Touchtalent – Social Network for Artists to Promote and Sell Art

I recently discovered Touchtalent and have set up a free profile at this creative social network. Touchtalent has some very interesting and effective ways of searching for artists, and promoting (and selling) art socially.

After uploading one painting, I instantaneously began receiving feedback from other members. Although this is a social network in itself, I am very impressed with the emphasis on receiving feedback and sharing with other social networks.

 

Sharing buttons for the main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Linkedin) appear at the top of every image (when hovered over).

Below is a brief overview of more features of Touchtalent.

1. Visit the site here: Touchtalent
   
   At the top, there are three options for signing up for a new account: Facebook, Google+ and email. Choose your preference. If choosing email, be sure to check your email account after signing up, and click the verification link within the email.
   
   The first time signing in, you should get a guided tour of the site (tooltips). Follow along with that to get a quick overview of the site.
   
   
2. Explore Creative Categories
   
   Browse the artwork on Touchtalent based on 19 different categories, including 3D art, animation, digital art, painting, photography, sculpting, and more. Only artwork of that genre will be displayed on the home-page.
   
   The image layout is reminiscent of Pinterest. Social sharing buttons appear at the top when hovered over. Also included is a space for entering a comment and appreciating the artwork. Also notice that a copyright notice automatically appears at the bottom of all images.
   
   Click any image to see a larger view, and learn more about the artist and artwork.
   
   
3. Popularity Meter
   
   Quickly move the slider to switch between recent and popular posts. Move it further to the left, and only recent posts are displayed. Move the slider all the way to the right to only see popular posts. I love this feature, as it plainly reveals exactly what artists need to do to get art seen on Touchtalent – regularly upload new artworks and promote them regularly.
   
   
4. Upload Artwork
   
   Click the button to share either images, text or video with the Touchtalent community. Next, select Image, Video or Text. Select a category and a portfolio to upload your work(s). You can upload multiple images by clicking in the center, or drag and drop individual artworks.
   
   Enter a title and tags for each artwork. To automatically share on Facebook, keep the “Autoshare on Facebook” selected – then hit Publish. If you check recent posts on the home page, (with the popularity meter all the way to the left) your artwork should be near the top.
   
   
5. Search for people or artworks
   
   Use the search box to find a particular artist or artwork preference.
   
   
6. Activity Timeline
   
   See updates in your Touchtalent network in real time. This live feed displays comments, follows, uploaded artworks and more.
   
   
7. Art Gallery
   
   This is where you can sell artwork on Touchtalent. View artworks for sale, and search for them according to price.
   
   To list your own artworks in this section, a Pro membership is needed. This seems to be the same requirement for the Auction House (place artworks for online auction) and Exhibitions TouchTalent’s occasional online art exhibitions).
   

Touchtalent Tips

Here are some tips which will help to enhance your Touchtalent experience:

• Fill out your profile completely before adding artworks. Click the little cog wheel icon in the top-right corner, then go to Settings to find the area for editing profiles.
• If you have lots of artworks, consider spacing them out. For example, upload 2 per day for a month, instead of adding all at once. Take advantage of the social features and be consistently active to maximize the effectiveness of your promotions.
• Invite others, make friends and grow your network.