Cathy Nichols went from 5,000 to 107,000 Instagram followers in 3 years by researching who they were and why they were following her. She shares valuable insights about how she continues to grow her art business with joy and authenticity.
The post The key to success on social media with Cathy Nichols (154) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>You already know that your art won’t resonate with everyone, but have you truly embraced the almost unpalatable concept that there are a ton of people out there who simply aren’t interested in the work you make? (Stick with me here.)
Or maybe they’re like me. I’m interested in a lot of art, but let’s face it: I can’t possibly buy every piece of art I fall in love with.
It’s understandable to feel disheartened when people pass by your booth without stepping in, or when your show doesn’t draw the crowds you hoped for. And let’s not forget the frustration of not seeing the returns you desire from your social media investments.
Or how about this complaint I often hear: All of my followers are artists! I want buyers and collectors as followers. How do I get more of them?
What if you stopped trying to fight the gifts that are given to you because you think you want something else?
Imagine how liberating it would be to fully embrace what already exists. To dive deep into understanding those who genuinely adore your work and focus on keeping them delighted.
In this episode of The Art Biz, I introduce you to Cathy Nichols. A few years ago, she dug into the statistics of her Instagram followers, and the insights were eye-opening.
Within just three years, Cathy’s follower count skyrocketed from 5,000 to an astonishing 107,000 as of the airing of this episode. (That’s an increase of 1,000 since we recorded this interview not too long ago.)
It all began when she investigated her followers in order to truly comprehend the reasons behind their loyalty.
What I absolutely love about Cathy is that she embraced these revelations and committed to understanding their implications. She continues building her art business with joy and authenticity.
Listen
Mentioned
- River Arts District, Asheville, NC
- Cathy’s Joy of Painting community
- Cathy’s aprons (not bibs!
)
Cathy Nichols Quotes
“There was a turning point when I decided that I should delve into who the people were that actually were enjoying and buying and looking at my art.”
“I’m going to go with what is bringing me joy, which is painting. Florals and botanicals.”
“I didn’t realize that this amazing source of information was just sitting right there.”
“I don’t worry about people stealing. I worry about people seeing, I want them to see my work. So I tried to just take it with a neutral mindset, which is, this is information that people following me are artists.”
“You have to decide who you are, too, and what you feel comfortable with.”
“There are so many different ways to see and learn more about your people, but I think when you make a point of interacting with them in person, you can really learn a lot.”
About My Guest
Cathy Nichols is a mixed media artist specializing in lush florals set within lyrical layers of text, pattern and color that combine to create dreamlike landscapes for the viewer to explore.
Her goal is to promote a vision of kindness, love and interconnectivity in her work using paper, paint, archetype and, always, a bit of magic.
Follow her on Instagram @cathynicholsart
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]]>Now she wants more. She knows there is more than posting and looking for sales online, so she has stepped back and reassessed. She’s ready for a brave step.
In this episode of The Art Biz, we talk about how she's approaching her business these days, how her Instagram strategy has evolved, and how she is preparing for her upcoming solo show.
The post The Art Biz ep. 119: Growing Beyond Being an Instagram Artist with Sara Schroeder appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Or just felt icky or incomplete about the whole process?
In this episode (#119) of The Art Biz podcast I talk with Sara Schroeder.
Back in 2018 Sara was just getting into the groove of working in the studio again. She decided to start posting the work to Instagram, and followers began responding to it instantly. Within a year she had 10,000 followers. A few months later, there were 20,000.
Now she has more than 70,000 followers.
It was quick success. And a little unexpected.
You’ll hear the creative way Sara overcame the fear of selling and what she wishes she had known to do differently while in the throes of that success.
For more than a year, Sara has been using tools like journaling and the Enneagram to discover more about herself and explore where she wants her work to go.
Now she wants more. She knows there is more than posting and looking for sales online, so she has stepped back and reassessed. She’s ready for a brave step.
You’ll hear Sara mention the solo show she has scheduled. This is part of a challenge I issue to students in my seasonal programs because I believe that exhibiting in person and by yourself builds your courage muscles and professional chops.
