Pinterest for Artists, Lori McNee, Social Media Marketing for Artists

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Do you use Pinterest (yet)? It’s a valuable site for sharing your artwork and driving traffic to your website because it’s full of eye candy. Lori McNee, an exhibiting member of Oil Painters of America, writes about using Pinterest as a business tool for artists and photographers in this free article from the 2014 Photographer’s Market.

Social Media Marketing 102
Only a few years ago the social media phenomenon was new to many creative individuals. Since then, we have rapidly moved into an era where social media is considered mainstream media because of its quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and permanence. Social media is here to stay, and it is speedily evolving.

Lori McNee's bio on Pinterest — Use a friendly photo of yourself and a short bio for your Pinterest profile.

My 2012 Photographer’s Market article “Secrets to Social Media Success” explains how to harness the power of social media on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (If you missed this article, you can read it on ArtistsMarketOnline.com.) Some important newcomers have arrived in the social scene since then. Adding these sites to your online strategy will take your social media marketing to the next level.

Pinterest is a popular social bookmarking site that allows users to collect, upload and share all the beautiful things they find on the Web. No more need for bookmarking on your Web browser, or rummaging through scrap-file cabinets–Pinterest’s visual collections are neatly stored on virtual pinboards.

Art board on Pinterest — Shameless self-promotion is frowned upon on Pinterest. Even so, Pinterest accounts for a large part of my website’s traffic.

Pinterest also lets you browse pinboards created by other talented people. Over 80 percent of the content shared on Pinterest are repins of pictures from other users, and 80 percent of these users are women. Last year, Pinterest was the fastest growing website of all time, and it ranked highest among social network for user time spent across PC, mobile Web and apps.

Getting started on Pinterest is quick and easy. Once you’ve set up your account, it’s simple to drive traffic back to your site, art portfolio or product. When pinning images from your blog or site, be sure to include your URL so all repins link back to your site. It’s also a good idea to verify your website.

Pinterest boards — People use pinboards to plan weddings; gain artistic inspiration; collect quotes, decorating and fashion ideas, or their favorite recipes.

Pinterest is a visual feast for the eyes! This makes it a wonderful platform to share art and photography. ~Lori McNee

This article is excerpted from the 2014 Photographer’s Market, available for pre-order today. This resource will teach you how to turn your photography into a career and find the right places to exhibit and sell your work.

Happy pinning!
Cherie

P.S.
Follow Lori and ArtistsNetwork on Pinterest for art business tips, inspirational quotes and paintings, and more.

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