Today, there are countless numbers of artists sharing their art online, networking, and trying to build communities. But while there are plenty of art blogs out there, only a few artists actually get widespread notice and develop a very large following.
Here’s the good news, though: if you’re one of those aspiring artists who are struggling to get noticed online, it may NOT be because of your art. Most likely it’s because of your approach to self-promotion.
In the list below I’ve compiled 5 things that the best art bloggers already know. Read on, and learn how the most successful art bloggers develop their audience and bring more attention to their work!
1. Blogging is an artform in itself
There is a lot more to blogging than just writing good content. Just as your art makes a certain statement, so should your blog. Write regularly, and don’t be afraid to express yourself!
It may be scary at first, but if you dive in and just do it, I promise you’ll quickly get used to writing. Over time, as you develop a consistent writing style and combine it with your photography or paintings, you’ll begin to see more and more visitors gravitating towards your blog.
The truth is, no one cares if “someone has already said it” or if you do or don’t write in “plain language.” The most important thing is to be yourself and write about what you think and feel!
It’s this honesty and your unique personality that will build an emotional connection between you and your audience. People want to be inspired by you as an artist, not just read about techniques or look at pretty pictures.
Here’s a great example: if you just upload a picture of your painting, and ONLY write something like “A painting called [insert pretentious-sounding name] was born yesterday” it’s not going be a very engaging experience for your audience.
So cut the cliches. Let people in. Share your fears, your process, your life. It’s what you’d want to read about, right?
2. Instagram is where the artists are
You’ll often read about how social media websites like Facebook and Twitter are a great way for artists to promote themselves, but using Instagram to market yourself is probably the quickest and easiest way to get good results.
In short, if you’re an artist and you’re not on Instagram yet, why not?? Here are a few things to remember:
Make sure that the photos you post are a true expression of yourself. They should show both your work AND you as an artist looking deeper meaning in this mundane world. A beautiful photo of you just having fun and being you, like a photo taken on the beach or in your messy art studio, will go long way in getting people to relate to you and get emotionally invested in your work.
Engage with the art community on Instagram and use the right hashtags to make sure that people can find your photos easily. People always want to know who the person behind an beautiful and inspiring piece of art is, so make it easy!
If you’re nervous about using Instagram, don’t be. Here’s a great little guide, just for artists, that will help you confidently get started today.
3. You can always learn from the best
You have a vision, you know who you are and what you want to express through your art, but that doesn’t mean you already know how to showcase all these things online and grab people’s attention. You need to find something that sets you apart from the sea of other aspiring artists on the web. But the big question is how?
The solution is quite simple—go through a few popular blogs of accomplished artists and see what makes them different. Pay attention to their style of writing, posting and their use of social media. Do a bit of Twitter and Facebook stalking, and see how they interact with their audience.
By seeing what makes them different, what their audience likes and what it doesn’t, you will be able to make some positive adjustments to your own blog.
4. Your blog needs to reflect your style
The design of your blog needs to reflect your art, and it needs to look up-to-date. While you are exploring what other artists are doing on their blogs, you’ll want to pay attention to their page design and write down what you like and what you don’t like.
You can also learn more about what works best for artists when setting up a blog from our online resources at First Site Guide. Just by adding your own unique little twist on things will really help make your blog stand out!
5. It should never be hard to buy your art
Of course, the whole point of having a blog is to get more people interested in your art and, hopefully, sell some of your work. If people feel like they are solving a riddle while trying to figure out how to buy your art, chances are that the sale simply won’t happen.
Don’t make people jump through hoops to get one of your pieces; make it easy for everyone to purchase your art.
If you want to test how user-friendly your checkout process is, just tell a friend who isn’t all that tech-savvy to try and buy your art. If they spend a lot of time digging around the website, then you need to make the checkout process simpler.
With social media, blogging, and the internet, good things come to those who know how to self-promote. There are great opportunities out there. . . it just takes a little work. So get your website or blog online, and start making it happen!
For more from Nina and her team of experts, visit www.FirstSiteGuide.com.
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