Social Networking: Benefits for Artists

By Renée Phillips, The Artrepreneur Coach

This article is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Art Calendar Magazine www.artcalendar.com.

In recent years there has been a lot of talk about tweets, microblogging, threads and status updates - all part of the social networking phenomena. You might have received invitations to be "friends" with someone on Facebook, "connect" with someone on LinkedIn and "follow" another on Twitter. You may have asked yourself, "Will any of this help my career?"

If you read my article, The Power of People, in the May issue of Art Calendar, you know I place a high value on relationships for career success. Well, social networking offers this in abundance.

What is social networking? Wikipedia says, "A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others." A recent statistic shows that 150 million people around the world are now actively using Facebook, and almost half of them are using it every day. The numbers are climbing every minute on MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter and many other platforms, as well.

According to Mari-Lyn Hudson, an artist and social media coach for creative professionals (http://heartatworkonline.org), "Social networking is about developing relationships and interacting with people. It's the easiest way to market yourself and to build a following. People buy from people who they like, understand and trust."

Social networking is free, as long as you have a computer and Internet connection. It is easy to get started. Go to the social networking site of your choice, and click a link that says something like "Join." Provide the requested information - such as your profile, picture and contact information - and you're off and running, able to explore all of the nooks and crannies at your leisure.

It's like being invited to millions of cocktail parties and professional networking events that you can attend at the click of a mouse 24 hours a day. You can either stand in the corner and observe, or join in and exchange conversation, ideas, contact information and business interaction. How much or how little you do is your choice.

Below are 16 ways you can use social networking to benefit your career. Keep in mind that it will take time to excel at social networking. There is no scientific formula for success, and your results will depend upon your personality, effort and other factors.

How You Can Benefit

Click on image to view more of Andrea's work.

1. Grow your personal/professional circle. Start with your existing relationships and watch your friends attract more friends. Andrea L Bonfils, (www.andreaartstudio.com) whose work is shown above, received a commission to create a painting from "a friend of a friend of a friend" on Facebook. She has also reunited with people she knew in kindergarten and high school who are now becoming buyers and promoters of her artwork. Don't forget to return the favor by recommending your friends to other friends.

2. Let people know about you. Nature photographer Mike Moats (www.tinylandscapes.com) makes a good point: "You've got to let people know you're out there." For the past four years, Moats has been networking on three nature photography sites - naturescapes.net, naturephotographers.net and birdphotographers.net. He reports, "Because of these sites, I have connected to Fujifilm's pro talent team, sold many images to Hewlet Packard, have made many sales of my new book and a new e-book, and online workshops." He knows that photography scouts scan these sites for photographers so he posts his art as frequently as possible.

3. Enhance your professional relationships offline. Anna Fox Ryan (www.FoxRyanStudio.com), an oil painter from Savannah, Georgia, says, "Facebook and LinkedIn are two tools that allow me to follow up with people after I have met them in person." After meeting the editor of The South Magazine she later sent an e-mail that failed to attract a response. She followed up directly through Facebook, and it subsequently led to a feature article in the June/July 2009 issue. Anna says, "It's a courtship. Two years ago, I worked a materials trade show and met (representatives from) several companies, such as Gamblin and Gregory Daniels Fine Art, whom I kept in touch with partially via Facebook. I'm now about to begin working with Gamblin in their Artists Representative program as a result of our connection and correspondence."

4. Learn from the experts. You can post a question or join a discussion to acquire knowledge firsthand from professionals. There is a plethora of topics from, "What are the best ways you have found to bring traffic to your Web site?" (a discussion topic on Visual Artists and Their Advocates, owned by Audrey Chernoff a NYC Artist) to "What do galleries prefer and expect." (a discussion on Professional Fine Art Network, owned by Joanie San Chirico, NYC Artist http://professionalfineartnetwork.blogspot.com/). Also, imagine who you could connect with in these discussions.

5. Develop camaraderie, and share interests. Being an artist can often make you feel disconnected. Sue Tait Porcaro (www.2lipsartdesign.com) shares, "Through LinkedIn, I joined a group (called) Visual Artists and their Advocates, and interacted with several artists within a few hours." Arabella Lewis (http://alsthoughtsandmusings.blogspot.com/) enjoys social networking because, "It helps me connect with other artists and breaks down the isolation that can occur. It has introduced me to a far wider cross section of people that I wouldn't normally have met. A lot of people in the business world are interested in art but don't know how to contact artists. I have had messages already from people who want to bring art into the corporate sphere. Also, by putting myself 'out there,' it helps me clarify my own objectives and what I want my paintings to convey."

6. Share your art and artistic vision instantly. Upload images of your work with text on ArtSlant (www.ArtSlant.com). Create a Photo Album on Facebook and a slideshow on MySpace. On Facebook, every time you upload an image, you can choose for all of your "friends" to see them instantly. Imagine testing response to your new work or your new Web site and get instant feedback. Simply blast out a message asking for comments and advice, and you'll receive replies from other users.

7. Find your prospective clients and business associates.There are a variety of special interest groups and forums to join. For example, I joined Professional Fine Art Network, "A networking group for fine artists, consultants and other fine art professionals working in the hospitality, healthcare, corporate and public art sectors." Here, I found art consultants seeking art for their clients and provided a link to Manhattan Arts International's "Healing Power of Art" online exhibition.

8. Level the playing field. Robert Neff (www.5thworldart.com and www.dalpress.com) is a self-taught artist who says, "I have utilized social networking to connect, learn the business, ask questions and receive answers from experts, expand my vision of art, galleries, learn about opportunities, join mailing lists and Web sites, and learn about social movements." On Twitter, he has built a list of more than 1,300 followers "at no cost in three weeks" and shares his art with people all over the world." His advice is, "You need to join many groups and cross-post."

