E9 | Growing Your Art Business Off Social Media

I'm your host, Patricia Vargas. In this episode, I discuss how social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can narrow our perspective on what it takes to be a successful artist. I will also share several marketing alternatives that introverted and sensitive artists can explore.

00:38 The Impact of Social Media on Sensitive Introverted Artists

05:37 Rethinking Marketing Strategies Beyond Social Media

08:40 Alternative Marketing Ideas for Artists

14:30 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources Mentioned:

Get the Guide- Passive Revenue Streams for Artists

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Quietly Thriving Artist Podcast, a podcast designed for sensitive and introverted artists who are looking for alternative ways to build a flourishing business that works in harmony with who they are. I'm your host, Patricia Vargas. Join me as I share how I let go of the extroverted marketing and sales advice and embarked on a journey of self discovery through a combination of licensing, selling art prints, sustainable marketing, and implementing human design.

[00:00:27] I shifted my business from burnout to one that honors the natural rhythms of my energy. My mission is to guide introverted artists in discovering their path to a quietly thriving business. Hello and welcome to another episode, today we're going to be talking about a hot topic, which has probably been a hot topic for a while now, that is social media, and how it has negatively impacted the way that we think about selling and making money from our art, and what we can do instead.

[00:00:59] So, of course, there can be positives to using social media, but one of the biggest issues that I see, and I have experienced this myself, is that it has narrowed our view of what is possible when it comes to making money from our art, because there is no doubt that it has profoundly changed the way that we share and promote our work.

[00:01:18] Platforms like Instagram and TikTok know that we are eager to use their platforms to reach just a portion of their millions of users for free in the hopes of growing our businesses. That's the promise, that's how they reel us in. And because they know this, they easily profit from our creativity and our desire to go viral in more ways than one, including paid ads and now with AI scraping.

[00:01:45] And even though we know that we are essentially their product, we still hold onto this belief that we're just one post away from achieving our dreams. And we equate going viral with success, and that the only way to succeed is to constantly post and feed that machine. It's like playing the slot machine, where we receive just enough rewards to keep us hooked, thinking that the jackpot is around the corner.

[00:02:11] And each coin inserted into the machine, which, in this case, it's any time we post, is a chance to win. And if we don't post, then we may feel this genuine fear that we'll be missing out on a boatload of sales or opportunities if we don't continue to play. And for sensitive artists like us, I think that we feel this more acutely.

[00:02:33] This fear is what pushes us to continue using these platforms even if we don't necessarily like using them. And I believe that us forcing ourselves to do that is a result of a few things. First, it's the most common advice given to any artist looking to start or grow their online business. And secondly, we witness how well it works for some artists.

[00:02:54] When we see their big, beautiful, engaging accounts, it's really easy to believe that all of their success was a direct result of them using social media, even though a part of us knows that this isn't necessarily the case. But these apps have an all consuming energy and it gives us access to people's personal lives like we've never had before, and it can make us feel like we know the people behind the accounts, and that can put a filter on their success.

[00:03:23] And third, when we talk about marketing, the main focus is almost always about posting on Instagram or TikTok. It's prioritized over all other types of marketing. And because we see and hear these messages constantly, we believe them to be the end all be all form of marketing. And the more that we use social media, the more it perpetuates this story, and the narrower our perspective becomes.

[00:03:50] And it places this fog over our eyes, which makes it difficult to see what's beyond that virtual ecosystem. And it doesn't help that social media has pretty much become synonymous with marketing. Anytime I've looked up any kind of article about growing an art business, how to create content for social media is always given the most attention, and so we become blind to the fact that there is a whole world outside of these platforms where artists can grow their businesses.

[00:04:19] And we fail to see that artists with big accounts most likely have them because they do marketing or activities outside of social media. And like I said before, this is not to say that social media is not a useful tool, but that's exactly what it is. It is a tool inside of a toolbox and not the entire toolbox itself.

[00:04:40] It's almost like we're constantly going around trying to fix everything with a hammer when what we really need is a screwdriver, nails, a saw, and a whole other variety of tools. So posting on social media cannot be our only strategy. And I've discovered that it might not even be the most effective or useful strategy to begin with.

[00:05:01] And I think for sensitives and introverts, the energetics of our environments, whether that's digital or physical, contributes to our ability to succeed in that environment. So if we want to grow our businesses through social media, but hate using the platform or feel like we're forcing ourselves to do it, then it's going to be really hard to grow.

[00:05:24] And we have to ask ourselves, is this really the best way? Do I genuinely love to use social media? And if the answer is leaning towards no, then it's time to rethink our marketing strategy. And like I said, when we're in that social media ecosystem, it can be hard to think of other ways to grow our businesses, but there are other ways to do it.

[00:05:48] And a lot of it will depend on what our goals are, but in general, here are some of the ideas of how we can expand our marketing toolbox. And before I share this list, I just want to reframe the word marketing and encourage us to think about it more in terms of simply making people aware of our art's existence.

[00:06:09] Because when you think about it like that, then marketing can really be just about anything. And yes, I know, marketing is much more complex than that, but at the core, awareness is key. Like, when you think about how movie studios promote their films, they don't just do one social media post, or only post on social media.

[00:06:29] They do interviews, collabs, commercials, merchandise, guest appearances, etc, etc, etc. And like, the Barbie movie, which I didn't watch, but I did follow their marketing campaign, is a really good example of this. They promoted that film like it was no one's business, and I think they said they had over a hundred collaborations with companies leading up to the film's release, and it would benefit us greatly to do something similar, but of course in a much smaller scale.

[00:06:59] Okay, so something that helped me pull myself out of feeling like I was dependent on creating content for social media was asking my customers, “how did you first hear about me?” And so I talked about this in a previous episode where I shared low key marketing strategies and I shared how their answers surprised me.

