As an artist, you’re no stranger to the importance of promoting your work and reaching new audiences. In the past, organic posting on Facebook and Instagram was a great way to do just that – you could share your latest creations, engage with your followers, and potentially reach a wider audience through shares and likes. However, things have changed dramatically in recent years, and organic posting is no longer enough to grow your arts business.
How to Get Arts Business Growth
In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why organic posting on Facebook and Instagram has become less effective, and what alternative strategies you can use to promote your work and reach your target audience.
1. Decreased Reach: The Algorithms Impact
One of the biggest challenges of organic posting on Facebook and Instagram is decreased reach. The algorithms on both platforms prioritise posts from friends and family over posts from businesses, including artists.
This means that even if you have a large following, your posts may not be seen by many people. In fact, it’s estimated that only about 2-6% of your followers will see your organic posts, making it harder to reach new audiences and grow your business.
Furthermore, Facebook and Instagram regularly change their algorithms, making it even more difficult for businesses to keep up and reach their target audiences through organic posting. These changes can result in even lower reach, making it harder to achieve your goals.
How to overcome this problem:
To reach more people, consider investing in paid social media advertising. Facebook and Instagram offer a range of targeting options that allow you to reach the right people and increase the chances of your ads being successful. You can target people based on their interests, age, location, and more.
2. Competition: the Battle for Attention
In addition to decreased reach, another challenge of organic posting is competition. With more and more businesses and individuals using Facebook and Instagram to reach potential customers, the competition for attention is fierce. Every time you log into these platforms, you’re bombarded with an endless stream of posts, ads, and videos, all competing for your attention.
This means that even if your organic posts are well-crafted and visually appealing, they may still get lost in the sea of content, making it harder for you to stand out and reach your target audience.
How to overcome this problem:
To stand out from the competition, consider investing in high-quality visuals that will catch people’s attention as they scroll through their feeds. Use eye-catching images and videos that showcase your work in a creative and engaging way.
3. Limited Targeting Options
One of the benefits of paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram is the ability to target specific demographics and interests. For example, you can choose to show your ads to people based on their age, location, interests, and more. This allows you to reach the right people, and increase the chances of your ads being successful.
Organic posting, on the other hand, doesn’t offer these targeting options, meaning that you can’t control who sees your posts. This limits the effectiveness of your organic posting efforts, as you may be reaching the wrong people, or not enough of the right people.
How to overcome this problem:
Consider building an email list and using email marketing to reach your target audience directly. This will allow you to control who sees your messages and ensure that you’re reaching the people most likely to be interested in your work. You can also consider partnering with other businesses or influencers in your niche to reach a wider audience.
4. No Measurable Results
Another issue with organic posting is the lack of measurable results. Unlike paid advertising, it’s difficult to measure the results of your organic posts, making it challenging to determine the effectiveness of your efforts and make improvements. For example, you may not know how many people saw your posts, how many clicks they received, or how many new customers you acquired as a result.
Without the ability to measure results, it can be hard to know if your organic posting efforts are paying off, or if you need to make changes to your strategy. This makes it difficult to make informed decisions about your marketing efforts and achieve your goals.
How to overcome this problem:
Consider using tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to track your website and social media performance. These tools will allow you to measure important metrics like website traffic, engagement, and conversions, and make data-driven decisions about your marketing strategy.
Summing Up
In conclusion, while organic posting on Facebook and Instagram may still have some value for personal use, it is unlikely to grow your arts business. If you want to reach a large audience and see measurable results, it may be worth considering paid advertising options on these platforms, or exploring alternative marketing channels such as email marketing, influencer marketing, or content marketing. By leveraging a mix of these strategies, you can reach your target audience more effectively, grow your arts business, and achieve your marketing goals.
