Reasons to Have a Facebook Fan Page

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It is safe to say everyone and their mum is on Facebook. The site has been thoroughly integrated into our lives.  Facebook started as a collection of private profiles, but with Facebook ‘Pages’, it now also acts as a public face for celebrities, products, and brands. If it’s a proper noun, it can have a Facebook profile. It’s becoming harder and harder to find businesses that aren’t including the option to “Facebook” them in their advertising. Even ArtVenue lets you link your artist profile to a Facebook one. Love it or loathe it, get used to it – Facebook is stickin’ around for a while.

As an artist, you can take advantage of Facebook as a place to communicate with your fans. If you could benefit from art-related self-promotion, it is wise to have a Fan Page separate that is from your personal page*. And, it is incredibly simple to set up a Page!

Reasons to have a Facebook Fan Page:

  • Free-of-charge - A Page is free to start up and maintain!
  • Professionalism - A Page is where you can showcase your professional side and keep things strictly business. Potential art buyers don‘t ever need to see those photos of you from Spring Break ’04. You stay classy, San Diego.
  • Limitless – A personal page is limited to 5,000 friends whereas a Fan Page is limitless. One day you, yes you, could have a million fans!
  • Statistics - You can keep track of site statistics (Page activity, traffic, photo views, etc…).
  • Discussion - Create events and discussion boards. Send updates to fans. This is a great way to interact with your fans.
  • Multiplicity - While you can only have one personal page you can create multiple Fan Pages.
  • Advertisement - Facebook offers the option of paying for advertising.
  • Public vs Private – A Page is public to all! Someone doesn’t need to log-in to view a Page. If you have artwork on your personal profile, people out-of-network who are trying to view your art might not be able to depending on your privacy settings. This makes your art less reachable, something which could hinder your promotion.

How to use your Fan Page:

  • Professionally - Remember to keep things strictly art-related! Anything that falls outside the lines of art, making art or being an artist, keep it off your Page. If a real or metaphorical boss would disapprove of something on your Facebook page if he/she were to “stumble” across it, keep it off your Page.
  • Thoroughly - Take time and effort into the content of your Page. Edit your text and upload quality photos of your work. Make sure your information is accurate. Quality-controlled self-promotion is never a bad thing.
  • Consistently - Just like a newsletter, if you post regular updates, your fans will have something to look forward to. They will take you and your artistic career more seriously, which could only lead to more opportunities down the road.

Before you create a Fan Page:

*There are some terms of service you need to know before creating a Facebook profile – if you don’t abide by them it could lead to a violation.

All personal site features, such as friending and messaging, are also for personal use only and may not be used for professional promotion. If you add a user as a friend, for example, this person will be invited to be a friend of your profile and not your Page. Using personal site features for professional promotion, or creating unauthorized Pages, may result in your account being warned or disabled.

If there are any opportunities for selling your work, do not use your personal profile in any way that will lead to a transaction. Always read the fine print!

What are different some ways you use your Page?

Good luck and happy Fan Page‘ing, friends!

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