Artists! We’re heading into the holiday buying season, so now is a great time to get yourself ready for that.
Each social media has its own benefits and challenges. Facebook has been around for a LONG time. While that is a feature for many reasons, it also has a built-in issue. The users of Facebook have aged over those years. In the US, the average age on Facebook is 40, and many of the younger users only use Facebook to keep in touch with grandparents. That is great, of course – many older people love to buy art! It just means you want to keep that in mind when tailoring your posts.
The primary posters for the BVAA group on Facebook are me (Lisa), Carol Frieswick, and Bob Evans.
https://www.facebook.com/BVArtAssoc/
Here are the current statistics for the Blackstone Valley Art Association on Facebook. The top set is from May and the bottom set from now.
For this next one, the May numbers are on the left and the current ones on the right.
And again, May numbers on the left and current numbers on the right.
The BVAA slowly and steadily grows its presence on Facebook. We have had people join our group based on finding us on Facebook. People have participated in shows thanks to seeing notice about it on Facebook. We’ve also sold artwork by making Facebook posts about it.
I know a number of artists in our group who have sold artwork by posting it on Facebook.
One key is to make your art-related posts in a public way (that is, don’t restrict them to private). Then encourage people to share those posts. It might be that your own family and friends don’t want to buy a particular piece, but if they can help you share the news, then some friend-of-a-friend might.
Another key is to post with a size and price. If you just post the image, people might think ‘they are sharing a piece they’ve sold’. Make clear that the piece is available, for how much, and its size. It’s hard for people to judge size from a photo.
I have an entire how-to book on Facebook. Also, when I’m at the Uxbridge art gallery on Saturdays I bring my laptop with me. If you want to stop by some Saturday (not on a drop-off Saturday, those tend to be very busy) I am very happy to help you out directly.
Ask with any questions!