We also discuss why her Instagram strategy has changed and what her new approach is for Instagram and marketing in general.
Highlights
- “I fell in love with making art all over again.” (2:00)
- The value of finding a dedicated space for your art. (7:11)
©Sara Schroeder, Pulp and Panel Poesie no. 53 of 100. Watercolor, hand painted collage, acrylic on 140 lb cold-pressed paper, mounted on cradled wood panel, 10 x 10 x .75 inches. - The difference between Sara’s maximum and minimal art. (10:18)
- Sara’s Instagram took off and the success quickly became overwhelming. (12:20)
- When app demands take over making artwork. (18:55)
- The evolution of Sara’s work since pulling back from Instagram. (24:07)
- The process of self discovery through journaling, meditating, and the Enneagram. (28:01)
- Details of Sara’s latest 100-piece collection. (32:00)
- How Sara would have handled her initial success and systems differently. (34:49)
- Sara’s modified Instagram presence and increased in-person collaborations. (39:47)
- Sara’s typical work week and why she starts work at 11am. (46:32)
Mentioned
- Lisa Congdon’s illustration classes
- Andy J. Pizza
- Art:21
- Enneagram
- Natalie Goldberg’s Freewriting
- Artist Planning Sessions
Sara Schroeder Quotes
- “I fell in love with making art all over again.”
- “I was stuck in this pattern of making a lot of less expensive artwork.”
- “I was spending so much time on Instagram that I wasn’t spending much time in the studio making the artwork.”
- “I felt I was being controlled by the app instead of doing what I felt like I needed to spend my time doing.”
- “I’ve given myself time to do things that are important to me rather than scrolling on my phone.”
About My Guest
Sara Schroeder is an abstract painter living and working in Miami, Florida. Her work is gestural, bright, and lively, and addresses the interplay between spiritual and corporeal worlds. Often, a grounding force is represented as well as rhythmic patterns of human existence. Sara finds conversations between our humanity and spirituality endlessly fascinating and uses multiple mediums and the emotive power of color to give visual form to this dialogue.
Follow Sara on Instagram: @saraschroederart
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]]>Until now.
Jeanne Rosier Smith's success on Instagram wasn't random. She made a conscious decision to focus on using Instagram to grow her following and expand her art business, and it has paid off. As you'll hear, she has been focused and deliberate in her use of the platform, while also allowing a great deal of flexibility in the process.
It's important to Jeanne that using Instagram is, above all, fun.
In this episode, I talk with Jeanne about the strategies she has used for the past 3 years to build a following of 37,000 and reach the 6-figure mark in sales for each of those 3 years.
You'll also hear about how she maintains good relationships with her 8 galleries even while selling on Instagram, and why she doesn't schedule posts in advance.
The post The Art Biz ep. 67: Growing Your Art Business on Instagram with Jeanne Rosier Smith appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Until now.
Jeanne Rosier Smith’s success on Instagram wasn’t random. She made a conscious decision to focus on using Instagram to grow her following and expand her art business, and it has paid off. As you’ll hear, she has been deliberate with her use of the platform, while also allowing a great deal of flexibility in the process.
It’s important to Jeanne that using Instagram is, above all, fun.
In this episode, I talk with Jeanne about the strategies she has used for the past 3 years to build a following of 37,000 and reach the 6-figure mark in sales for each of those 3 years. You’ll also hear about how she maintains good relationships with her 8 galleries even while selling on Instagram, and why she doesn’t schedule posts in advance.
Music by Wildermiss.
