There are actually 2 types of pages available to you on Facebook. One is the personal profile, where you can interact with friends and family. The other one is the fan/business page. Facebook doesn't really like us using the personal profile for lots of advertising and selling, so the fan/business page is specifically for that purpose. But, you do have to have the personal page in order to set up a business page.
If you set up a business page, then you can market your art all you want. Also, FASO has a newsletter application so you can have people subscribe to your email newsletters directly from Facebook. Here are instructions from the FASO blog on how to set that up on your business page.
I find that having the business page has been a great way to bring more exposure to my FASO website and meet people who like my art that I would never have met any other way.
Susan, My son in law encouraged me to set up a fan page. He crunched the numbers for me and saw that 20,000 FB users like art, specifically watercolors. I feel like you - a colossal waste of my time. However, I couldn't ignore the numbers. So I set up a FB fan page. So far, I only have 13 people who "like" my site. But having it means that I no longer have to bore my family with my latest art endeavors on my personal page. Plus, as my son in law told me, this is the direction marketing is going so use it. He's also trying to encourage me to get a Twitter account, which I haven't done yet. Another colossal waste of my time - IMHO!!! I encourage you to keep your fan page and post it on other FB sites. Nancy
You can link your Facebook page to your Twitter account. Then whenever you update your page, it will automatically show up on Twitter and you don't even have to be logged in. I also have Twitter connected to my profile on LinkedIn, so that gets updated, too, without even having to visit LI.
My blog is through Google Blogger. Everytime I post something (a new painting) on my blog, it is also posted on Facebook. I get a spike in my FASO stats from FB after every posting. FB also has Networked Blogs, where your blog is syndicated to the blogs of others who have signed up to follow your blog. I just started this, but think it's a good thing.
I use Facebook as part of our social media repertoire of WordPress, Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, and FASO blogging -- when I blog, I post the link on the Facebook page, which, as in Carol's situation at Blogger, is linked to all of our blogging sites.
I'll post new paintings as they come out, with links to the website.
I post information on the monthly newsletter, with links to the website for sign up.
When there are classes or workshops, I post information on those, again, with appropriate links.
On a daily basis, I post something, and over time, traffic incrementally increases via the various Internet venues.
You have all been very kind to answer my question. Thank you for taking the time. It all makes sense. I think I'll keep working on the whole social networking thing for awhile yet. You all seem to have done such a great job with your sites!
Susan: It's a process. Sign up for a Facebook page for your business, and play with it. Invite all your personal friends to join so that you have a few numbers to start with. Then start posting -- after that, share all the new stuff you'll be learning with the rest of us so that we can keep moving forward as well!
Carolyn, I do love reading your articles. You are very good at what you do, as your husband is at what he does. I do have a facebook page and will continue to play around with it. Thanks, again, for all the help and encouragement. Susan
Thank you and yes, although I marked him as one of my favorites a while back. I love his work. I'm hesitant to do a newsletter because I have to give my home address. Susan
via fineartstudioonline.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
If you set up a business page, then you can market your art all you want. Also, FASO has a newsletter application so you can have people subscribe to your email newsletters directly from Facebook. Here are instructions from the FASO blog on how to set that up on your business page.
http://fineartstudioonline.com/blog/22842/faso-artistedge-facebook-newsletter-app
I find that having the business page has been a great way to bring more exposure to my FASO website and meet people who like my art that I would never have met any other way.