Art, design, and other creative disciplines are just like any other industry — it takes determination and hard work along with talent to gain success. And for all fields marketing is crucial. One of the best ways to market creative work is with social media platforms. Professionals say that Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn should be part of any creative professional’s marketing strategy.
“Many times social media allows the artists to truly impart their personality, perspectives, and opinions on whatever they are passionate about to the Internet to be seen by people who share the same views,” says Zebulun M. Wood, a Media Arts & Animation instructor at The Art Institute of Indianapolis.
POKE YOUR CUSTOMERS
Angelina Sereno graduated from The Art Institute of California — San Diego in 2003 with a degree in Advertising and is now president at Skybox Creative, a Web design and branding studio. She says her company uses social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to help build relationships online.
“It has helped keep us in the forefront of people’s minds,” she explains. “Whether they are a potential client or not, if they are thinking about us, they tend to refer their friends and clients to us.”
But social media can be beneficial for artists who may not work at a company but instead do a considerable amount of freelance work.
John Math is owner of ArtMarketingStrategy.com, a site and business dedicated to helping artists find success. He says that online art galleries are the wave of the future and that successful artists are the ones who work at becoming successful. Using social media is part of that formula.
“I think it’s the easiest way to connect with not only other artists, but with gallery directors and people of importance,” Math says. “It’s the easiest way to meet someone and to build up a rapport with somebody.”
There are plenty of social media platforms for artists to choose from. In addition to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, artists can also blog or choose a social media formed especially for creative types. Behance Network, Shapeshifters, likemind, and DeviantART are all designed for creative professionals. Some sites work together to share an artist or designer’s information.
“Behance allows you to display your portfolio on LinkedIn and that’s huge,” Sereno says. “LinkedIn is still the top professional social media site, so to be able to showcase your artwork on your profile is a great opportunity. I think a designer looking for work should be on all of the top portfolio sites, actively add friends, get involved in discussions, and join groups.”
SOCIAL MEDIA CONCIOUSNESS
Alyson Stanfield is an art marketing consultant who says that even though artists can benefit from social media, it does not mean they should all use it. Those “passionately opposed” to social media marketing should be allowed to promote their work in a more traditional way. But she says that for those who decide to ride the social media wave, it can be hugely beneficial.
“You can reach audiences you didn’t even know you had,” she says. “It also helps to stay connected. The studio can be a very lonely place.”
With all of those choices, the world of social media can easily be overwhelming. So how does an artist or designer know which platforms to choose when marketing their work?
Wood says users should not think in terms of “musts” when it comes to picking which social media outlets to utilize.
“There are not musts. There are just missed opportunities,” he says. “The world is changing its forms of what is an acceptable means of communication… It would be a shame for artists to be left out of the loop.”
Experts say it is also important to separate professional and personal social media outlets. For example, Math says instead of posting about business on a personal Facebook page, artists and designers should set up a separate one to showcase their work. Stanfield agrees, saying that users should be clear about the difference between professional and personal Web properties.
Sereno suggests picking a few social media sites to focus on instead of trying to cover all of them.
“I think you should pick a few and focus on them,” she adds. “It’s very easy to become overwhelmed with social media because it can really be a full-time job.”
But Math says that in order for creative professionals to find success, they must treat marketing themselves and their work as a full-time job.
“Successful artists are successful because they work it as a business,” he says. “They do a lot of marketing and networking. It’s a full-time job to them.”
He suggests artists follow what he calls the 80/20 rule – spending 80 percent of the time on marketing themselves, their work, and their brand — and 20 percent of the time creating.
“You have to work at it,” he says. “Nothing is easy.”