I follow a fair number of artists on Twitter. I even have them broken down into lists so that I can see who’s doing what by genre (painters, musicians, sculptors, etc). There are a ton of artists on Twitter, and more with each passing day. Some of the best art business coaches have guides to using Twitter to sell art, and I’m glad for that – but I wonder if the artists are even reading these guides.
This is a screenshot of my Hootsuite account. Notice how every single tweet is advertising some kind of art. There are dozens more. Hundreds more.
I wonder how much art these artists are selling by doing things like this. What’s more, I can tell by looking at where the Tweets are coming from that most of these messages are automated messages from social media management accounts.
I should be clear. I have nothing against sharing your art on Twitter. I have nothing against asking people to buy your stuff – but if that’s all you are doing, then are you really using Twitter the best you can?
Make Connections on Twitter
A few days ago I saw the Jason Parker Quartet (@1workinmusician) in concert at Mississippi Pizza. I heard about because I’m on his mailing list. I’m on his mailing list because Jason found my blog through Twitter and we exchanged emails. That was nine months ago. I’ve been following him on Twitter since. After the show Jason thanked me on Twitter. Jason knew most of the people that were there to see him. He actually went through the restaurant intermission and said hi to everyone he knew from Twitter, and thanked them from the stage.
A while back John Unger had a legal problem. Twitter went absolutely nuts over it. Artists everywhere supported him and the case was eventually settled. John went on to found Art Heroes Radio, an amazing resource for artists.
Look at artists like Tara Reed, Alyson Stanfield, or Ariane Goodwin. They’re not using automated programs to spam Twitter with their new pieces. They talk to people, make connections and have fun while they’re on Twitter.
Networking makes your career. It makes your business. It can make you as an artist. If you’re just spamming Twitter with sales listings, you’re wasting a valuable opportunity.
It can often take a buyer a long time to decide whether they want to buy a piece of your work. They may want to think on it. They may be saving up for it. They may forget about your work, even if they really love it, and need a reminder later. Twitter is an opportunity to get in front of your people and remind them who you are. It’s an opportunity for them to get to know you better.
I agree, and I must admit I have been guilty of over posting my art. Though I wanted to point out that two of your examples, Alyson Stanfield and Ariane Goodwin are not actually artists, they consult, coach and write on topics related to artists. This would explain why they don’t post their art.
Anyway, great post, I will come up with some non art posts soon!
Thanks, Paula 🙂
Well said. It’s really not hard to get that right.
I too find this quite annoying. I think artists (and many other entrepreneurs) are misusing social media. Instead of connecting with their customers/fans they are basically cold callling. And no one likes a telemarketer…
While I don’t post that often on twitter, I try to say what I’m doing or working on besides just my updates for new blog posts or completed pictures. I’ve also started to post links to other art related topics that I find of interest while stumbling the internet.
If we want at least a chance of succeeding at social media – it would be prudent to realize that it has a set of best practices. It took very little of my time to learn most of them.
So, it is a shame that some Artists seem to be missing the point of Twitter. The bad news for them is: the Unfollow button is just a click away.
Hey Cory,
Thanks a lot for the mention of Art Heroes! I don’t know if you heard the episode “How to sell art in 140 characters or lees,” but it is exactly on this topic. It talks about how to effectively tweet your art, what not to do, what’s in it for the artist and what’s in it for collectors.
The biggest rule of what not to do is tweeting nothing but links to art for sale. There are lot’s of ways to tweet links to art *without* spamming, but even when I love someone’s art, I won’t follow them if their twitter feed is nothing but links to new listings on Etsy or whatever.
Artists can listen to the twitter episode free here: http://bit.ly/bzCbyi
The issue of Art Heroes Review for the episode is here: http://store.artheroesradio.com/
The review isn’t free, but it’s edited down to the essential information and presents a clearer action oriented way to use the information discussed in the show.
Thanks again for the kind word about Art Heroes!
Thanks for stopping by John. Art Heroes is a great resource.
Twitter is a GREAT opportunity to get in front of people and allow them to get to know you and your work better!