9. Increase sales. Robert Girandola (www.robertgirandola.com) experienced immediate gratification. "I sold a piece five minutes after posting the information about it on Twitter to a 'follower' I've developed as a 'friend.'" Mary (Sonya) Conti (www.marysonyaconti.com) sold three pieces in an online art exhibition, www.liveauctioneers.com. One of her pieces on a worldwide web-based art site (theartistchallenge.com) was accepted in CBS Sunday Morning Show library.

Betsy Lewis (http://betsylewis.blogspot.com/) told me, "One of my friends viewed my mandalas, which I posted on Facebook, and purchased one in advance of my upcoming show." Also on Facebook, Betsy discovered a local artist, Wendy Gell, (a friend of a friend) and purchased a piece of hers from this viewing.

10. Get publicity, and increase show attendance. Mary Beth Shaw (www.mbshaw.com and www.mbshaw.blogspot.com) has reaped many rewards from her social networking experiences. "The first involves a piece of art that I posted on Facebook simply to share with friends. The editor of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine saw it and asked me for a brief write-up and image to be published in the national magazine. "I also had a recent solo gallery show and published this as an event in (Facebook). Attendance was excellent, and I am convinced it was partially because of Facebook."

Donna Dufault (www.erbphoto.com and http://erbphoto.wordpress.com) attracted an attendance of hundreds of guests for her group exhibition. "I had one critic come from Boston to review the show. He was a contact on LinkedIn with a friend of mine. The Mayor came to this show because we had attracted so much local press, which was all done online. Classes of art students came to see the show in the following weeks because teachers were told about the show through Facebook. A radio interview came through a connection on Facebook. And one of the initial press contacts from a local magazine came in via Twitter because someone re-tweeted they were going to the show." If you ask your friends to tweet about your next exhibition on Twitter, the message will spread faster and further as other active users pick it up. There is a viral nature to all types of news.

11. Give, and receive. You win when you avoid hard selling and provide content-rich comments. Simply posting "Come see my Web site at www.." is not recommended. Howard Stein (www.HowardSteinPhotography.com) says, "I've been selling my photography mostly through art consultants, interior designers and architects." He knows it's important not to be too pushy when commenting on the sites. "I find that when I can add value and help others achieve their goals through LinkedIn discussions or my eNewsletter, then my web page hits go way up. It's a win-win. My expertise is in creativity and innovation for organizations as well as photography. Businessperson or artist, everyone can use more ideas."

12. Grow through diversification. Fine/Decorative Artist and Designer Carla E. Reyes (www.carlaereyes.com and www.carlacrafts.com) uses a combination of social networking sites, "Through Facebook, I have formed a public group page focused on my artwork and events which is now over 200 people, and has brought former classmates, colleagues and "friends" of "friends" to events at my gallery. I use Google Analytics (refer to the February issue of Art Calendar) to study my Web site and blog activity, and have seen many hits to my site visiting from other Web sites I utilize, such as ArtSlant, flickr and Facebook, among others. I also use a Wordpress blog which has an existing community that searches for topics via meta tags. I also sell artwork using Etsy, which has a reasonably priced virtual storefront."

13. Expand your reach. Zachary Brown (http://zacharybrown.wordpress.com) says, "Facebook has been my most noticeable producer of 'tangible' benefits. I have sold paintings to collectors in New York City and San Francisco this year, and I live in Atlanta and do not promote or show work in those cities." He credits this to creating a Facebook "fan" page.

14. Find professional service providers.Need a good logo, Web site designer, essay writer or publicist? Send out a message asking for recommendations. This is a very quick and easy way to hire freelancers or even companies based on familiar recommendations.

15. Build your personal brand. Everything you write, and the manner in which you write it, sends out a message. Pay close attention to the things you say so they align with how you want the public to perceive you, and even in times when you share personal information it only goes to further the identity you've fostered online. Decide what kind of voice/personality you want to express on these sites and develop that persona with consistency, just as you would build a consistent body of work.

16. Improve your Google PageRank.Drive traffic to your website and blog by adding them to Digg.com and StumbleUpon.com. You can improve your Google PageRank. Also, posting a profile at LinkedIn can help as well, since LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Profiles on LinkedIn typically receive a fairly high PageRank in Google.

Before you begin...

Be safe. Watermark your JPEGs with your name across the image before you post them on any network (turn to Steve Meltzer's column on page X for instructions). Copyright all images that you post on the Internet.

Blog. Mari-Lyn Hudson's advice is, "The first step is to Blog. A blog is a wonderful tool to interact with your clients, show your art work and sell. Wordpress is one of the easiest platforms to use. Simply go to http://wordpress.org, follow their three simple steps and you can begin writing and posting your art right away." Also, she recommends paying for a hosting company and to be sure to register your own domain name; most of these hosting companies can register a domain for you. Use your own name or something that represents your art. Once you get a blog, post on a regular basis and encourage comments and followers.

Take small steps. If your time is limited choose one major site, like LinkedIn or an art blog like ArtSlant and spend time navigating it, learning about its features, and building and nurturing relationships. You may find all you need is one source to build a powerful network and grow your business.

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Renee has written a sequel to this article and it will appear in the October issue of Art Calendar magazine.

Renée Phillips is the Director of Manhattan Arts International at www.ManhattanArts.com. Known as "The Artrepreneur Coach", she counsels artists worldwide. She is the author of Presentation Power Tools For Fine Artists, and Success Now! For Artists: A Motivational Guide For The Artrepreneur.

Read more articles by Renée Phillips on this website.

Visit her other website at www.renee-phillips.com

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Learn about her career consultation services.