Social Media Marketing is all the rage for savvy businesses that understand the value of building relationships, and for good reason. For artists, the social media phenomenon provides powerful marketing tools, offering unique opportunities to attract and communicate with a network of people who enjoy your art. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Flickr and blogging are probably the most important social media tools for artists to consider.
We usually recommend beginning with either Facebook or Twitter. Facebook is hugely popular and you’re sure to find an audience there of people who want to stay in touch and follow your work. Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds and provides a more informal venue for connecting with other artists and art collectors.
Which one to begin with depends on you and your goals. If you have a blog or frequently updated website to display new work on, and want to build quickly, then Twitter may be the first choice for you. If you don’t yet have a website or blog, Facebook’s fan page option can give you a beginning ‘place’ on the Internet to showcase your work. Twitter is simple and can be quick to build. Facebook is complex and can be much slower to build.
But, what can you expect from either of them? When approached with a specific goal in mind, and by building a core group of followers first, Twitter can pay big dividends quickly. For example, during my first couple of months on Twitter I was approached to:
- write an article for an artists showcase site
- invited to be a featured artist on another artists showcase site
- had several inquiries about website projects from fellow artists
- had the opportunity to participate in a national touring exhibit
- received inquiries about painting commissions
- and made a lot of great contacts with artists all over the country (and world!).
If anyone knows where the art opportunities are, it’s artists, and it has paid off nicely to build my Twitter follower base with fellow artists.
Facebook has been a much slower process, but seems more pemanent somehow. I really appreciate the fan page I was able to build there:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teresa-Freed/112810001004?v=wall&viewas=0&ref=s
However, my 145 friends and 70 some fans are a far cry from the 1040 followers I collected on Twitter during the same timeframe. On Facebook I’ve been spending my time setting things up rather than seeking new friends. However, I do expect that to even out over time.
Which one is the place to begin for you? Think about what your goals are and then jump in! In the end you’ll probably decide you want to do both.
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