BiB Alumni News for August 24, 2016
Information, opportunities, and resources 
for working artists
Artist Resource: Dos and Don'ts of Selling on Facebook

"Eat Your Media Dishware," by Kristen Watson
Have you recently noticed the words "Shop Now" on Facebook? Yes, the platform is e-commerce enabled, and is another great place to sell your artwork. On Facebook, you have friends and people who care about you and your work in the same place. Alan Bamberger from ArtBusiness.com writes about things to do and not to do when selling artwork on Facebook.
 
Key things to do:
  • Post regular updates. Make your entire page public, enable comments, and allow people to see and interact with all your posts. Then give them plenty of new things to talk about
  • Curate your content. Instead of adding everything that is new, choose the pieces you want to show. Don't be afraid to take old work out of the galleries, but remember: there is such a thing as too much
  • Use albums to group similar work
  • Welcome viewers to your artistic life. Interact with them. When they comment, respond! When they post relevant interesting things, share! When you get involved with them, they will get involved with you
Know what not to do. Don't:
  • post an image of your work without an accompanying description. People want to know what they are looking at. Tell them
  • send personal messages to people you don't know unless they ask
  • post your work on someone else's wall unless they ask you to or you have talked about it
 Keep in mind - this applies to a page, not a personal profile. Learn the difference here.
 
You might not yet believe in social media commerce, but the numbers are clear. In 2012, Mashable predicted that social commerce would generate $30 billion in annual sales by 2015. Business Insider reported that Facebook is the dominant social commerce platform, accounting for 64% of social revenue. In addition to making sales, Facebook is effective at driving traffic to your website. You might not be ready to give up your website for a Facebook page, but consider the social media-website buddy system.
Alumni Spotlight: Gillian McGarvey 
 
Gillian McGarvey is a painter and printmaker in addition to being an editor and business owner. A self-taught artist, Gillian enjoys the processes of printmaking and painting almost more than creating the finished work. You can see galleries of Gillian's work on her website

Visit Gillian's website.
Featured Artist Opportunity 
 
The Vermont Theater Company will hold auditions for "A Christmas Carol" on Sunday, September 11 at 4 p.m. and Monday, September 19 at 6 p.m. Auditions will take place at the Brattleboro Union High School. The director is seeking a variety of ages and genders, as well as volunteers for production assistance. Read more about auditions  or contact James Gelter.
Join the BiB Alumni Network Facebook Group!

Stay in touch with your fellow alumni, share information, ask questions, and trumpet successes.


Questions about the BiB Alumni Network, Vermont Arts Council, or our programs and services for artists? Contact Sarah Mutrux.

Artist and Community Programs Manager
802.828.5425
Breaking into Business | Vermont Arts Council| 802.828.3291 | info@VermontArtsCouncil.org www.VermontArtsCouncil.org
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