Social Media is huge. It just is. We live in a day 
and age when Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and the like are all out there with cunning grins beckoning us closer. And we must follow. Or we should at least try it out. For artists especially there is a need to expand our resources and try our best to crawl out from behind our shells and make some friends and maybe some money.
There just isn’t room for us to stay behind. Artists of all strikes can benefit from social media. Twitter can help expose your work beyond your present realm and audience. Facebook can make you so socially popular it will make your head spin, and a blog can garner you much creative support. So why aren’t we doing it?
I write a blog, guest post on other blogs, tweet, have a Facebook fan page and I have Pinterest. Do I have 1,000,000 followers or fans? No. Not yet. But I will keep working at because I know that the best way to utilize these free resources is to jump in with both feet and go for it. It is a great way to spread the word about your art and other’s.
You have to motivate yourself. You are used to doing this with your art, so now you need to work on it with social media. We spend countless hours working on honing our artistic skill. You should spend an almost equal amount of time honing your social media skills. Your art is a business, treat it like one.
You may not get a lot of traffic right away. You might be excited at first and then quickly lose your go getter attitude. But don’t be fooled. Successful bloggers and fan pages take time. They also take being involved. You have to comment on blogs, tweet about your fellow tweeters, and generally be social. People will scratch your back if you scratch theirs.
The general consensus among successful bloggers and tweeters is usually the same. That doesn’t make them any less true. What are said tips? I will share a few.
First, find blogs or tweeters or fans who are in your niche. Your niche is art. You can narrow it down to specifics if you like, but let’s keep it general for now. You want to start a network of like-minded friends and followers. These are people who later can help you and you return the favor.
Sign your blog comments with a tag line with your URL in it. Some blogs are moderated and will delete said comments, but some will make it through. If you make enough comments that are useful and insightful people will look you up. Take your time and put some heart into it.
Free Classifieds are another way to expand your audience. Try Craigslist or Usfreeads.com. You can blatantly self promote in an ad. There are a lot of people out there doing the same thing. Also don’t neglect forums. The more you spread your name the better.
These are just a few things that will help you get started with your social media career. Just remember to put in some time and invest and you will get returns. It takes time. There is no easy answer, but social media will help you expand your art business.
Amanda Mauck 2012 http://paintundermynails.blogspot.com/
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