Social Media & Blogging

Social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, MySpace or Twitter can be an effective way to market events and public presentations.  These sites can also be helpful in selling your art work, posting performances, engaging in discussions with audiences and fans, and researching new opportunities and ideas.  Before you start popping up new profiles all over the internet, think about why you’re online, who you’re trying to reach and how you plan to engage with each site. Different sites have different purposes, users and functionalities. You may want to write down goals and research your market to build a strategy before you embark on or refine your social media presence.

Once you’ve decided where you want to be, keep the conversation going. The one thing all social media sites have in common is that they are designed to be social. Comment on posts, share links and solicit comments from other members of the community.

Blogs are another way to inform the public about your artistic process, philosophy and creative vision. There are many examples of artist’s blogs online that contain links to Facebook or Twitter to enhance networking possibilities. Developing your personal blog does not have to be a daunting task.  You can create a WordPress blog relatively easily free of charge.

Once you have the design of your blog, you can create posts and invite discussions about your philosophy, current work and future directions. Write about what you know, and offer content that others can use (advice, trends, information about a technique you use, etc.). Blogs are also a good way to initiate peer discussions about common issues and to discuss best practices for your work as an artist.  Expand your network and increase visibility by linking to other artist blogs, curating outside content and inviting other writers as guest bloggers.

Most importantly, Blogs help artists establish an online presence.  So whether you decide “to Blog” or “not to Blog,” you owe it to yourself to do some research on the benefits.

There are many informational sites that can provide suggestions and tips for creating an effective blog that matches your style and intention (Please note, these links will lead you off the current site, and the opinions represented therein are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arts Cleveland. Arts Cleveland does not endorse the purchase of products or services by external sites.):

• Artists Blogs, Art Blogs
• Artists Who Blog
• Successful Blog posts
• Spice Up Your Blog
• Wordpress Cheatsheet

You may already be using a social network or blog for personal or marketing use.  Now think about these tools from a different angle.  Social media, blogging and the internet in general, gives us all access to sought-after advice, ideas and thought leaders from around the world. Just as you use different platforms in different ways so do the experts. Some may offer inspiring quotes or their latest ideas; post excerpts of their latest work or provide direct advice about niche topics. Search for a professional that you admire, videos that relate to your concepts, or companies that offer services for your type of work.  There are many exciting, new developments posted online for free every day, hour, minute and second. By doing some research upfront you can let these portals work for you.

With so many options, you don’t want to be overwhelmed by all your online accounts. This is a common concern of small businesses, nonprofits and large corporations alike.  A new industry of aggregating tools is currently emerging to provide help with this issue. Assembly for the Arts has used Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Buffer, which all have their own pro’s and cons.