Insta Magic

 Wow - I have 1300 (now nearly 1400!) followers on Instagram! 

Canva Thank you Graphic

I began posting on Instagram three years ago, after Maestra Shiloh Sophia suggested Guild members use the #intentionalcreativity, and see if we could boost the numbers of posts over a thousand or so tagging our brand! We are now at 19.7K!

I love the visual focus of Instagram, which is ideal for our artist selves. Our own Stella Mac posted tips on using Hashtags, which proved invaluable! (you can use up to 33, about 12-15 are most effective - and be selective!)

In those early days, I wrote, "It's been fun playing with my pictures for posts, making little montages (which don't always behave!) And meeting new virtual friends! I love the journal pages @quantummemoir does, and ... I'm @nadyakingartist ❤"

Do you already have a page on Instagram? I invite you to begin posting your art and share inspiration! 

• When you start typing a tag, suggestions will come up - bypass ones that have over a million, and look for ones in the 50 - 500k range or lower
• Check out the tags your colleagues use - make a note of those which fit! (a tag may sound great - but when you visit it, the posts don't match your vision/intention!)
• It's a good idea to check out the tag, and see how the posts match your intention - I usually click "recent" as well 💖
• Choose a few # that are unique to you, or your small group. Recently I added red thread Creatives, as that's the name of my Facebook group. 

Building your following and adding content

• When you have a bit of extra time, visit some of the folks who 'liked' your recent posts, and choose several which appeal to interact with, follow and comment on.  
• When someone comments on your post, take time to reply - even if it's just 'thank you!'
• Post favorite quotes and tips from time to time - how can you uplift your beloveds?
• Click 'view insights' to see how your posts are performing, and who has viewed the post. You can see what time of day posts are most viewed, etc. 
• While we can use up to 30 tags in a post, the magic number is 11 - I generally use a few more.
• The Magic formula is to choose 5-8 'popular' tags that have been used 50-500k times
• 5-8 moderate 5-50k
• Several specific to your group or offerings
• And a few niche - personal to you!

Promoting your work and offerings

• When you collaborate on a class or other offering, choose a tag together, and use it with your posts. I was recently the Art Doc for a class two of my colleagues offered, and they chose #AwakeningMythicLegend for our class posts. 
• Encourage your students with accounts to use the tag, and to tag you on their posts!
• Be sure to tag your partner in your post with @____
• If you have your work in a show or at a gallery, tag the venue, and like/comment on posts they make, especially if you're mentioned/ tagged!
• Instagram allows one "active link" in your profile, so many folks create a link list (like Linktree) with link to classes, free offers, their main website, blogs. Check out the 'link in bio' on different accounts, and see which appeal to you. 

Whilst researching link options, I came across a YouTube tutorial from Canva on creating active web pages and decided to that for my profile link! I often use Canva for graphics, so that was an easy choice! 

• Post a link to your website or blog in your bio, and update your site regularly. 
• A blog is an easy 'website option,' if you haven't built a website yet. I have several, and post events on a couple of those. 
• If you're promoting an event, make the registration easy to find! (I often check these in colleagues' posts, and have to poke around for their current offer!)
• If you have several distinct business, you may want to add other accounts
• Post your bio link at the end of your text "click the link in my bio to register -@nadyakingartist 

Here's a recent post with in depth suggestions on using hashtags! 

Are you on Instagram? Go look - you may already have a page with 20 or more followers that you just need to claim! 

Challenge: post your most recent painting and a little blurb on your Insta page!

You're invited to post the link to your account in the comments, and share any tips you've discovered! 

 

Social Media - Artist Page and Groups

If you're on Facebook, an easy next step is to create an artist page for your business. You can post photos of your own work, creations from your circles and your classes, post inquiries, and invite friends to "like" your page. As you host events, you can promote them by posting an Event invitation from your artist page, and share that on your personal page and in local groups. 

A way to let folks easily find that page is to add it as a "workplace" and a link will show up on

your profile page! Here's a video which shows how! 
My page is Nadya's  Atelier, and if you click on the link, you'll see some of the ways I use it. (I have several pages for my various "hats," massage, harp, Reiki and Qigong) 

One suggestion is to post on a regular schedule, say Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you have a blog, you can put up a link to a recent post, or one that's timely. You can also share invitations to Shiloh's and out RT sisters online offerings, short videos, etc. 

Once you're offering circles and classes, you may also wish to start a group for your beloveds, and add them as they attend. You can set it as private, and set basic groundrules.
You may decide to keep it local, or add other women as they express interest. Again, you can post events from your group (though the invitation will only go to group members) or share events you've posted from your artist page. 

Invite gals to get involved by posing inquiries and inviting them to post. Here's our local group, which is mainly for Creatives in our area. I offer invitations to WIP Wednesday, to post in both our group and the RT cafe classroom, share event and other information.
Down the road, you can also create a group for an online class, like Amber's "Women Unleashed"  

Creating an Artist Page and linking it to your personal page is a good first step in extending the Red Thread to beloveds, and sharing what you have to offer. This is also a way to begin to tap into your own Soul Work, what are your beloveds hungry for? What do you have to offer?

Here's the "about" blurb for my page:
Transforming stories and lives through Intentional Creativity® 
Ate-lier 
noun \a-tal-'yā\ A room where an artist works