In the age of the digital, artists no longer have to wait for gallery openings and exhibitions to establish themselves; they can now make their own mark on the world by nurturing an audience and selling their work through a host of accessible, high-tech digital tools. The most impressive of these is arguably two of the most innovative: WhatsApp and Telegram. They are, essentially, a messaging app, but the powerful features of both have been geniusly repurposed by artists worldwide to launch successful artistic businesses right from their homes.
Building a Dedicated Community with WhatsApp
For many people, personal contact is the key. WhatsApp has such a huge user base that it is truly intimate, which makes it a perfect platform to create an exclusive inner circle of fans and collectors. The best part of this for professional outreach is the WhatsApp网页. This is a mini profile that can be shared by artists, whether it be potential buyers at a market or fans on other social media sites, that offers a snapshot of their work, contact information and those crucial links to the online store/portfolio, without the awkwardness of giving away a personally identifiable phone number.
Once an artist has created a contact list, they can use WhatsApp Broadcast Lists and Groups. Broadcast List allows the artist to send one message to all their subscribers at once. e. g. an announcement about a new collection. This sends a less direct message and can make the collector feel like the news is more personal and exclusive. Advertisement A special WhatsApp group for super-fans can be more interactive and can offer the artist opportunities to share his next works in progress, poll people on what he wants to paint next, and foster a sense of community where he and his collectors can connect on a common passion.
Leveraging Telegram’s Broadcast Channels for Wide-Reach Announcements
While WhatsApp is great for one on one communication, Telegram has a terrific set of tools designed for one-to-many messaging that are quickly becoming the go-to platform for many artists. The first thing a solo artist needs to do before going beyond that basic download of Telegram is to create their own Broadcast Channel if desired, either public or private. This channel, in effect, is their official announcement channel where they will be able to reach an unlimited number of subscribers.
The advantages of a Telegram channel are clear. Artists can start posting high-resolution images of their work, knowing that there will be no compression to reduce the quality. Artists can schedule posts, so that they stay present and consistent during times when their creativity is frantic, and every post will be kept indefinitely, acting like an endless catalogue of images. In case an artist announces a limited-edition print drop or a new exhibition, a Telegram channel makes sure the message reaches the audience in a clear and efficient way, without the same distortion caused by any email distribution.
Sharing Digital Content and Exclusive Previews
Both are great distribution platforms for digital content. After completing the Telegram下载 and creating a channel, a creator can provide an unlimited amount of downloadable content to their audience including videos of their workflow, time-lapses and even digital art files as downloadable content. This not only provides valuable information to their audience which could otherwise not be available through typical curated channels like Instagram.
When you also want to launch a WhatsApp Page you can use it as the landing page where you send followers to a link from Google Drive or Dropbox that has a digital portfolio or a catalog of current works available for purchase. This allows the follower to see your message instead of getting an email from you which might get lost in the shuffle and be too difficult for the follower to read. You can also use this direct line to send previews to top collectors in advance of an open sale as this gives the reader a feeling of VIP treatment and loyalty.
Driving Sales and Managing Commissions Directly
In the end, promotion should lead to buying. Both platforms are great for doing that directly. Artists can do their WhatsApp broadcast to announce that they have a new piece available, and include a picture and price. The speed of the app allows for quick inquiry and purchase/delivery. This can easily move towards discussing design ideas for custom commissions, sharing artwork sketches, and getting approval by client via instant messaging.
After downloading Telegram, an artist can create a “shop update” on their channel where they write a link to their online store. (You can also create a separate group for sales in which they flash an update for new paintings, and the first person to type “sold” wins them) This creates excitement and urgency and the transaction itself can be done instantly. They can share payment links for services like PayPal or Stripe and the shipping address can be collected in private messages, so it’s incredibly quick.
A Balanced Digital Strategy for the Modern Artist
Most successful artists work on both platforms, using each platform in their own way and seeing where they stand. They may begin with a Telegram channel for general announcements and archived material, while at the same time using WhatsApp for more personal, direct sales and forming a small group of folks. The first step is creating a professional WhatsApp Page and doing a Telegram download. This opens up a whole new world, with all sorts of options to explore, an ability to really take ownership of their story and establish real friendships with their audience.
