Don't spam or send mass emails, DMs, or messages to groups of people you don't know merely considering you want them to see your art. If you practice send an declaration or invitation or asking to more than than one person, make certain the reason you're sending information technology has something to do with them. "Look at me" or "Look at my art" or "Look at my upcoming art show" are non good reasons. If you're having an event, brand an result page and invite friends that way. And NEVER use apps, marketing software, or other devices to spam friends on your behalf.
* If you make an consequence folio, practice non post or message people repeatedly on it. Posting over and over over again is really irritating for all of us who either tin can't come or have no involvement. Even if we're coming, we're probable to get tired of post after postal service after post. Those of us who tin no longer endure your barrage will be forced to remove your page from our calendars or at worst, block you. We know you're having an upshot; thank you for inviting usa. Now that we've been invited, remind u.s. peradventure once or twice betwixt now and whenever it's happening. That'due south more enough... and best of all, information technology keeps us on your skilful side.
* Don't add people to a group or page you're either starting or already belong to unless yous inquire their permission first. Invite them instead. If they don't desire to be in the grouping, they're forced to go to the group'southward page and leave, or worse even so, cake anyone from adding yous to the page in the future.
* Don't inquire people you lot don't know to wait at your art, go to your website, annotate about your art or requite you lot feedback unless y'all introduce yourself first, ask their permission, and provide some sort of explanation as to why you are contacting them. If there's no upside for them to respond other than to spend their valuable fourth dimension looking at your art and commenting on it, yous're better off not messaging them in the commencement place.
* Don't inquire people you don't know for gratuitous stuff-- merchandise, favors, advice, services, shows, to contact other people on your behalf, or any. Get to know them first, cultivate a relationship, and if things go well, then you can inquire whether they mind if you lot brand a asking.
* Go easy on putting up post later on postal service that take little or nada to do with your art, like your favorite music, food, your pets, third-party quizzes, politics, or other non-art related topics unless they directly use to either yous as an artist or to the blazon of art you make. Supposing someone likes your art simply hates your music or politics? Throw it in their face and yous're screwed.
* Don't post on someone else'southward page unless that post has something to do with that person, that person's interests, something they posted, or something yous know they or their friends will be interested in seeing. If it's all nigh you and has nothing to practice with them or their friends, either message them straight, or salve it for subsequently when you know them meliorate and will empathize why you're contacting them.
* Don't post your response to a discussion thread separately on the wall of the person whose thread it is. Post it in the thread. Posting outside the thread merely makes you lot await like you're more interested in calling attention to yourself than you are in contributing to the thread. Plus, those participating in the thread volition not see your mail service.
* Don't utilise other people'southward discussion threads to promote yourself or your art-- unless those threads closely relate in some way to your fine art, are invitations to promote it, or your comment or promotion relates directly to the post.
* Don't post on other people's pages unless you know them well or they know exactly why y'all're posting.
* Don't link your Instagram feed directly to your Facebook folio. They're two completely different platforms. Instead, share your Instagram posts selectively on Facebook and invite your friends their to follow you on Instagram.
* Don't initiate chats with people you don't know-- specially if your only reason is for them to expect at your fine art, talk about yourself, come to your evidence, go to your website, reply your questions, or make other requests. If yous want to conversation with someone you don't know, email or DM them get-go and inquire whether it'south OK.
* Don't invite strangers to like your page, pages, group, etc. unless you briefly explain why y'all're inviting them.
* Don't message people to ask what they think of your art or your website or whatever. Post these requests on your page and ask your questions there. That fashion, you give anybody the option of responding without pressuring them. Forcing people to await at or respond to these kinds of messages is uncomfortable for them and counterproductive for you.
* Never mislead or misrepresent your intentions. For case, don't message someone a link to what looks like an article about social justice or the surround, for example, when it's really little more than a request for them to look at your art.
* Don't ask "friends" to practice things for you unless they're really your friends-- like in existent life. Only ask when you lot can explain the nature of your asking in terms they can relate to, understand, and appreciate. Better yet, make sure they're something in information technology for them to respond to whatsoever you're request.
* If you contact someone to ask them for a favor and they message you back to decline, thank them for at least considering your request. Not responding because you didn't get what you wanted is really rude-- and makes yous look fifty-fifty more self-centered than y'all looked when you contacted them in the showtime place.
* Don't be a taker. Social media is not a vehicle for you lot to try to sponge upwards as much gratuitous information, advice, favors, feedback and other perks for yourself and your fine art as possible without giving annihilation back to others. If your purpose is to accelerate your art and art career, requite first; ask later. The more you give, the more than you get back in return. People are far more likely to respond positively to your requests once you lot've made yourself available to them in some sort of constructive chapters offset.
(fine art by Jun Kaneko)
Source: https://www.artbusiness.com/facebook-tips-help-protocol-etiquette-and-instructions-for-artists.html