Click to enlargeSocial Media. Pinterest and SEO<BR>Sell Art and More<BR><BR>Blog 102-103














Branding, Selling and Marketing on Pinterest.com
Blog 102, 103

Name your Pinterest account - think "branding", "theme" and "keywords"


  • Pinterest.com/yourbusinessname - include one or more keywords
  • Your account should have a theme, a persona, a style, a brand

    Themes:
  • mom
  • work at home mom
  • sporty
  • outdoorsy
  • artist
  • musician
  • intellectual
  • executive
  • sophisticated
  • fashion and jewelry collector
  • beauty and hair products
  • trend setter
  • trend follower
  • animal lover
  • dog lover
  • cat lover
  • horse lover
  • antique collector
  • bride-to-be
  • young adult
  • rebel
  • teenager
  • recipe collector - multiple categories

    Choose your business style then...
  • Flaunt your style - or the style you would like to have - or the style your preferred customers are following
  • Showcase the products you are offering in the most appealing display and soft natural light
  • Use themes to find keyword ideas
  • Keyword research - type in a keyword at the Pinterest search bar 
  • Make notes of all the suggestions - use the blocks under the search bar
  • Repeat this exercise frequently for SEO improvements and testing

    Set up a Pinterest account - Choose a business account

    Create some boards that fit the lifestyle of your target audience


  • Name your boards - use some keywords in the title and description
  • Select a category
  • Note that the categories are popular topics for searches on Pinterest
  • Select pins and categories that would appeal to your target customers
  • Select beautiful pins
  • Curate your pins to reflect the interests of your customers, not just your interests, and be consistent in your message
  • Your account should have at least six categories
  • Each board should have at least 10 pins, 50+ is better
  • Your categories should support your theme and a consistent identity
  • Pin from the search results
  • The more you pin to your boards, the more views your account will get
  • Pin the most attractive with the best content
  • Pin some things - use search to find appropriate pins
  • You can add information in the pin descriptions - keywords
  • Repeat this exercise frequently
  • Create some secret boards for pins only you can see
  • Move pins from secret boards to your public boards strategically

    Create your pins of your own products

  • Beautiful images are more important than content
  • But content is very important
  • Describe you product - enthusiastically - its purpose
  • Does it solves a problem
  • Does it creates a mood
  • Does it appeal to status 
  • Does it provide beauty - very important
  • Does it have an inspirational or encouraging message
  • Does it have a useful or helpful function
  • Is it appealing for moms with kids - clothes, stuffed animals, toys
  • Sarcasm and rudeness are not good business strategies
  • Create some boards just for your products
  • Occasionally, when pinning to your theme life style boards, include some pins of your products in an 80/20 ratio
  • Your product pins should have their own boards in the front two rows

    Your pins - include an image,  website, subtle watermark or logo

  • Pins should be vertical (height is twice width 600x300) Should include keywords
  • Name, website URL
  • Pins ARE the product
  • Pins MUST be beautiful
  • Pins MUST reflect your positive, charming personality
  • Text should be easy to read against the image face
  • Text written across the image face is not searchable or read by search engines

    Identify and Join Groups


    Search for pins related to your interests, hobbies and products you want to sell.
  • Click through to the pinner
  • Review pinner's boards for groups
  • Click on relevant board pins
  • Follow instructions on joining
  • Click on first board member (owner) if no other information is provided
  • Leave a message requesting to join the board
  • Join many boards that are not "sell" groups, to follow people with quality pins, and to gain followers
  • Some "sell" groups are useful, some not

    Join groups and pin to them.

    Follow people who post pins you like for your boards.

    Pin, Pin, Pin, Pin.


    You may find pinning addictive, but that's ok, it will bring you more followers and traffic.

    There is a lot more to come, including a book on getting the most out of Pinterest.

    Copyright 8/5/2017

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    Fine Art Blog
    Part Twenty
    SEO for Art (Cont).

    Words are critical in SEO.

    Photographs are critical in SEO.

    Words are strategic.

    Photographs reveal the priceless qualities of your art.

    Words can nurture that "love at first sight" for your art.

    Photographs of your art will reach out to the viewer and connect.

    Words can describe art in terms that are personal and relatable from your real memories or from your imagination.

    Photographs of your art must be high quality.

    Online the most important words for search engines are located at the top of the page followed by words in the description.

    Photographs of your art should be considered part of your art profile.