[00:07:18] So I discovered that a bulk of my paying customers, and this is an important distinction because you don't want to ask people who haven't bought anything because they could be following you for other reasons. So you want to ask your paying customers. And when I asked mine, they said that they found me through things like Pinterest, Google and Interior Designers, which is so fascinating because I was so certain that my Instagram account was going to be at the top.

[00:07:45] And again, I talk more about this in depth in episode one. And here's the funny thing. Many actually did say Instagram, but not in the way that I originally thought. So I used to believe that I needed to post every day. And so I really thought that my customers were a direct result of me posting content.

[00:08:03] But what I learned from my post-purchase survey was that people weren't finding me through my own posts, but through other people's Instagrams, and this was a huge revelation because it meant that I didn't have to force myself to post every day. And all that stress that I had about posting was pointless because it didn't lead to many sales anyways, and so now I see it more as a touchpoint.

[00:08:28] And I'm better off collaborating with designers and influencers who have active accounts and genuinely love using the platform and letting them share my art through their posts. All right, so let's dive into other ways that you can market and or sell your artwork. So the first one is going to be in person events like fairs, trade shows, and galleries.

[00:08:53] I know that this sounds a little bit more of a traditional artist route, But the advantage of this is that you can interact with people directly and create more lasting impressions that way. People can also see your work in person and that can create a deeper connection with the art. I personally don't do them because being in large crowds is highly overwhelming for me, but there are plenty of artists who thrive in in person events versus online.

[00:09:23] Okay, so the next one is pitching to press outlets, whether local or regional or national. So that could be like magazines and newspapers and also TV news stations. So you can submit your work for consideration to be included in an article like a gift guide. And local publications are always looking for fresh and interesting stories.

[00:09:50] So I've done a couple for LA publications. And you can also try reaching out to regional magazines if you know where a bulk of your customers are located. For example, I know that a lot of my customers are in the East Coast and I'm in the West Coast. And if I wanted to pitch to regional magazines, I would try to look for interior design mags in certain states.

[00:10:14] And like I said, other press outlets that you can reach out to include local TV news stations, and newspapers. Okay. The third one is podcast interviews. And this one would be especially great if you have an educational component to your business and you can go on art related podcasts, because there are plenty of those.

[00:10:33] But I also know that a lot of interior designers have their own podcasts as well. So you can go on as a guest. Because I've seen a few where they interview artists, so that could be a great way to not only create connections with interior designers, but also reach a lot of their clients and fans. The next one is speaking engagements or doing workshops.

[00:10:56] Again, this would be particularly useful for those who also teach. Another one is selling wholesale to independent shops. So, if you sell other items that are not original paintings, like prints or mugs or something, then this could be a good route because not only are you making money, but you're also getting your name out into the world.

[00:11:17] Another one is collaborations with interior designers, companies, or influencers, and this could be in the form of a sponsored post. You can also develop a new product together, or run a promotion together. Something that helped me in the beginning of my career is that a lot of designers and design enthusiasts wrote blog articles about my work, or included them in design blog posts.

[00:11:41] And, you know, the 2024 equivalent of that are social media posts, but if they also have a blog, that is preferable because blog posts have a longer shelf life than social media and can be found via search engines like Pinterest and Google. Alright, so another one is getting your art into different platforms where your customers buy art.

[00:12:03] So Etsy is, of course, one that comes to mind. It's been around a really long time. But if you don't want to be on Etsy, there are other specific platforms like Saatchi and Uprise and Artfinder. And some of these you can just join, and others you have to apply. This can help your art reach a new audience who is already specifically looking for art.

[00:12:23] Another one is licensing, and so I talk quite a bit about this in my guide, Passive Revenue Streams for Artists. A major benefit of licensing your art is that it helps reach a newer or larger audience while getting paid. And there are different ways to license your art, such as working with print galleries, product licensing, or designing a brand's packaging, etc.

[00:12:47] So there's lots of fun ways to do that, and you get to expand your brand's reach. Okay, another one is building an email list. So this is a great way to keep in touch with current fans and new ones as well, without having to rely on algorithms. So I've mentioned this before in a different episode, but my email list drives a good portion of my online sales.

[00:13:13] As I mentioned a little bit earlier, a lot of people say that they found me through Pinterest. So Pinterest is a good way for people to discover your work because a lot of people use Pinterest to plan their lives. And I just did a two part episode on how Pinterest works, so check that out if you are interested.

[00:13:32] The second to last one is Google. And so with Google, you would need to use keywords that are relevant to your work and what you think people would search for to find your work. And then you would add those keywords to your product pages and other areas of your websites. Then Google would index those and add it to the search results.

[00:13:54] Alright, and the last one is referrals and word of mouth. This is the original form of influencers. People simply recommending your art to other people they know. And for me, I include a free mini print in my print orders so that people can share them with their friends. Another way to encourage people to share your work is to create a great buying experience.

[00:14:18] People will happily share your work unprompted when they've had a good experience. People buy from people they trust, and if their friends, co workers, family members trust you, then they will too. All right, I hope this has given you some ideas of how you can promote and sell your work in other ways that don't include social media.

[00:14:37] Because there's no doubt that social media has changed the way that we share and promote our work. And it has led many of us to believe that our success depends on constantly posting and going viral. However, this narrow focus on social media can limit our opportunities to grow our businesses, and it's important to reframe how we think about using social media and the role that it plays in our art's success.

[00:15:03] And we have to keep in mind that social media is a tool out of many available to us. Alright, that's the end of this episode. If you have enjoyed it, please consider subscribing or sharing it with a friend. Thank you for listening, and I will see you over in the next one.