Are you wasting time trying to promote your art on social media sites?
I’m not implying that you shouldn’t be on those sites. I’m just wondering if you’re using them to their potential.
It’s not that you need to be posting and sharing more. It’s that you want to make sure your effort is worth it for you. In other words, you should invest in quality, not quantity.
If you don’t, you might be wasting time.
Mindful sharing will bring you more friends, more shares, and more likes, which results in more people to buy your art or to offer you opportunities. It’s not only more rewarding, it’s also more fun.
Here are some tips to help ensure that you’re spending time wisely online.
Pick Your Platforms
Think of all the photos you have to take. The videos you intend to make. The words you need to write. So. Much. Work.
You don’t have to be everywhere.
You don’t have time to be everywhere! Select social media platforms that you find engaging and use them to the best of your ability.
The more you enjoy a platform, the more likely you are to use it effectively.
Be Social
It ain’t called social media for nuthin’.
Social media is social. For that very reason, many people think it’s a waste of time. And it’s easy to fritter away your time if you’re not careful.
Focus! Remember that you’re making friends and building relationships.
[ See Collector Relationship Essentials ]
Think of social media as a giant virtual art opening, but one where it’s easier to interact with strangers. Most people find it more comfortable to engage people through social media than to blindly approach them at an opening.
You don’t have to avoid politics, but watch the energy behind your political posts. Are they informative and positive? Or do they spread gossip and hate? (There is plenty of hate on both sides of any issue!)
Don’t post and disappear. Engage with the people who are nice enough to leave comments.
Make Strategic Connections
Don’t sit back and wait for people to find out about your art. Reach out!
Make strategic connections with people you want to know about your art. Friend, follow, and subscribe to the people, businesses, and organizations you want to build alliances with.
Go beyond liking posts and sharing them. Become part of the conversation by offering your opinions and experience.
Acknowledge People
People appreciate being singled out for the good they’ve done in front of a large audience.
Congratulate others for their honors, awards, and accomplishments. Brag on them in a post of your own. This also encourages your followers to follow them.
Help People
Jay Baer, author of Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is About Help, Not Hype, says “If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you may create a customer for life.”
Youtility, the marketing concept Baer advocates, is “marketing so useful that people would pay for it.”
How can you be useful to your connections? Here are some ideas.
Listen to Get Ideas for Content
Listening is the white-hot secret for generating content. It will make you smarter.
What’s hot in art circles? What do you have to contribute to that discussion?
Listen to the conversation around you. If you’re always in broadcast mode (telling people what you’re doing, what you’re selling), you aren’t being social – you’re being promotional.
[ See my content-generating program just for artists ]
At the same time …
Share Your Art
Let’s face it. You’re not on these sites because you don’t have anything better to do. You’re on them because you want to gain recognition and sell more art.
People are following you for a reason, and it’s not because of what you had for lunch. It’s because you’re an artist.
Tell them about your art and your life as an artist. Post images and videos of every aspect of your artist’s life. Share your accomplishments.
[ 31 Photo Ideas for Artists ]
You can’t pitch your work with every update without losing trust and fans, but remember that people are following you for a reason. They’ll be disappointed if they are the last to hear about what is new in your studio.
13 thoughts on “Stop Wasting Time on Social Media”
dh was driving to Florida the other day and noticed the woman in front of him texting probably to social media, he moved into the other lane, she hit the car that was in front of him – social media can be dangerous too
super article – I try to get on and post and then get right off of fb – it works; although there is one sharing group re clay that is helpful in questions about clay so I find that beneficial
Oh no! Glad he wasn’t hurt, Linda.
Great article & suggestions, Alyson! Thanks! Looking forward to the online session!
Happy you can join the training, Kate.
I try to send birthday wishes to each of my Facebook friends. This has helped me sell a few paintings from FB followers.
Sandra: You sold just because they visited your page after that? or did you include your art in the wishes?
Hi Alyson,
Great post. Wonderful ideas. Definitely a post to come back to and
read again and again.
Thank you,
XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara
🙂
Hi Alyson,
Time spent on social media is part of a marketing strategy and apply 80/20 rule only 20% works at best…80% of your income comes from 20% of your art….a 3% return at best!
Just what is the value of 100 ‘Likes’…from people who will never buy your art anyway. Think about it most of them come from fellow artists’.
There is nothing like working at art for removing the desire to waste time on socialising.
My days in retirement still start around 06.00 hrs. and by 08.00 hrs I’m out in the studio until around 16.00 hrs…six days a week. Working on series of commissioned illustration work that started in mid January 2015 and learning as I go.
Checking supply levels…ordering replacements….planning…thinking…drawing drafts….making final drafts on quality paper…transferring it to quality art paper…making a colour mixture in quick drying acrylic inks…applying it to all those illustrations that need that identical colour…having at least ten illustrations on the go at any one time…accountancy….record keeping…image management…liaising with the clients…
There is no time for being social…a limited number of blogs to follow and even fewer to contribute to…its all about time management and that important rewards to effort ratio!
And yet you’re here, Phil. This is a social platform.
If you don’t network online, do you do it in person? (always my preference!)
Hi Alyson…remaining social…posting @ 06.30 hrs or 22.00 hrs local time…this site is my addition!
Drat the combination of being tired…poor lighting…wrong glasses on & iPad predictive text…
For ‘addition’…substitute ‘addiction’…
Hi, Alyson. I just found out about your free webinar on social media. I’m very interested in seeing the examples of effective use. Unfortunately, I have an appointment and will miss it. Is there any chance of an encore? Thanks, Liz