For the last 2 weeks, I have been networking with 100's of other artists, artisans & photographers through Facebook & Twitter. It has been great & has made me re-think some things for optimization of my websites, banners and all marketing of my businesses. The link love, networking train has left the station, but is moving kind of slowly. I have seen some people gain 100's of fans very quickly. Writing more on my blog is my next step in this optimization process, as I only have 2 fans. Since I post a photo a day album on my Facebook page, I often neglect this blog. It's tied to my Facebook page and LinkedIn profile, so that makes it easier, as I take on more networking.
I am the kind of person who can always find improvement in almost everything I do or create. I also like to see what works for other people and use those elements that I like, and add them to my own ideas. So I really enjoy looking at what others are doing to market themselves. A good example of this, is that I changed my Twitter background to better show all that I do. Before, I just had a banner at the top left, with some photos & words. I have added a "tips" discussion on Facebook, because I'm always about helping someone who may not know how to do something. I added a link love discussion to my pages & make sure I add both my pages to every page that I have fanned. I also make sure that all who see my post, also see that I have a photo a day album and fan giveaways. So I give incentive to become a fan.
Another great thing about networking is that I learn about many contests among other artists/artisans & photographers, as well as businesses and art galleries. I have begun entering jewelry contests and have found more photo contests to participate in. I have connected with more galleries, which helps me in my next step, which is to begin acquiring gallery representation.
It's all just one further step to get the best exposure for my businesses. it's a great deal of work, but you don't reap rewards without hard work.
