Here is an idea for a future business card: it includes my (business’) name, a visual, and all my contact information. I could see this as a simple way to connect with people I meet but don’t get enough time to talk, or for those who ask to know more. They can easily follow up. It could also be used as a flyer to advertise, like on a bulletin.

I chose my aunt to share my project with. She is a cosmetologist who also has a small business of her own. It went well and I got great feedback about networking and planning. She even said she learned some stuff and might use it!
In hindsight, I wish I chose a client to do the project on rather than my artwork. I didn’t have the content that I needed to get established.

Click here for Personal Brand Project with Visuals
(for some reason this blog post wasn’t letting add media)

Adara Handley
Social Media Marketing
Personal Brand Project
5/12/19

When starting this project, I was in the midst of being a full-time student, working part-time on campus at JCCC, and trying to start my small business. My long term vision for the business is to create a place that focuses on two things; community and art. After I create a more developed portfolio and gain a stronger audience I want to open a studio place open to the public and for other artists to bridge that gap that focuses on those two things; community and art. Currently, I have been taking classes for an associates degree in business administration. During the semester, it is difficult for me to do a lot of art. I didn’t take this into consideration when I assigned this project to my art business. Despite this, it was a great learning experience by learning how to directly apply what I learn in class to my future career.

I grew up with social media and have seen it evolve into a helpful and key tool for marketing whether it be for Apple or celebrities. I know the importance it has for small businesses because that is where your market is. I just didn’t know how. Throughout the semester I used what I learned for not only my small business but for my personal brand.

To begin this project we did a personal brand assessment where we googled ourselves and analyzed what is on the web about us. I found a little bit on me personally but my art pages did not show up.

Prior to this project, I only had an account specific to artwork on Instagram and Facebook. On Instagram, I had 110 posts and 310 followers. I would post occasional pictures of my drawing or paintings with some simple descriptive hashtags and put progress videos and pictures on my story. I would get decent feedback from some random people who found me through hashtags and my friends that follow me. I would even get a few new followers frequently after posting. I felt like I was doing pretty good on Instagram considering I didn’t post often. I didn’t have a lot of content because I wasn’t making much art. On Facebook, I had just made the page last summer. I had 70 like/followers on the page with maybe three posts in total at the beginning of the semester. I was waiting to get better images of my pieces to share on the page with prices. I just hadn’t gotten the images yet so I never posted them.
When starting this project I switched my Instagram profile to a business profile which offers some insight in demographics. Then I created a LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube account. I was beginning to learn through Hootsuite that each platform offers a set of unique ways to connect with an audience.

I started to plan out what content would be best, when to post it, and in which platform. My initial goal was maybe more than I could chew. I had planned to do a small painting or drawing a week at the very least, but school, work, and family out prioritized.

My plans for Instagram was to reach 500 followers by end of semester and get a new average of 55 likes per post. My strategy to reach these goals was to post 2-3 times a week with a painting or drawing, add to my story 2+ times a weeks, use a few key hashtags on the posts, post between 12pm and 1pm to reach peak activity, and try out at least 2 “like to win” contests.

My plans for Facebook was to reach 100 page likes by end of semester. My strategy to reach these goals was to add any posts from Instagram or twitter, post any pieces for sale on my page, and host a live video of a painting/drawing.

For Twitter my plan was to reach 35 followers by the end of semester. My strategy to reach these goals was to post similar content that I have from Instagram, reply to at least 5 posts a week, and create lists to follow content closely related to mine.

Although possible if I were able to make more art, in Hindsight, my goals were too hasty. I would like to use these goals for the summer though. I want to be able to create more art and build my social media presence over the summer and into next semester.

Because I was unable to create more artwork, I did spend more time on engaging with the audience I had and trying to gain more community, especially on Instagram and Twitter. I wish I incorporated this into my goals and had a more strategic approach to it.

I worked on seeking out some established artists’ feedback and would ask them about how they started their career and study their social media presence. They gave great insight and some good tips to encourage me to keep working hard. Networking is very important for any professional but I find it more so with the competitive art world.

