Social media tanked my art sales: Is social media still worth it for artists?

During my second month as an art business owner, I challenged myself to post consistently on social media as my only marketing tactic.

Social media can be an incredible tool for artists but it has to be used strategically and in combination with other tactics. Social algorithms are doing everything they can to keep users on their platform, so you have to be smart about how you try to drive traffic to your site.

Going into this, I had a hypothesis: organic social media is an awareness tactic, without combining it with conversion-focused marketing tactics, it is tough to see any returns.

This experiment proved my suspicion. Posting more led to great growth ON social media but without any additional marketing, it tanked my performance OFF of social media.

As always, running an art business isn't "one size fits all". For people who like social media or use social platforms as their e-comm channel, it can be a great way to build genuine connections and reach your community. For people like me, who feel really drained by it and end up abandoning other parts of my business to focus on content, other awareness channels might be more effective.

A few years ago, it felt like you NEEDED a strong social presence to have a profitable art business but in 2024 going into 2025, I don't think that's the case anymore.

00:02:27 Why it Didn't Work
00:04:34 Performance Metrics
00:11:28 What I'll Do Instead