Hello, artists! Our previous blog post discussed the pros and cons of artists’ websites vs Facebook promotion. This post will explore another incredibly popular social media outlet that you could be utilizing to promote your work.
 
Instagram is an app that is 100% photo based and 100% free to use. You’ll benefit most from having Instagram if you have a phone with a decent camera. That way, you’ll have the tools you need to make great Instagram posts at any moment.
 
Similar to Facebook, other people can “follow” your page, allowing anything you post to appear on their feed of new posts. They can then like or comment on the photos if they would like.
 
Here are some tips to help you get started on Instagram:
 
Keep it Relevant: If you’re a professional artist using Instagram to promote your work, make sure that is your main focus. It’s not that those photos from the family reunion aren’t great, but you should stick to interesting photos of your studio, works in progress, and your finished pieces—you’re creating your brand.
 
High Quality Photos: You wouldn’t post blurry photos of your work on your artist’s website, so you shouldn’t do it on your social media either! Try your hardest to post high quality photos that really do your work justice. You never know when something could catch a potential customer’s eye.
 
How Often: This goes back to keeping posts relevant. If you haven’t been working on much for the last couple days, maybe you should skip posting for a while. If you try to post even though you haven’t been working, you may end up posting uninteresting content. On the other hand, if you’re working on a lot of new work, let your followers know what you’re up to.
 
Two (or Three) Birds with One Stone: Another great aspect of Instagram is its connectivity. In the share settings on your Instagram account, you can connect your Instagram to your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media accounts. Whenever you make a post to your Instagram account, it will also post to your other selected social media profiles.
 
Follow Other Artists: There are lots of great artists already successfully promoting themselves on Instagram. Huffington Post and Complex have some great lists of artists that you can follow for inspiration.
 
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/artists-on-instagram_n_3728119.html
 
www.complex.com/style/2014/09/artists-to-follow-on-instagram   

​They say an artist’s work is never done… and even when a piece is ready for the world, there comes the part of actually getting your work “out there” and attracting potential customers. Many of you know that an artist website is a great way to allow visitors to learn about your work and hopefully lead to a purchase. With the increase in popularity of other social media, you may be thinking, “I’ll just make a Facebook page instead, everybody has it!” You’re not wrong, but the best solution is to have both! Having both a professional Facebook page and an artist’s website is like finding two pieces of the business puzzle that fit together oh, so nicely. Plus they’re both easy and free, unless you choose to pay for some of the premium options.
 
Your artist website is the place for you to let your work really shine. Personal websites are highly customizable so you can make it your own! Get the most out of your personal website by posting only high quality photos of your work along with your artist statement and contact info to show visitors that you’re an established artist and you’re knowledgeable about your craft. If you’re unsure about how to get your website started, there are plenty of free website creators (like Wix or Weebly) that offer beautiful and customizable website templates that are impressively easy to use. If you want to go a little further you can splurge for the fancier paid templates or build your own website from the bottom up!
 
A professional Facebook page is a great (and totally free!) way to reach out to loyal supporters, find new fans, and potential customers. However, rather than relying solely on your Facebook page, it should be used to supplement your artist’s website. You won’t be able to customize your social media page as much as your personal artist’s website, but you can still upload high quality header and profile photos to give your page some personality. Facebook will be a great place for you to be more personable with your followers because it really encourages user-follower engagement. You can reach out to your fans and start a conversation; keep your followers up to date with what’s new in the studio; let them know if you’re going to be participating in any upcoming exhibits; and encourage them to share your page to their friends’ timelines to help you gain even more supporters of your work. Facebook has more than one billion active users from all over the world, and this is a great way to expand your fan base.
 
You can read up on some more in-depth pros and cons of each of these options at http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/12/website-vs-social-media-profile-page.html or http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/can-a-facebook-page-replace-a-small-business-website/623907. Both websites provide some great insights into why having both options could really help your artist business take off!