It’s no surprise that in recent years Instagram has become the most popular social media platform in the art world. Due to its visual interface and its growing community of creatives, Instagram seems to be an obvious choice when it comes to marketing yourself as an artist or creative professional. According to the 2018 Hiscox Online Art Trade Report, 72% of art buyers use Instagram to discover new art and artists compared to 16% that use Facebook. In addition, 68% of art buyers use Instagram to find art to purchase compared to 21% of people who use Facebook for this task. These statistics solidify the idea that there are collectors looking to purchase art online everyday, especially on social media.
As an artist you may think that by simply posting a daily picture, a collector will find you. Unfortunately, a lot more effort needs to be put in to truly maximize your exposure on Instagram. Like the photographer Jasmine Star once said “There’s a difference between being on Instagram and using Instagram.” Hence, if you are just posting pictures without a purpose, collectors that find your profile won’t understand what you’re doing.
But I get it, coming up with an effective Instagram strategy is not easy, it takes planning, content curation, and one needs to be well versed in the way all the features work. Not to mention that you have to take time from your other activities to make room for self promotion.
All of this may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. If you tackle one thing at a time, before you know it you’ll be promoting your art with every feature on Instagram. To make your life easier, I’ve put together a list of ways you can maximize your exposure as an artist on Instagram. Enjoy!
- Instagram Stories & Highlights
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Instagram Stories, it’s the feature in the app that allows you to record or upload short clips of videos without interfering with your feed. Each clip lasts 24 hours since the moment you post it. If you want to save the videos so that your followers can see what you’re promoting at a later time, you can add the clips from stories to your highlights (For more info on how to use stories you can refer to this article written by Later.com) .
The reason why Instagram stories is a great way of promoting your art is because it allows you to share behind the scenes and quick announcements in a casual manner. What’s great is that if you don’t have a nice picture to post on your feed you can always create filler content on Stories and your followers will still be able to see it. Plus is gives people a sense of what you do on the daily.
- Hashtags
Since the moment one begins using Instagram, hashtags become a daily ritual with every picture or video that’s posted. Although using hashtags tends to be a small aspect of growing your following, you never know who you can reach by using tags specific to the work that’s posted. One thing many people aren’t aware of is that Instagram gives you a limit of 30 hashtags you can use. So use them to your advantage! If you don’t want all 30 hashtags to clash with your caption I suggest copying and pasting the hashtags you want to use in a comment (this hides them and doesn’t make your post look desperately filled with hashtags).
A quick tip when using hashtags in your post is to change them up according to your picture. For example, if you’re sharing a picture of a watercolor painting use hashtags like #painting, #watercolor, #art, etc. As you type your hashtags notice the little number that appears on the bottom. This will show you how popular the hashtag is.
- Share Videos About Your Process & Ideas
One of the most satisfying things about collecting art is being involved in the ideas behind the work that’s purchase. Whether it’s the story behind the artist, the statement the work/exhibit is portraying or a combination of both, art buyers appreciate having a connection with artists. A great way to build these connections is by constantly letting people onto your artistic world. Share pictures of their studios, talk about why you use certain materials, and let them know what you’re all about. This will show your followers that you are open about your ideas and that you want them to be part of your world.
- Giveaways
When promoting a new work, a great way to bring traffic into your Instagram account is by having a giveaway. This may seem extremely unconventional for the art world but it’s worth experimenting with. Giveaways bring more engagement to your feed and help new followers discover your account. You can giveaway a small print or you can partner with an art supply store or a local business to bring attention to your work.
- Test Art Ideas & New Products
Asking people what they like and would like to see from you has never been easier. If you’re thinking of adding new art products to your online shop but you’re not sure if people are going to buy it, just ask them on Instagram! Create a small prototype or sketch and simply ask your followers what they think. Trust me, people love sharing their opinions so I’m sure you’ll get an answer that will help you.
Like I mentioned before, some of these ways of using Instagram may seem unconventional for the art industry but the only way of making your art stand out is by experimenting with your marketing. Since it’s a known fact that instagram is the most popular social media platform in the industry, trying new strategies is worth the try. To learn more about building your artist brand and starting a successful business, check out the FREE CASE STUDY!
Till next time,
Stephanie