Highlights
- Jeanne shares her personal art history and passion for pastels. (2:08)
- The instant feedback and fun factor that has made an Instagram strategy the right choice for Jeanne. (5:48)
- Steps that will take your Instagram account to the next level. (7:45)
- Connecting with collectors starts with sharing your inspiration. (11:56)
- The frequency of your posts needs to reflect your growth goals. (14:15)
- Which content results in the greatest connection, followers, and sales? (15:49)
- Is the ROI worth the effort of maintaining an Instagram account? (20:41)
- Maintaining a good relationship with galleries while growing on Instagram. (25:22)
- Marketing opportunities that will result in sales. (28:42)
- A look inside Jeanne’s personal collection. (33:45)
- Do your posts need to be scheduled in advance?? (34:45)
- A successful hashtag strategy starts with thinking like a collector. (40:09)
- Is there a best time of day to post on Instagram? (44:46)
- A peek at what Jeanne is currently working on. (45:51)
Mentioned
- Jeanne’s Instagram: @JeanneRosierSmith
- Jeanne’s tips: Instagram for Artists
- Artists Helping Artists Podcast
- Episode #62: Facebook Live Art Shows with Brooke Harker
- Gallery 31
- Susan Powell Fine Art
- Artist Support Pledge
- Loriann Signori
- Marc Hanson
Quotes
- “I have to enjoy what I’m doing or I’m just not going to do a very good job at it.”
- “I feel now that I have developed a community around this Instagram account.”
- “Instagram is really powerful because it allows collectors to get to know the artists in a much more personal way.”
- “My sales have gone up by 20% every year I’ve had this Instagram account.”
- “Engaging with my community helps define my audience and what people respond to.”
About My Guest
Jeanne Rosier Smith studied art at Georgetown University and later at the DuCret School of Art in New Jersey. After earning a Ph.D. in English and teaching college English for 10 years, she made the switch to full-time professional art in 2005. She now teaches workshops in her Sudbury, Massachusetts home studio, nationwide and internationally, and is represented by 8 East Coast galleries.
Her subjects are diverse—landscapes, portraits, food, and the sea—and she is best known for her paintings of the ocean’s waves.
Music by Wildermiss
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]]>The post Bite-Sized Social Media Insights appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>I am lucky to interview people who have plenty of knowledge to help artists grow their businesses. Coincidentally, the three most recent interviews I’ve conducted have been related to social media.
While my clients might have focused on one part of the interviews, I had my own takeaways. Here are my big insights from each of these.
Artist Col Mitchell designed a 3-month experiment to test engagement and reach on her Facebook page.
Since Col is a member of the Art Biz Incubator, she agreed to share her findings with members.
I love that Col was deliberate about measuring results.
>>> Big Insight from the interview: I am inspired to try Facebook’s “Boost Post” option for select posts on my business page.
This seemed to make a difference for Col and I’ve been hearing good things about this option from others.
I want to be strategic about it, though. I don’t want to pay for just any post to be promoted. It has to have a lot of value for my page members and potential fans.
So here’s a bonus Big Insight that will become my first action: It would be beyond valuable to create a strategy for my Facebook business page.
A strategy would not only keep me sane when trying to decide what/how/when to update, but it would also help me track what works and what doesn’t.
When I asked arts advocate and social media expert Rebecca Coleman what she was most excited about these days, she said, “Instagram.” So that’s what we talked about in an interview for the Art Biz Incubator.
>>> Big Insight: Pinterest is for images that already exist on the Web, while Instagram is for putting new photos out there.
That sounds like a “Duh” moment, but it was a way that I hadn’t considered to distinguish two visual sites. Rebecca inspired me to get my account moving again.
Since our conversation I have posted about 25 more images to Instagram – sometimes simultaneously to Twitter or Facebook. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s big progress considering there were 2 photos on my Instagram profile before we talked!
Beth Hayden did a smashing job in last week’s teleseminar about using Pinterest for your art business. I took a ton of notes!
Above all, I was inspired by Beth’s enthusiasm about Pinterest and some of the statistics she shared with us.
>>> Big Insight: Pins with price tags get 36% more clicks than those without. That’s significant and surprising! People know you’re selling something, but they still click on it.
This is an excellent reason to make sure you pin images of your art with prices included and the complete credit line in the description.
And You?
What insights have you had about social media these days? What is working for you? What isn’t?
The post Bite-Sized Social Media Insights appeared first on Art Biz Success.
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