    Try new things. Serendipity is the artist's friend. Be different.

    Sales process - all are essential:

    • Words are about 5%.
    • Compelling photographs are about 5%.
    • Art is about 90%.
    • SEO is very important but because of competition in the marketplace, SEO alone is not enough to create an art career.

    The name (SEO) you give to your painting is a selling point. 

    • "Street Scene in Nebraska" is not as artistic as "Sunset at a Charming Outdoor French Cafe while a pair of lovers share a romantic dinner." 
    • It can remind you of a romantic meal you once had at a lovely sidewalk cafe with someone you loved, maybe dozens of years ago.  
    • All the memories and emotions of that tme come back to you.  At this moment you are taken there again.  
    • It's a connection. 
    • It's a feeling that you enjoy.  
    • "Sunset Outdoor French Cafe lovers romantic dinner" are potential keywords.
    • A lot of art is given as gifts so it has to be "friendly."

    The subject has to be important to the viewer.  

    A painting of the Grand Canyon will renew feelings of awe in someone who has been there accompanied by a person(s) very precious to them.  It will be of almost no interest to someone who has not been there.

    Identify the attributes and uses of your art that make it unique and interesting.

    • Be different
    • Subject
    • Colors
    • Theme
    • Medium
    • Size
    • Hidden message (joy, love, uplifting, anger, sadness, depression)
    • Locale as the subject
    • Locale/room for final display
    • Who would like this art if they received it as a gift
    • Offered on the right products - gifts, decor, mugs, flags, clothes, etc 
    • Trends/fads come and go quickly - don't invest heavily

    Steps in the sale.

    • SEO will help you get found in search.
    • Great photography of your art will do most of the selling for you. (Great closeups, use a plain light color background)
    • Tell everyone about your online presence - shop, gallery, page, boards, etc.
    • Learn how to use Social Media.

    Free advertising,

    • SEO is about 50% of success in gaining attention
    • Real content is the other 50%
    • Pinterest - search engine - set up your own gallery for free
    • Facebook - search engine - set up your own gallery for free
    • Twitter - share your content, including images, for free
    • Linkedin - set up your own gallery for free
    • Google - search engine
    • Instagram  - search engine - set up your own gallery for free
    • Etsy - search engine - pay $.20 per listing and renewals, sales fees
    • Ebay - pay only if you sell

    Social Media.

    • Social Media is about being social.
    • People who post only their own sale products on social media are mostly ignored.
    • Social Media is about giving encouragement and support.
    • One in four posts (or less) should be about your business.
    • Share positive material.
    • Encourage others.
    • Being nice is more important than all the advertising you can buy.

    People like to see:

    • Lots of quality content
    • Pleasant, bright, great photographs of your art
    • All things being equal - the photographs of your art will make the sale
    • Description
    • Story
    • Work in progress photos
    • Description of processes
    • Share details of techniques used to establish something unique.
    • Share content about the search for a subject and the challenge of capturing the unique personality of it.
    • Story - artistic license allows for a little embellishment, but if you go too far you won't be able to remember it when you need it.
    • Video
    • Video transcript
    • Be different

    Your art.

    • Be different.
    • Be unique.
    • Be colorful.
    • Be popular - visible everywhere.
    • Be relevant - have a message that is meaningful.
    • Post frequently - update and renew listings.
    • Make conversions - views - favorites - sales.
    • Don't just paint things you like.
    • Consider the marketplace.
    • Think like a customer.

    SEO.

    • Titles 
    • Descriptions, using keywords at the beginning with a descriptive text.
    • Unique, different product title and descriptions.
    • Google search engine has about 80% of web searches using a formua which changes without notice  
    • You should search any possible keywords 
    • Examine the lists provided by Google in the results
    • Examine the resulting websites that come up in the Google results
    • Record the search terms in the menu on the Google search bar
    • Record the search terms at the bottom of the Google search page
    • Your content has to be relevant to your product.  
    • Google will reward you for valuable content.
    • Adjusting the SEO will move your site around in the search results

    .

    SEO Development.

    • Description of the product
    • Title of the content
    • URL - website page name should be brief and descriptive for search engines and visitors
    • ALT tags - descriptions for images that are read by search engines and assistive devices for the visually impaired
    • Repetition should be minimal
    • Do not repeat the word "art" over and over in text. It's  called "keyword stuffing" and is penalized by search engines.
    • Words that are written into an image are not searchable or read by search engines.
    • Content should be current and updated frequently to appeal to search engines.
    • Images should be accompanied by descriptive keywords.