During the middle of the semester I learned to understand how helpful a content calendar could be for a companies social media team. I made one that I would like to use in the near future when I have more content to share.

Then we made mock ads for a potential ad that we could use and I created these for all of my accounts: Instagram Post, Facebook Cover, Twitter Cover and Post, and a Snapchat geofilter. This assignment was really fun and I can’t wait to create more and promote my art!

Throughout the semester, this course has provided me with many useful lessons that I can easily and instantly apply to my career as an artist. Social media is an important tool for all businesses and I am more aware of the importance for artists who aren’t in big galleries yet. Setting up my personal accounts for professionals to find me credible is important in the business world.

I didn’t post much due to family matters and balancing other school and work duties. I really enjoyed the content from HootSuite though. I did post on my Instagram story about some small art pieces I did and then liked and followed some other KC artists. This lead to some follower growth and traffic to my account page.

I was most drawn to the lessons about making all your platforms similar in design so that you create a strong brand image to easily be identified with your audience.

I also especially enjoyed the help of Hootsuite for creating a platform to easily manage all of my social media accounts.

Client Project – Adara Rae Art

To sum up how my client project went, I’d say it was a great learning experience that really pushed me not only as a student but as a future business owner.

I went into this project excited to use the material for my own use as an artist. I quickly realized that it would be difficult because my business isn’t quite set up. I don’t have enough paintings done to sell so I was low on content material. I would have liked to try this project again on a business that is already well established. I did, however, really enjoy the material from Hootsuite. The videos provided many concise ideas and strategies to use for content. I also learned more about my audience and who I’m marketing to. For example, I have a mainly young adult audience on Instagram and Twitter(probably people I know from school), and an older audience on Facebook and LinkedIn this knowledge gives me a better idea on what kind of content my audience would like to see on these social media outlets.

I am looking forward to continue using theses tips for my social media as I grow my business!

Throughout the semester, this course has provided me with many useful lessons that I can easily and instantly apply to my career as an artist. Social media is an important tool for all businesses and I am more aware of the importance for artists who aren’t in big galleries yet.

I was most drawn to the lessons about making all your platforms similar in design so that you create a strong brand image to easily be identified with your audience.

I also really enjoyed the help of Hootsuite for creating a platform to easily manage all of my social media accounts.

When strolling through Instagram and Facebook each day, I notice many ads from sites that I have visited a long with sites that may sell a similar product. I also notice that I do end up clicking on them and then they show up on other social media platforms. Like for example if I click on an ad from Facebook, then I’ll get an ad for that store or other similar stores on Instagram. They’re effective this way because the company can know that I am partially interested in what they have to offer. They track the success of these ads through several analytical tools.

I created these ads to grow my brand imaging and name out there for customers and potential customers to share. I can also throw in a simple offer to get more people interested in actually purchasing a piece. I also wanted to first target those potentially interested in fine art in the local KC area. Then, from there target further places.

LinkedIn banner

Facebook Post

Twitter post

Instagram Post

Snapchat geofilter

Everyone will have their own ways to find inspiration for their passion in life, but as an artist I want to share where I get mine.

As an artist, a creative person in general, I am naturally always observing and taking in my surroundings. However, it’s not always visual. It can be sounds, smells, feelings, time, knowledge, etc. These aspects found in my surroundings are what make me, me. I absorb them all and then release them into my work. I can do this in different ways whether it be the medium (like acrylic paint, watercolor paint, graphite lead, charcoal, etc.), the way that I will use it, or the subject of the piece. notice that if I don’t have that outlet to release them I begin to lose myself… unable to take much of anything else in. In my classes it is almost impossible to concentrate without doodling in the margins, especially during difficult or complex subjects. It’s how I focus and make sense of it all. That is why art has been so important and vital to who I am. And after studying art history, although there are many reasons people have created art throughout history, I have discovered that I am not the only one who needs to create the way that I do.

My biggest inspiration is post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh. His paintings are notable for their beauty, emotion, and color; they highly influenced 20th century art.

