Four Ways to Engage With Your Audience Without Using Facebook or Instagram

Have you noticed a lot of people leaving social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook? I know I personally have seen artists decide to leave social media to pursue other means of communicating with their audience. With all the censoring and privacy issues that have recently surfaced, I have also considered the big shift. However, I am also reluctant because so many people rely on those platforms to follow and communicate with me. In this blog post, I am going to explore four ways in which artists, such as myself, can reach and engage with their audience without sing Facebook or Instagram.

1. Email List
Having an email list of customers has and always will be king. It is something that you own no matter what. It's an excellent way to connect with your audience and also make them feel special. I personally use my email list every month to announce new workshops, artwork, and specials. They always hear about the latest news first before I ever put it on social media and I also like to reward them with free downloads as a special thank you.

2. Website Blog
Another great way to stay in touch and share information is to have a blog on your website. Even though I have been maintaining a blog for over 10 years, it is NOT on my website. I plan to change that this year when I move my website to a new platform. It is super beneficial to host your blog on your website because it will drive traffic to your site which will in turn help your SEO and search engine rating. 

3. Patreon
If you haven't heard of Patreon, it is a social media platform for creators. Patrons pay to support the creator with monthly/yearly subscriptions and in return receive special content in return. Although this is not a new platform, it has definitely been gaining momentum. I like the idea of using Patreon to reward my loyal followers with information and content that is exclusive to them. 

4. YouTube
YouTube is a great way to share videos of your work or process to educate and inspire your audience. I like YouTube because it is searchable content. There is always someone trying to learn something and using YouTube to learn about it. You can also include lots of information and links in the description of each video. There is also the potential to earn money when you reach a certain amount of subscribers.

Whether you are considering leaving social media all together or exploring new ways to reach your audience, there are many options! Instead of relying on Facebook or Instagram, get creative with the way you interact and reward your loyal followers. I know I am highly considering it and I hope you have found this blog post helpful as a starting point.

2021 Studio Plans

I am hoping this year will be better than last year as I am sure most people do! The first five months of 2020, we spent finalizing construction details on our first home like trimming the entire house, refinishing hardwood floors, and repainting rooms. We also navigated selling it by owner with the perfect buyer while also settling into our new home, figuring out how to get everything done during the state lockdown, and our daughter completing her kindergarten year virtually. While I am proud of what I was able to accomplish last year, I hope 2021 will allow more focus. In this blog post I am going to share my top 3 goals for 2021 to make this a more productive year in the studio.

1. Sell Prints of My Photographs

After completing my 2020 top 9 Instagram post, I realized my most liked images were my photographs. I currently do not offer them for sale and I am looking into ways to offer them for sale besides my yearly calendar

2. Switch Website to Shopify

I spent a good portion of my year last year switching from the Weebly website platform to Squarespace. I had been with Weebly for over 10 years and loved everything about it. However, the two things I needed for my business were inventory management for in person sales (that will automatically update my website inventory totals) and links my product catalog to social media platforms. I had consider switching to Shopify then but for some reason it just did not click. Squarespace seemed like the best fit for me as an artist and I made the switch in August of 2020. Fast forward to current day, I am finally realizing the limitations that Squarespace has for eCommerce.

3. Research Patreon

This year I want to explore creating an exclusive community on Patreon. I love making content and making people feel special so this seems to be a good fit. I do not know if I will launch it this year but I will definitely be researching and planning ideas incase I do decide to take the plunge.

New Painting: Ollie

My new acrylic painting "Ollie" is a special thank you to the couple who sold us our farm, now known as Copper Knoll Farms. For those who do not know, we moved a little over a year and a half ago to the other side of our zip code. We had always hoped to remain in Aldine in our beloved first house that we spent years completely renovating. However, after almost 10 years, we sadly realized we would never be able to purchase more land around our home. 

While exploring options of privately purchasing land around us to stay where we were, we also began searching for a farm in the area. We casually began our search in 2016 when our son was just a few months old but then seriously ramped up our search in 2018. We considered many different farms throughout Salem County with the help of our realtor, Andrew Ware. However, when we found and toured our new property, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

Although the property is not the conventional, open field format that many people think of when they hear the word “farm”, it has endless possibilities for our out-of-the-box thinking and the lifestyle we have always wanted to live as a family. It has miles of trails, abundant wildlife, and so many possibilities for our future!

We were very lucky to find not only an amazing property but also wonderful people to buy from. We worked together to make both of our big life transitions as smooth as possible. We are forever grateful to Henry and Susan for their friendship and giving our family the opportunity to purchase such a unique estate and this painting serves as a token of our gratitude.

"Ollie" - Acrylics on Gessobord - 8" x 10" by Kimberly English

© 2020 All rights reserved

Calendar Donation

Last week I met with the three Salem County FFA Advisors on Zoom to virtually present them with the donation from the 2021 Salem County Farmlands Calendar. I’m excited to announce that with your help I was able to make a total donation of $1,050! Each chapter will be receiving $350. 

The donations will be used to help fund future projects, jackets, and even a chicken coop! I’m so happy to be able to help them during this challenging year when their typical fundraising events were not possible. A big thank you to my customers for your support and making this year the biggest one yet!

Private Art Lesson Student Wins National Award

My private lesson student won Third Place in Bob Jones University’s National Virtual High School Festival with her acrylic painting. She won a half scholarship to a week long art camp in 2021. So proud of her!

Holiday Open House

Thank you to everyone who came out the last two weekends for my Fourth Annual Holiday Open House. I truly appreciate every purchase, calendar pick up, and conversation. Shopping small at my gallery means so much! Below is a video of my set up from this year.

If you couldn’t stop out, all of my products are available on my website and ship nationwide! www.kimberlyenglish.com/shop

Miniature Holly Painting

Our holly trees are loaded with beautiful berries this year which inspired me to create this quick, little painting. It will be available for purchase at my Fourth Annual Holiday Open House