How Artists Can Promote Art With Google Plus Pages in 2012

Google Plus pages have been around for awhile now and many artists are using them in their art promotion regimen.

Artpromotivate has a page of its own, and I also have a page for my art. At the moment, Google+ pages aren’t even close to the popularity of Facebook pages.

 

 

 

There are over 42 million Facebook pages according to one source, while the number of Google+ pages is far less than this. Why then would artists consider being active on a social network with far less users? The answer to this question lies in engagement, activity, and professionalism. Google+ is actually ranked higher than Facebook in a recent customer satisfaction poll. It is apparent that many Facebook users are becoming annoyed by the frequent changes – especially the mandatory Timeline feature for Facebook pages. Many are choosing to place more emphasis on their Google+ page. Google+ is being talked about all over the place, and it may be a very good idea to use them for art promotion if you aren’t already – as they could very well be the social media platform of choice in the future.

I will discuss some of the perks of Google plus pages in 2012 for art promotion, and how artists can use them to brand themselves and their art business.

 

1. A Google+ page can be used as an artist portfolio.

   I wrote a post on using Facebook albums as a portfolio for artists. Find this tutorial here: Facebook Page Albums Google+ albums can be used in much the same way, but with some distinct differences. This is quite simple to do, and I will be going into detail about this in a future post.
   
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2. Easily brand your art business.

   Branding means using methods to make your art business more recognizable and memorable by the masses. The best proven method to do this is uploading a commonly used profile image, which ideally should be a logo or one of your best artworks. Use the same image wherever you have a social profile to establish your brand throughout the internet.
   
   Also, Google+ pages allow the uploading of a cover photo, which appears right at the top of your page. It may be a good idea to use the same one you are using for your Facebook page, as this will give you “dual power” for your art promotion. One final important thing – make sure your art website appears directly under your profile image, as this will link your brand with your web presence.
   
   
   

3. Multiple features that allow easy sharing.

   
   +1 BUTTON
   
   The most popular and useful elements of Google+ is the plus one button (+1). Every time a user clicks this, it appears on their own list of plus ones at their G+ profile. The +1 button is also useful for tracking engagement of specific posts. Pay attention to posts that receive more plus ones and comments to know what your audience responds to more.
   
   
   Posting to Google+ Pages
   
   This can be done at your Home page, or the top of your Google+ page. It’s interesting to note that posts at G+ are of unlimited length. I have seen many using Google plus as a blogging platform, and publishing complete unique posts there. Photos, videos, events, and links can be attached to posts, but formatting is very limited. Scan posts by Google+ power users to get a good idea of how attractive posts are created.
   
   Before clicking the Share button, enter the Circles to share your post with. To share it with everyone, and make it available in Google search, simply choose Public.
   
   Google Plus Circles
   
   G+ Circles are groups of people organized by category. Circles can be comprised of and based on anything. Posts can be shared with specific circles. So, if you have a certain circle based on art event contacts, simply use Google+ to invite them to new events, for example.
   
   
   

4. Create events and invite others.

   Events are a relatively new addition to Google+. To create an event, click the Events tab on the left menu of your G+ page. Then press the red Create Event button at the top.
   
   Cycle through pre-selected themes at the top to choose one that matches your event.
   
   Enter a title and time for your art event. An end time can also be entered here.
   
   
   
   Choose the place. Enter the location of your event. A popup appears with a listing of places. Select the one which matches where yours will be. Clicking on this link will reveal Wikipedia info. about the location, along with a map from Google maps.
   
   Details. Attach additional helpful details about the event.
   
   Invite people. Invite them individually by name, by circles, or by email address.
   
   Event Options. Check whether you want guests to invite others, and if they can add photos. Click the Advanced link here to find options for Google+ Hangout and event on air. Click Show Additional Fields to display fields on your event invite for website URL, Youtube URL, and more.
   
   The G+ Events feature is a very robust application, and used properly will be an asset to you art promotion efforts.
   

What do you think of Google Plus pages? How do you think they compare to Facebook pages? In your opinion, which do you think is better for artists?

Thank-you for reading, and if you like it, please share it!

Have a wonderful day friends!