Social Media, Marketing, and Fine Arts

by Joan M. Rehlin 
If you're an artist — painter, photographer, digital artist, sculptor, to name several — and you’re interested in marketing your artwork, you can benefit from having an online social media presence. 

There are lots of social media sites (e.g., Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn), but as an artist who’d rather focus on creating art, you don’t need to spend time covering every social media platform on the Internet. Instead, the latest research indicates one particular social media site does a good job of maximizing online coverage, which means you can market your work and still have time to do what you love:  create art! 

Which social media site is the one that helps you market a successful online presence? Facebook. According to several sources*, Facebook reaches across the main demographic sectors, which include:  all age groups 18 and older, males and females, plus various levels of education, income, and residential locale. More specifically, 71% of all US Internet users have a Facebook account. Facebook is used by more than 50% of adults who use two or more platforms, and for those who use only one platform, 79% use Facebook. In addition, Facebook’s large number of users are more active than other social media users, with 70% engaging with the site at least once daily, and 45% doing so several times a day. 

You might have heard that Pinterest is a good place to have an account, but research indicates Pinterest is used by 42% of women who use the Internet, while Facebook is used by 77% of those same women. The other sector measurements also point you to Facebook first, not Pinterest or other social media. So if you have time to spend on more than one social media site, you can add Pinterest or one of the other sites to your mix. On the other hand, if you're like most artists and would rather spend time, for example, creating another painting, you can simplify your life by using Facebook only and still reap the benefits. 
​
To open a Facebook business page, click this link. If you don't already have a personal Facebook page, you'll need to open that at this link, before you open a business page, and Facebook can walk you through the various steps to open both accounts. Keep in mind, you’ll need to spend some time each week managing your Facebook business page, posting photos of your work or upcoming events, to encourage visitors to return on a regular basis, but updating this one social media site is more manageable than juggling two or more. 

Bottom line:  If you decide to market yourself and your artwork on social media, Facebook's expansive market reach helps you connect with a majority of the people who matter to you as an artist. 

Next Up:  As time allows, I'll write more about social media, with hints to help you manage your online presence and increase the number of Likes on your Facebook business page, using art giveaways and other promotions…  because promoting your artwork really is all about the numbers. In the meantime, if you have suggestions or questions about this topic, please access the Comment section, below. 
*Research sources:  1) Pew Research Center, 2) Social Media Marketing article