You’re making good art and you're dedicated to your craft. Your skills are constantly growing and it shows in each piece that you create.
You’re ready to exhibit your work more at better venues as well as sell it more often.
In my last article I shared that the secret to doing this with your art is to regularly connect with people. Even though it sounds too simple to be true, it’s THE best way to sell your work and get it shown.
And, the gold standard for doing this is to go out and meet people in real life to share what you do. The reason it’s the gold standard is because it feels authentic to talk with another human about art and life and everything in between. No one ever feels like they’re being sold. And you already have experience doing that kind of thing.
Now, I know meeting with people in person isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do and it can be time consuming to have lunch with someone everyday of the week so I’m sharing a second way for you to genuinely connect with your friends, collectors, gallerists and community that is doable and doesn’t have to feel yucky or like the dreaded word, “networking.”
So, here it is. The second way to connect with your community.
Engage with them online.
Yep, the second way to genuinely connect with people is to engage with them online in places where you both already are hanging out, like Facebook and Instagram. This saves you tons of time and it capitalizes on those conversational, in-person skills that you already have.
I feel you quietly telling me that you’re already doing this. And that you spend enough hours on social media already. So my question is, are those productive online hours or is it time that’s spent consuming instead of creating relationships?
Let’s look at a great way to interact online so you can have a meaningful conversation and add to your relationship with whomever is on the other side of the screen.
For the artists I work with, engaging with people online means more than “liking” a post. Real engagement on social media means you follow people and get notifications when they post. It means that you comment on their posts with real comments. Words long enough that reflect what you might actually say to them in real life.
For example, so many people leave one word comments or a few emoji’s. This is a great first step to engage with people on social media. But if you really want to connect with people online that you enjoy and want to build a relationship with, like collectors, shop owners, designers, gallerists, etc., leaving that kind of short comment won’t get you noticed.
Leaving a three sentence comment will. This is the kind of comment you’d say to someone in real life if they were standing in front of you. You might even ask a question.
Letting people know what resonates with you and what you’re curious about is a great formula for creating comments that engage.
Here’s an example social media comment before and after applying the 3 Sentence Rule:
Before:
“cool”
After applying the 3 Sentence Rule:
“Thanks for posting this! I love the broken edges in your work. Do all of your paintings use encaustic or just this series?”
Which comment would you prefer to get on a post?
3 Sentence Rule Checklist:
Three sentences?
Did I let them know what was resonating with me?
Did I show my curiosity and interest in their work?
Engaging like this on social media is great for you because you’re building a relationship with a real person, even though it’s online. We’re meeting and making friends online more than ever. And building meaningful bonds that way, too. Engaging online is an opportunity for every artist to find their kindred spirits no matter how large or small their niche of art seems.
It’s also helpful for the person you’re interacting with because the more comments and engagement they get on a post, the algorithms share their post to more people. That means more eyes on their work and the things they want to promote in the world.
Time to take ACTION!
If you’d like to see how this works and try it out, hop on over to Facebook or Instagram and leave FIVE three-sentence comments. After you do that, come back and let me know in the comments how many responses you got.
Here’s to your taking action to sell and show your art!
Cheers,
Kate
P.S. Click here to read Part 1 or here to read Part 3 of The Key to Selling Art That You Maybe Missing so you can have all three proven ways to connect with people in your practice.