His father was a pastor and grew up studying and sharing the life of Jesus but soon realized his need to create. He had a great relationship with his brother Theo, who funded his art studies and career. Throughout his life, they wrote many letters back and forth. These letters give great insight into the personal life and mind of Vincent. He struggled with finding where he belonged but spent many hours studying and painting. His adversities made their way into his work and resulted in beautiful masterpieces that display great emotion. Although they were beautiful, van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.  After years of struggling with mental illnesses, he dies at the age of 37 after a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His work and life have made a huge impact to my artwork and how I can truly express myself when at times it seems impossible.

Content Marketing:

Content Marketing is a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online. It involves choosing what to post and on which social platform based on the audiences that are on each one. Marketers research the audience on the platforms and then which content receives the best feedback so that they optimize that platform.

Successful Content Marketing:

Some of the companies that I find most effective are Target and Chipotle. They both are consistently active on big platforms like Instagram and Twitter, but also on Facebook, Youtube, and Pinterest. On Instagram for example, Target uses IGTV to share and highlight their customers’ feedback and customer service.  They also do a great job at marketing their seasonal items, like Easter stuff in April, on their pages. Chipotle, on the otherhand, uses trendy humor on twitter and then also shares twitter activity on Instagram. They do a great job at highlighting their rewards programs and new menu items. On Youtube, Chipotle posts a series of videos that target their competitive advantage- real ingredients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=249oyKBMX0Q#action=share

These companies’ success takes a lot of critical planning but with the help of some online tools that help schedule content, it makes it a lot easier for the team. Here is my first Editorial Calendar for the rest of the year for my art business.

Instagram
As of 3/17/19 my followers on Instagram are 313 and my average likes per post are 37 (from my last 6 posts) my plan is to reach 500 followers by end of semester and get a new average of 55 likes per post. My strategy to reach these goals is to post 2-3 times a week with a painting or drawing, add to my story 2+ times a weeks, use a few key hashtags on the posts, post between 12pm and 1pm to reach peak activity, and try out at least 2 “like to win” contests.

Facebook
As of 3/17/19 my followers on Facebook are 79 my plan is to reach 100 page likes by end of semester. My strategy to reach these goals is to add any posts from Instagram or twitter, post any pieces for sale on my page, and host a live video of a painting/drawing.

Twitter
As of 3/17/19 my followers on Twitter are 15  and my plan is to reach 35 followers by the end of semester. My strategy to reach these goals is to post similar content that I have from Instagram, reply to at least 5 posts a week, and create lists to follow content closely related to mine.

Social communities are an integral part to social media marketing. Some of the most successful companies have a great team of marketers that know how to deal with and involve their customers in their company. When looking for other art related companies who do an effective job at nurturing these communities, I thought of Blick Art Materials. They know how to keep successful social communities.

They listen to their customers by prompting discussions with articles and product highlights and then take in feedback from their audience. Not only do they prompt these discussions but then they do a good job at replying to the customers’ concerns and questions. They keep it simple and personal by providing the name of the person helping the situation.

Being good listeners is a key aspect of using social media that some companies miss out on. I was disappointed to find my favorite art stores, like Hobby Lobby and Michaels, miss out on this opportunity to listen to their customers and create this sense of community. I noticed that several customers commented weeks ago about being unhappy with service or products with no reply or sign of being helped.

1. Personal branding statement, first attempt:

I empower other creators by sharing my passion for the arts.

2. For my personal media accounts I will stick to behind the scenes feed for my followers into my personal life outside of the art world but it’s important to plug in my business into this feed as well with mentions and tagging so that for those who follow me personally can easily reach my other accounts.

3. I choose to personally not have a personal LinkedIn and Twitter account. Therefore I have art business accounts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Then, I have separate personal accounts for only Facebook and Instagram. On the business accounts I keep my feed usually strictly art related to my artwork, events, articles and news.  I also use the business setting for the Facebook and Instagram accounts that offer tools to manage and oversee activity.

For example, here are my art accounts – personal, and the art account before and after I switched it to a business account;

Personal account

Business account before switching

Business account setting