Part II In this second part of Navigating the networks: a brief social media guide for artists selling online, I talk about how to make sure your blog posts get posted on your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts simultaneously so that you maximise the visibility of your blog.
Just as much as you want to keep a sense of professionalism about you, you also might want to make sure that your targeted audience gets to know you. When it comes to being an artist and selling one's work, it's no secret that the artist herself is the brand. Think of van Gogh, Picasso, Kinkade, these guys are household names. While many people may not know every work of the artist by its particular name, they will definitely remember it by the name of the artist.
So what do you want people to know about yourself? What builds up and maintains that consistent persona, that image you want people to remember when they think of your art? What is your art about? So much of our work as artists comes from a deep and often painful place in our lives, which has to be dug into with care and soul- racking courage . . . When you think of what you want to be remembered for, think long and hard on who you want to be remembered for. Who you are and what your art speaks of, often are the same.
One of the best ways to build your bio as an artist is by keeping a virtual journal - a blog. I recently heard that blogging is the easiest, and most efficient way to market yourself, and whatdayaknow . . . for free! Your blog, designed with the same basic design templates used on your Etsy shop, Facebook page and Twitter is a great way to show the people who are really interested in your work, the inner-workings of your process.
And your blog posts don't have to sit there waiting for the random viewer to drop by. What if you had a way of tweeting or Facebooking your blog post, say a small write-up about the process behind that new item you just added to your Etsy shop? Not only do you direct traffic to a website where your audience can get to know more about you and your work, you also generate significant, and interesting posts to newsflash-style platforms like Facebook and Twitter. And there's an attention grabber!
After I signed up on Twitterfeed.com I was really surprised by the traffic that came by my blog just because my blog post tweet got retweeted by someone! Even if it didn't generate any sales, it really helped me build my credentials as an artist with something to say. And credibility is essential for being considered as a serious artist, especially when one is just starting in their journey.
Signing up on Twitterfeed with my google account also freed up a lot of my time to do what I do best - create! No longer Do I have to worry about managing multiple platforms to ensure maximum reach.
All I did was
1. Create a Feed: naming a feed, establishing my Blog's feed, and configuring how my posts are displayed.
2. Configuring Publishing Services: connecting my LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter account with my blog's feed
and
3. Activating all the services I use
To get a full description of how to set this connection up check out 4 Useful Twitter Automation Tools and How to Use Them.
The idea behind these sometimes tedious set-ups is quite simple - to maintain a consistent, credible and up to date brand. Whether it is to market your product or your name as a professional artist, being connected is important in navigating through the web of connection that is freely available to us. Sure it takes time, but as long as you brainstorm and determine what kind of image/brand you want to make available, to whom, and through which sources, the work is half done. For me, making sure I chose specific platforms and only stuck with them without spreading myself over too networks, also helps me my connections.
On Texture & Accessible Art
Confessions: my struggle with procrastination
My First Juried Art Exhibition
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