How to Use Instagram to Sell More Art
You spend your days building, painting, and creating…
Your art fuels your soul, but is your dream paying the bills?
This thought keeps you going, “If I could get my art out there and marketed in the right way, I know it would sell.” So, let’s start with one of the best platforms to do this: Instagram. Here are some tips and tricks to make Instagram more than just a way to connect with friends and family. Let’s get this platform working for you and manifesting your dream as an artist!
Focus on your genius
It starts with your art, and focusing on your genius. This should be the part where you put your energy towards your greatest talent, and follow your wildest dreams.
Don't forget, though, consistency is key!
Producing art in a series is hugely beneficial for the Instagram platform, not so much for the artist, but for the people who are trying to get a grasp on your work. So, what better way then to create cohesive and related bodies of work, that allow people to truly understand your art, what you stand for, and the statement or sentiment you are trying to portray.
BENEFITS FOR CREATING A SERIES
1) Shows that you can think deeply about one topic (which often makes for more interesting art).
2) Produces a large body of work to sell.
3) Easier for people to market you.
4) Creates a clear brand people learn to recognize.
Setting up your profile
Fully setting up your profile and utilizing its basic functions is a great place to start! As a bare minimum, you need quality photographs that showcase your work, interesting captions with a few good hashtags, and a bio that is FULL of your personality.
QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS
Only post photographs that are high-quality. The last thing you want is to undersell your one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Focus on good lighting that is consistent throughout your posts.
CAPTIONS WITH A STORY!
Boring captions will not draw the attention you are looking for. This is where your creativity can come in. Say something interesting about your art piece, something quirky, captivating, or even personal!
People love to feel involved or connected. Let your followers in on some of your juicy secrets! What’s your artistic process, did anything inspire your work? Adding a personal touch can be really all that’s needed to get people to follow your profile.
HASHTAGS
Don’t underestimate a few good hashtags, which can lead new people to your profile and attract potential customers. Hashtags are essentially a roadmap to your art, so make them count!
How do you find good hashtags for your posts? You can start by searching for art on Instagram using keywords, and see what other popular hashtags come up.
Find popular artists who you like and check out the hashtags they are using. Ultimately, it is going to come down to trial and error and keeping a list of hashtags that seem to perform the best for you!
BIO
Don’t forget about your bio!
Why is this even important?
This is the first thing people will see/read about on your Instagram.
Make that 10 seconds of their attention count.
If your goal is to sell more art, use that holy 1 link to promote your shop. Posting a link in your bio for your website is also a great way to lead potential customers to your full body of work and warming them up for future purchases.
Add some pizazz to your Instagram
BRANDING
Branding is all about adding some pizazz and telling YOUR story. Make your Instagram ooze with your personality because your art is very much connected with you. It’s your creation so own it, and own who you are with each and every post.
We all know a beautiful Instagram feed is hard to resist!
You can post about many different things, but to create a cohesive brand, you need to stick to the same style both aesthetically and with your writing. Whether you are using the same filter on each photo, hashtags or consistent language within your captions… all of these elements will become an important part of your brand. So, find the style that best represents you, and stick with it!
Post regularly, connect often
Instagram moves at a fast-pace, and so do its users. If you are not consistently posting, you will not be fresh in peoples’ minds, and get forgotten. But make sure to spending time connecting with individuals, rather than just slapping pre-planned content up on your feed. We’re meant to be social on social media after all, right?!
Connect with artists and art loving individuals
Comment on their work, or just befriend them. This is a place to connect with your customer base, and gain followers of your own!
Ideas for promoting relationships
‘Draw it in your style’ challenges – participate or hold your own. This is where an artist creates a character/scene and prompts other artists to draw it in his or her own style. Submissions are shared on the original artist’s profile to spread the love. It harbors community over a shared prompt, helps expose participants artwork to new audiences, and can inspire a new way to see/approach your own work! It’s truly a win-win.
Join in / create your own art challenge
Many artists will come up with a list of set prompts for certain duration of time. You’ve most likely heard of ‘Inktober’ where online artists share a piece of work everyday during October. Run with this idea. Create a challenge simply by coming up with a set list of prompts, a name for the challenge, and a time window. Share the prompts, encourage others to participate and share their creations, and watch a little community start to form!
If starting one feels intimidating, or you’re just starting out and don’t have much of a following yet, try joining in on other creator’s challenges. By tagging your work with their designated hashtag and/or tagging back to the original challenge creator, you’re prompting conversation, encouraging sharing each other's work, and hopefully be able to in front of a larger audience (everyone else participating)!
Getting the help you need!
As an artist it can be very frustrating when you are creating meaningful works of art, but lacking the photography, editing, or branding skills to create a cohesive Instagram or marketing plan. This part is so important because you could be creating unique masterpieces, but they aren’t getting noticed because they are lacking a clear brand.
Hiring a professional graphic designer can do wonders! Getting an outside force that knows just how to get you noticed for your skills and talent could be the push you need to make it as a successful artist.
you do not need to do this alone!
I’m here to help you brand, market and promote your passion in a way that can support the life you want!
