Navigating the networks: a brief social media guide for artists selling online

So, I have stepped into the deep waters of internet selling. As an artist, just getting used to making art as a job by setting up my Etsy shop - DreamsinBtwnSpaces, was a stretch. But having spent the last 2-3 months diligently going at it, I no longer feel overwhelmed when I navigate Etsy or think about how to build my presence online.

PART 1
Let's have no illusions here. I am a novice at this. But I am a hopeful one; I've been learning lately that if you can't hang on to hope tenaciously, you can hardly expect to survive as an artist, let alone an entrepreneurial shop owner on Etsy, or anywhere else for that matter.

I am writing this post to pass on the lessons I have learnt in the past months in connecting my Etsy shop to social media platforms of my choice, namely, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and LinkedIn. Just having a shop doesn't cut it, you have to advertise it; and the best sort of advertising for a low revenue start-up are the ones you get for free. Upgrading to a full page colour ad on the web or on print media, in my opinion, is a perk that comes with revenue generated.

And as you set up your online presence via social media, it's a good thing to remember the simple idea of branding. For me, making the extra effort to create a consistent and synced online persona, not only adds to the reach I have over the internet, but also to the professionalism I want to maintain as a committed artist.

However, first things first. If you have a shop and you are a regular Facebooker, it's a no-brainer that the best way to get the people in your network to talk about your product is via Facebook. But if you are like me, and want to maintain your fb profile and your artist profile as separate entities, then it's time to set up a Facebook Page.

I don't want to go through the step-by-step process of how to set up a fb page here, since it's pretty self explanatory once you click <Create Page> on the left hand side of your home page. A tip to remember though is to give the facebook page you create a similar name as your Etsy Shop. This helps in adding to a consistent online presence. I go a step further by ensuring that I use the same images on my fb page, as the ones in my Etsy profile / shop.

Once you have your fb page, you can go ahead and connect it to your Etsy account.

Here's the how to:

1. Click on the top right hand drop-down menu called <Your Shop> on your Etsy account. Select <Shop Settings>

2. Under the tab <Info & Appearance>, in the subsection called Links, click the link to Facebook. Make sure, you are not logged into fb when you do this.

3. Now follow the necessary prompts that show up; make sure to select the right FB page to connect your Etsy account to if you have multiple pages.

4. Finally press Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Whenever you have major shop announcements or a new item, this link will make sure it is posted on your fb page.

And while you are at it, why not connect your Twitter account to your Etsy shop as well. The link is right below the Facebook link and with a click of a button, all your shop announcements and new items are tweeted on Twitter as well!

I want maximum visibility, that is as much visibility as a zero dollar investment can get me at the moment. As a communications major I have learnt that if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need to take the time, AND the effort to, well, blow your own horn. If you don't believe you deserve the lime-light, chances are, no one else is going to believe it either. 

So, best put on a stiff upper lip, ignore the discomfort and just do some . . .  shameless.self.promotion! And you don't have to be the sleazy sales-person types to do it! Believe me there are classier ways of blowing your own horn. You just have to be creative about it.

After I set up a Facebook page, I decided the next best thing to do was to also get a Twitter account. Now I am not one to let the whole virtual world know what I ate for supper and what I am doing every hour.  The only reason I got a Twitter account was to build up and maintain my online persona as an artist, and I made sure to apply my Etsy profile pictures, and banner images right across the board. My Twitter profile, just like my Facebook page and google profile, all bear the same images as those used on my Etsy account and shop.

What a relief and no small joy it was when I found out that I could simultaneously maintain my presence on both Facebook and Twitter by connecting the two!

If you are on Facebook:
1. On the top Left hand tab of your page (near the cover photo) click <Settings> and go to <Page Info> on right.
2. Click <Other Accounts>, type in the name of your twitter account, and then select what type of account it is.
3. Press <Save Changes>. You'd see that there are loads of other platforms you can connect your fb account to.

If you are on Twitter:
1. Click on your profile picture, which is actually a drop-down menu. Select <Settings>.
2. Go to <Apps> on your left hand, click on <Facebook Connect> and login with your fb info. You can choose how you want your tweets to be posted on Facebook - whether you want them to be posted on your fb profile as well as your fb page. Keep in mind though that retweets and replies on Twitter don't get posted on fb.

In Part II of Navigating the networks: a brief social media guide for artists selling online, I will talk about how connect your blog to both Facebook and Twitter, in order to maximise the visibility of your blog posts. Stay tuned!

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