    Search education.

    • There are many blogs, forums and groups that offer insight into the roller coaster world of SEO, which can be found through Google search.


    Resources.
    http://falling-star.com/whatsnew.html



    Copyright 2-21-2017


    *******

    Fine Art Blog
    Part Nineteen
    SEO for Art.

    Search Engine Optimization - what you need to know.

    Help your customers find your beautiful art.

    Search Google for "art."  Click on Google images.

    I don't know how they choose the images, but with millions of images to choose from, they most likely change frequently.

    There are minimum requirements that have to be met to be included in a search - Search Engine Optimization, SEO.

    It's not about how good your art is, it is about the search words you use to describe your art.  This is one reason that some art sells while some very high quality art doesn't get any attention so it isn't sold.

    It's not about the evaluation of the art - the following are not keywords:

    • Visual beauty
    • Work of art
    • Creative skill
    • Fabulous Images

    It is about using the words that potential customers use to search.

    Search terms used by customers - are the keywords that you should use to describe your art.

    I want an art print for a nursery with a baby theme.  I search Google for "art prints baby animals."  I do not search for "art" or "pretty pictures" because I know the results will be mostly irrelevant to my search.

    • How does Google know what to show me?
    • Google searches for the keywords "art" "prints" "baby" "animals" that have been posted by artists on their images on the internet.
    • This grouping is called "long tail keywords," multiple words in a phrase that narrow the search.
    • A search for "art" is a simple search for a keyword and the computer cannot judge art.
    • Google does not look for pictures of baby animals, it looks for the keywords posted by the artist.

    Finding keywords is the SEO puzzle.

    SEO is a moving target.

    A good keyword may fall in and out of use as a search term.

    Searches for gifts are keywords that are used every day.  Holiday keywords are used within the sales season, about eight to 12 weeks, depending on the season and complexity of creating the product.

    • Christmas gift
    • Valentine's Day gift
    • Gift (for) mother 
    • Gift father
    • Gift wife 

    It is your responsibility to provide the keywords in as many places as possible:

    • Title of your art/painting/sculpture (in your description you can have an artistic title)
    • "Description" of your art 
    • "About" section 
    • Tags (if space is provided)
    • URL of the page
    • Domain name of website
    • Title of video
    • Description of video
    • Transcript of video

    Writing about your art
    • Avoid excessive repetition of words or phrases
    • Write as you would speak normally - sentences should be brief and flow comfortably 
    • Describe the unique or interesting method for creating it
    • Describe the medium and materials used
    • Describe the special reason for your choice of colors, subject and design
    • Describe the size and materials being purchased, print, canvas, watercolor paper, etc
    • Briefly list awards, galleries, pubications, education, experience


    Suggestions for art keywords

    • Abstract
    • Animation
    • Architecture
    • Artwork
    • Art of designing
    • Art object 
    • Art piece
    • Baby
    • Beginner
    • Canvas
    • Caricature
    • Cartoon
    • Carved
    • Children's art
    • Collector's piece
    • Color scheme
    • Comic strip
    • Composition
    • Custom art
    • Design
    • Doodle
    • Drawing
    • Embroider
    • Etching
    • Exhibit
    • Fashion
    • Framed
    • Funny drawing
    • Gallery
    • Graphics
    • Impressionism
    • Ink
    • Intricate design
    • Kitchen art
    • Knickknack
    • Landscape
    • Lessons
    • Likeness
    • Masterpiece
    • Motif
    • Mug with art
    • Museum
    • Oil painting
    • Original
    • Nursery art
    • Painting
    • Pattern
    • Photo
    • Picture
    • Portrait
    • Print
    • Quotes
    • Sketch
    • Stain
    • Stained glass
    • Still life
    • Storyboard
    • Study
    • Tatoo
    • Technique
    • Tempera
    • Tracing
    • Training
    • T-shirt
    • Tutorial
    • Video
    • Vivid
    • Watercolor painting
    • Waterscape
    • Wood burning

    Search Youtube.com for art related subjects.  There is a lot of great information, including SEO.

    There are a lot of options for sharing your art online including a website, Print on Demand sites and social media,  Results may vary significantly on each platform depending on the product and marketing practices.


    Resources.
    http://falling-star.com/whatsnew.html



    Copyright 2-2-2017


    Continued from Fine Art Blog

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