By Alan Bamberger
Art Business:
* Think of your page as an illustrated ongoing commentary on your progression and evolution as an artist. Make it a good read... and a good see. Develop a consistent storyline or narrative. Focus on your art-related activities, on what you're doing and how you're doing it... like what you're up to in the studio, your latest shows, recent sales, how you decide what to make next, the challenges you face while working on a new piece of art, where you go or what you listen to or read for inspiration, and so on. The best artist Facebook pages make people want to come back for more. Like a page-turner book or a great TV series, fans can't wait for the next exciting episode or adventure.
* Consistency is really important whenever you post. Make sure everything connects up, that there's a flow to what you write and show, and that no matter when or where on your page people join in, they can feel like they've got a grip on things and a sense of who you are and what you're about as an artist. If your page gets too confusing, people will stop following you.
* Make sure your posts relate to your art and art life in one way or another. In other words, stay on topic. Posts on unrelated subjects or aspects of your personal life that have nothing to do with art should probably go elsewhere, perhaps on a personal page viewable only by friends and relatives. If you do decide to post off-topic, make sure you provide enough in the way of explanation so your art fans can understand.
* "Likes" are OK. "Comments" are better. "Shares" are the best. The lowest level of engagement is clicking "Like" and moving on. Not much action there. Commenting means more and lots of comments on a post often leads to an interesting discussion thread. You know what happens when a thread gets interesting? More people spend more time reading it which also means they're spending more time around your art. You know what happens when a thread gets REALLY interesting? It gets shared. And "Shares" are what you want; that's the highest level of Facebook engagement and the single best way for new people to get introduced to your work, by friends who share your posts (and art) with their friends.
How to Sell Art
on facebook
Plenty of artists sell plenty of art on Facebook, but selling art on Facebook and other social networking websites involves more than loading your page up with images and waiting for sales to roll in. Not only do you have to make a good case for yourself and your art, but you also have to be active and consistent in how you get the word out, attract an audience and work to cultivate a loyal following. It's not enough for people to simply know you're there; they need reasons to come back for more... and more... and more. Here's a list of tips and pointers to help maximize your chances for success, grow a fan base and sell more art:
* Make sure your art is organized into galleries of related works. Way too many artists dump all kinds of art into their photo albums with no curatorial oversight whatsoever. Dividing your art into groups, series or categories not only makes it easier for your fans to click right to the types of art they want to see the most. Even more importantly, well organized art is easier for people to understand... especially those who are visiting your page for the first time.
* Regularly update your page not only about your latest art adventures but also with fresh images. Posting new work and works-in-progress with reasonable regularity is a great way to show how productive you are and how serious and committed you are to being an artist. If you post updates or introduce new art only every once in a while, people won't have much reason to take you seriously or visit your page because hardly anything ever changes.
* Make your entire page public. The reason you're on Facebook is to increase the audience for your art. Don't limit that potential by making sections of your page private, not allowing people to tag you, or otherwise restricting who can see, comment on, respond to, message or chat, or otherwise interact with you and your page.
* Your page should be much more than a place to show your art. It's where you welcome people to your artistic life, introduce yourself and your art, and talk in ways pretty much anyone can understand, relate to, appreciate and get involved with. The better you do this, the more followers you attract. More and more galleries are paying attention to artists with large followings... and offering them shows. Followers have literally become the currency of social networking and can play a key role in your success in both the online and gallery worlds.
Plenty of artists sell plenty of art on Facebook, but selling art on Facebook and other social networking websites involves more than loading your page up with images and waiting for sales to roll in. Not only do you have to make a good case for yourself and your
art, but you also have to be active and consistent in how you get the word out, attract an audience and work to cultivate a loyal following. It's not enough for people to simply know you're there; they need reasons to come back for more... and more... and more.
Here's a list of tips and pointers to help maximize your chances for success,
grow a fan base and sell more art:
- Make sure your art is organized into galleries of related works. Way too many artists dump all kinds of art into their photo albums with no curatorial oversight whatsoever. Dividing your art into groups, series or categories not only makes it easier for your fans to click right to the types of art they want to see the most. Even more importantly, well organized art is easier for people to understand... especially those who are visiting your page for the first time.
- Regularly update your page not only about your latest art adventures but also with fresh images. Posting new work and works-in-progress with reasonable regularity is a great way to show how productive you are and how serious and committed you are to being an artist. If you post updates or introduce new art only every once in a while, people won't have
much reason to take you seriously or visit your page because hardly anything ever changes.
- Make your entire page public. The reason you're on Facebook is to increase the audience for your art. Don't limit that potential by making sections of your page private, not allowing people to tag you, or otherwise restricting who can see, comment on, respond to, message or chat, or otherwise interact with you and your page.
- Your page should be much more than a place to show your art. It's where you welcome
people to your artistic life, introduce yourself and your art, and talk in ways pretty much anyone can understand, relate to, appreciate and get involved with. The better you do this, the more followers you attract. More and more galleries are paying attention to artists with large followings... and offering them shows.
commentary on your progression and evolution as an artist. Make it a good read... and a good see. Develop a consistent storyline or narrative. Focus on your art-related activities, on what you're doing and how you're doing it... like what you're up to in the studio, your latest shows, recent sales, how you decide what to make next, the challenges you face while working on a new piece of art, where you go or what you listen to or read for inspiration, and so on. The best artist Facebook pages make people want to come back for more. Like a page-turner book or a great TV series, fans can't wait for the next exciting episode or adventure.
* Consistency is really important whenever you post. Make sure everything connects up, that there's a flow to what you write and show, and that no matter when or where on your page people join in, they can feel like they've got a grip on things and a sense of who you are and what you're about as an artist. If your page gets too confusing, people will stop following you.
* Make sure your posts relate to your art and art life in one way or another. In other words, stay on topic. Posts on unrelated subjects or aspects of your personal life that have nothing to do with art should probably go elsewhere, perhaps on a personal page viewable only by friends and relatives. If you do decide to post off-topic, make sure you provide enough in the way of explanation so your art fans can understand.
* "Likes" are OK. "Comments" are better. "Shares" are the best. The lowest level of engagement is clicking "Like" and moving on. Not much action there. Commenting means more and lots of comments on a post often leads to an interesting discussion thread. You know what happens when a thread gets interesting? More people spend more time reading it which also means they're spending more time around your art. You know what happens when a thread gets REALLY interesting? It gets shared. And "Shares" are what you want; that's the highest level of Facebook engagement and the single best way for new people to get introduced to your work, by friends who share your posts (and art) with their friends.
Art Business:
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