FineArtViews - The AMP Newsletter

Hi There,

Over the last several weeks, I've been sharing the Instagram marketing techniques that Dina Brodsky recently shared in an AMP webinar. The techniques I'm sharing are the same techniques that she has used to grow her Instagram following to over 400,000.

So far, we've covered the important elements of Instagram's algorithm and why your captions, hashtags and timing are actually a powerful marketing tool. This week, I will discuss Instagram giveaways.

And, don't forget to send us your art marketing questions! We've already answered a few in recent issues and are looking forward to sharing more of them in upcoming newsletters!

By the way, these Instagram recommendations are for artists. If you happen to follow me on my Instagram, this is a case of "do as I say, not as I do" (If you want to see an awesome example of these ideas in practice, checkout our official BoldBrush Instagram). Instagram is the world's best social media service for visual artists to promote, but, since I'm a writer, not an artist, I deal in ideas, marketing and otherwise. And the best place in the world to share ideas is Twitter. Which is why I keep reminding you, for my latest thoughts on art marketing, posted daily, please follow me on Twitter.

I sure hope you're enjoying FineArtViews. If you are and want to support us, we'd sure be appreciative if you'd forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague with an invitation to subscribe at this link: https://boldbrush.com/fav/?campaign=ref-intro

Enjoy,

Clint Watson

Instagram currently boasts 1 billion active users every month. As an artist looking to sell and market your art, it can be an incredibly profitable platform to increase your art sales.

Take a look at Dina's Instagram profile below. She's been able to grow her following to 428,000 using 7 key marketing strategies.

In this current series, we are discussing the 7 key marketing strategies for Instagram that every successful marketer follows.

The 7 Key Strategies include:

Over the last 5 weeks, I've discussed Recency of Impressions, Initial Engagement, Dwell Time, Captions, Hashtags and Timing (click here to catch up now).

To recap, Recency of Impressions, in a nutshell, refers to how recently you've posted on Instagram.

Instagram's algorithms track this information and tend to favor profiles who have been active within the past three months or so. The more recently you have posted, the better.

Initial Engagement refers to engagement that happens immediately after you post.

When you post to Instagram your post will only be shown to about 10% of your followers. Instagram then decides whether or not to share your post with the rest of your followers based upon how those people engage.

Dwell Time is how long people stop to view or engage with your post. It revolves significantly around the impact that your content has with your audience and whether it is engaging enough for people to stop scrolling to view.

Your Caption is what you type into the text box when you make a post to Instagram that appears directly under your image. They can be a powerful tool to increase the number of likes, comments and shares on your post.

Hashtags are a metadata tag is prefaced with the # symbol which allows users on social platforms to cross-reference similar content. When used properly, they can help to grow your following significantly.

The Timing of your Instagram post can refer to the day of the week (if you're not posting daily) and the time of day you post. The day and time you post directly impacts your overall engagement and can increase or decrease your views, likes and shares.

This week, I want to talk about Giveaways.

Instagram giveaways are exactly what they sound like: you are giving away a tangible product to one or more of your followers in exchange for a follow, like, share, or comment.

Companies have been using this tactic for years to increase their brand awareness, grow their following and build their reputation on the platform. Most brands will give away their products or services to drive new customers to purchase in the future.

As an artist, your giveaway could be as simple as a sketch, a print, or a piece of artwork you made years ago that you never intended to sell. Just make sure that whatever you're giving away is a suitable prize for your audience.

Take a look at an example from one of Dina's giveaways on her own Instagram account:

Her giveaway features an old tree drawing that she had in the studio. (See, it doesn't have to be a big, glamorous giveaway to be effective.) After you determine what you will be giving away, set your giveaway parameters. Meaning, what does someone have to do to qualify to win your giveaway?

There are several different options that people utilize for their own giveaways and some may work better than others depending on their own audience but start off with the following requirements for your first Instagram giveaway:

• Like Your Post: Requiring each person who wants to enter your giveaway to like your post is a terrific way to boost your engagement and increase your likes. This is great if you already have a small, established following but if you're just starting out, only requiring a like on your post will not result in an increase of followers.

• Comment On Your Post: In Dina's example above, she uses her giveaway as an opportunity to deepen her connection with her following by asking them to write something personal within the comments of her post. This option will increase engagement rates and humanize your profile with your followers that may not personally know you.

• Share Your Post: This is by far the best option to get your post in front of the most eyes as it requires your followers to share with their entire following in order to enter the giveaway. This option may slightly lessen the number of entries you receive but ultimately will get you in front of the most new, potential followers.

I sincerely hope that you have found this series valuable as you are posting on Instagram and looking for new ways to market and sell your art on the platform. Click here to read all 7 Instagram Marketing Strategies now.

Until then, remember that Fortune Favors the Bold Brush.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

BoldBrush/FASO Founder & Art Fanatic

PS - Dina Brodsky has an incredible class available, Instagram for Artists,that will teach you, in more depth, everything we plan to cover in this series and many other things you need to know, as an artist, to maximize the marketing value you get from Instagram, including ideas about how to present and sell your art. Get her course by clicking this link.

PPS - We've temporarily made the video of Dina's webinar free on BoldBrush Studio. You will need to make a free BoldBrush Studio account to watch it. You may create that account by following the instructions on the following page: Click here to setup your free BoldBrush Studio account.

After signing up, you can watch the video at this link. (but you must sign up first).