Over the past few days I have been doing some in depth research into the relatively new phenomenon of Social Media Marketing. It seems that all the training organisations are jumping on the bandwagon and offering courses on how to set up all the usual Social Media profiles for your business.
However, what they are not addressing is the 'why?'. If I am a sculptor, for instance, why would I want to put reams and reams of information up on the internet? How does it relate to me as an artist? And, as importantly, are potential clients going to be impressed with the fact that I have a Twitter and a Facebook page?
At first glance, you would probably think not. But think about it laterally. The traditional way for artists to get their work recognised is by exhibiting in a gallery and showing at various exhibitions. In return for showing the artists' work the gallery receives a significant commission. Email campaigns may yield the odd piece of repeat business, as might specific mailshots and leaflet drops. All expensive and time-consuming.
Then there is the website - a natural marketing tool for such a visual product. Given that only 40% of all Google searches for a particularly product are unique, there is a fair chance that your specific website will be missed despite the fact that your piece of art may fit the potential clients specifications exactly. Such is the difficulty with SEO.
The benefit of Social Media Marketing is that you go out and find your clients by targeting where your potential customers reside. Using fan pages, groups and searches in a creative way can put your product in front of a wide audience. Remember when you send a message to a contact, it will usually appear in front of that contact's contacts. Such is the power of the Social Media framework.
Add videos, photos and valuable content and just maybe someone out there will take notice.
Alternatively, try picking up the phone and speaking to your clients.......
