For artists of all mediums, from digital art to traditional oil on canvas and beyond, social media has been one of the most beneficial tools for promoting work and building communities. The drawback is that social media management can be time-consuming and cut into creation time.
But with a little preparation and planning, artists can utilize their social media platforms to spread awareness, reach broader audiences and gain exposure. Here are a few tips on how to promote an artist on social media.
Set Up Post Scheduling
When promoting your brand through social media, consistency is key. If followers can come to expect regular updates, it’ll pique interest and drive engagement. When you’re busy managing a small business, it can be far too easy to let certain tasks fall through the cracks. That’s why creating a social media calendar and preparing posts in advance is a beneficial method of staying on track.
There are many online tools available to assist with managing content and post scheduling, and a bonus is that most of these platforms also include analytics and metrics trackers to measure the progress of your posts.
Initially, most artists don’t need intricate, complicated social media management tools. If all that’s needed is a simple, easy-to-use posting tool, Buffer offers a management tool at both the free and paid level. And for a more full-featured option, Hootsuite offers performance tracking, more in depth scheduling options, and a variety of other features.
Share Beyond The Art
The days of hard sells and pushy marketing are quickly becoming a thing of the past. With technology developing at a rapid rate and the ability to purchase virtually anything of need, well, virtually – people are losing patience for inauthentic, force-fed copy designed to entice them into a product. Studies show that 86% of consumers take a brand’s authenticity into account when making a purchasing decision, and over 80% of consumers need to trust a brand before making a purchase.
That’s why it’s important to not only share your brand and your product, but also bits and pieces of yourself and why this work is important. Share your stories, mission, what led the brand to come into existence. Share what led you to create, parts of your process, what tools you use and why. Show your human aspect to your audience and allow them to connect with you.
Though, it’s important to remain neutral and respectful when speaking from the voice of your brand. Avoid oversharing personal information and tricky topics such as politics, religion, etc. Keep it light but don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and celebrate your unique, authentic perspective.
Form Relationships To Expand Your Reach
When cultivating a social media presence, there’s plenty of opportunity to interact and find others of interest to connect with. It remains true that “you’ve got to give a little to get a little”, and by finding other like-minds within the community, you can begin to build and form connections that could become beneficial in the expansion of your brand.
As an artist using social media, there are so many opportunities to connect with other artists, art dealers, venues, and more. In this way, social media can be a great way to network within your local and non-local communities, form new connections and collaborations.
