Which is Better for Selling art Instagram or Facebook

If you are an artist who wants to sell your work online, you might be wondering which platform is better for you: Instagram or Facebook. Both platforms have their pros and cons, and the best choice depends on your goals, audience, and style. In this blog post, we will compare Instagram and Facebook as selling platforms for artists and give you some tips on how to use them effectively.

Instagram: The Visual Platform

Instagram is great for artists because it is designed specifically for visual media. You can showcase your art in high-quality photos and videos and use hashtags to reach people who are interested in your niche. You can also interact with your followers by posting stories, polls, questions, and live videos. Instagram also has some features that can help you sell your art directly on the platform, such as:

Instagram for Business: When you switch your profile to a business account, Instagram provides you with insights on your stories, posts, and followers. You can also add extra information about your business to your profile, such as your website link, contact options, and category.
Instagram Shopping: You can create a shop catalog of your products and tag them in your posts and stories. This way, your followers can easily browse and buy your art without leaving the app.
Instagram Ads: You can create ads to promote your art to a wider audience. You can choose your target audience, budget, and objective, and track the performance of your ads.
Instagram Creator Account: As an artist/creator you can upgrade to an Instagram Creator Account and linking it to your website.

However, Instagram also has some limitations that you should be aware of, such as:

Link Restrictions: The only place where you can add a clickable link is in your bio. You cannot add links to your regular posts or stories (unless you have 10k+ followers). This means that you have to constantly update your bio link if you want to direct your followers to different pages on your website.
Algorithm Changes: Instagram’s algorithm determines what posts show up on your followers’ feeds. The algorithm changes frequently and can affect your reach and engagement. You have to keep up with the latest trends and best practices to optimise your posts for the algorithm.
Competition: Instagram is a very popular platform for artists, which means that you have to compete with millions of other creators for attention. You have to stand out from the crowd by creating unique and engaging content that showcases your brand and personality.

Facebook: The Social Network

Facebook is the largest and most widely used social network in the world. It has over 2.8 billion monthly active users who spend an average of 38 minutes per day on the platform. Facebook can be a powerful tool for artists who want to build a community around their art and connect with potential buyers. Some of the benefits of using Facebook as a selling platform are:

Facebook Page: You can create a page for your art business and share your work, updates, events, and more with your fans. You can also use Facebook Insights to analyse your page’s performance and audience behavior.
Facebook Groups: You can join or create groups related to your art niche and interact with other artists and art lovers. You can also use groups to showcase your work, get feedback, ask questions, share tips, and more.
Facebook Marketplace: You can list your products for sale on Facebook Marketplace and reach local buyers who are looking for what you offer. You can also use Marketplace to browse other sellers’ listings and find inspiration.
Facebook Shops: You can create a shop on Facebook where you can display and sell your products. You can customise your shop’s look and feel, add collections, set up payment options, and more.
Facebook Ads: You can create ads to reach more people who might be interested in your art. You can use different types of ads, such as image ads, video ads, carousel ads, collection ads, etc., depending on your goal.

However, Facebook also has some drawbacks that you should consider before choosing it as your main selling platform, such as:

Declining Organic Reach: Facebook’s organic reach (the number of people who see your posts without paying) has been declining over the years due to the increasing amount of content on the platform. This means that you have to pay for ads or boost your posts if you want to reach more people.
Content Restrictions: Facebook has strict rules about what kind of content you can post on the platform. Some types of content that might be acceptable on other platforms (such as nudity or violence) might be flagged or removed by Facebook’s moderators.
Privacy Concerns: Facebook has faced several controversies regarding its handling of user data and privacy. Some users might be reluctant to share their personal information or make purchases on the platform due to these issues.

Conclusion

Instagram and Facebook are both popular and effective platforms for selling art online. However, they have different strengths and weaknesses that you should weigh before deciding which one to use. Here are some questions that might help you make the best choice for your art business:

What kind of art do you create? Is it more visual or more textual?
Who is your target audience? Where do they hang out online? What are their preferences and behaviors?
What are your goals? Do you want to sell directly on the platform or drive traffic to your website? Do you want to build a brand or a community?
How much time and money are you willing to invest? How often do you post? How much do you spend on ads?

There is no definitive answer to which platform is better for selling art online. It depends on many factors that are unique to each artist and their situation. The best way to find out what works for you is to experiment with both platforms and see what results you get.

We hope this blog post has given you some insights into how to sell art on Instagram vs Facebook. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.