Okay, so here's what's been on my mind...how do I build an audience for my blog that extends beyond a few artist friends (or even a lot of artist friends) and develops a mainstream following? I've been noticing that a lot of blogs that I follow are followed by the same people, that generally we all post our artwork with or without some related story or commentary, and that even those who have a gazillion supposed followers have few likes and fewer comments. Sharing my blog post on other social media sites - even once per site - does not get me more readers...it might get me a lot of likes on Facebook, quite a few 1+s on Google but it doesn't really get people to come in and read and leave a comment. Viewers are "liking" the art which is a nice thing to do - rather than getting much out of the blog itself. We're all trying to be so supportive of each other - sharing or reblogging - assuming more likes will move our blogs up higher in the search engines (and maybe it does but I'm not seeing a huge ROI -return on investment). Sometimes it can feel a bit as if the "music" is falling on deaf ears even when we're all trying so hard to be nice!
So I got to thinking about some fundamentals and some rules of the road. First - why am I blogging in the first place? Why are any of us? Probably most of us would say it's a marketing tool - one more way to get our artwork into the public eye. For some, that might be reason enough - if your artwork already has a significant following, your customers are going to appreciate seeing your "brand" in as many places as possible. But I'm guessing most of us are "wanna bes" - we're trying to develop a brand and a customer base and expand the market for our artwork. Blogging and posting to fellow artists probably isn't going to make that happen - as nice as it is to get positive feedback from friends who like what we write or create. And it occurs to me that while I might work my rear end off to write frequently and to present my artwork as part of a broader package, the truth is that my blog is just one more excuse to post images from my portfolios on other sites.
Truthfully, I don't want to flood my friends' social media feeds with post after post about my blog - or my art - and not have more to offer them than that. While I enjoy seeing my friends' artwork or being reminded - ONCE - that they've a new blog post to look at, I really don't like seeing the same reminder from someone show up a dozen times in a dozen different groups on Facebook and I'm sure no one wants to see mine more than once either. In fact, I mistakenly posted an image yesterday that I had posted about 4 days ago and someone rather pointedly (but sweetly) said, "It's nice to see this lovely piece again." I got the point.
There's got to be more reason than trying to "sell" my artwork to justify the work it takes to maintain a blog. And certainly, there have to be more good reasons for anyone to read the blog than just to look at one more post of my artwork. What are those reasons - and would any of those be a clue about how to grow an audience for what I write? Unless the content I provide is both interesting and useful to you, reading this blog is just one more way to support a fellow artist - and take up valuable time doing so and getting little in return. I've honestly tried to keep the content relevant and meaningful, to share some insights on the meaning and purpose in life, on how to remain hopeful in the face of difficulty, and on what virtues or values we might express in our art to add value to it. But in the end, it's all still tied to my art work.
What could I offer in my blog that would make it worth your while to actually read it? I can share insights I've gained from others - people far more successful than I am. Or I can share non-art related ideas and opinions. I can share the love - by sharing the work of others or the ideas of others that is certainly more valuable than mine. I can make my blog more of a conversation and less of a sales pitch. But what else? Why don't you tell me what it is that keeps you reading other blogs, leaving comments or spreading the word about that blog? (Besides the fact that you are all such lovely people and so supportive!!) What would you like to see here that would interest you, inspire you and be of value to you in your own life or art career? This is one case where comments are certainly more welcome than a like - no matter how precious those are!! So I'm inviting you to express an honest opinion and assure you that I will value each voice!
Thanks in advance,
Lianne
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