Did you read our article “3 Steps To Become A Pro On Facebook”? We have a surprise for you! This article is meant for those of you who are experts as much as beginners! You’ll find:
- step by step advice, that is fast and easy
- pro advice for those who want to take it further
Here is how to create 9 types of posts on Facebook, that you will be able to renew and adapt as many times as you like:
YOUR NEWS
Aren’t there enough events that set the rhythm of your gallery’s life? This is a gold mine for the News
Express yourself on the day-to-day activities of your gallery, whatever important fact, likely to take an interesting form on Facebook:
- present and upcoming events;
- the arrival of new artworks;
- the evolution of one of your artists;
- ...
#1 Create a Facebook event
for your show opening
In a few days, you are having the opening for an upcoming exhibition?
At the very top of your Facebook page’s feed there is a publishing box. Between the “Status”, “Photo/video”, “Events, key moments +”, select “Events, key moments +”.
1. Create your Facebook event:
Add your new event by carefully completing the requested fields.
Start by the event’s cover image: use the same one you may have designed for the invites to the opening (make sure the format of the image fits the space indicated beneath “photo of the event”).
Publish.
2. Communicate on the event:
On the page of the event, in the drop-down menu of “Share”, select “Share on your own Timeline”;
Then in the window that has opened, at the top left, select “Share on a page you manage”. Choose the Facebook page of your gallery.
Say a few words about your event, for instance : “OPENING EXHIBITION *** / Friday night, joins us for the opening evening of our *** exhibition in presence of artist @FirstnameLastname!”
Publish!
By proceeding in this way, you have posted your event on your Facebook page’s wall, with a few positive words to encourage your followers to come.
Don’t forget to invite your gallery’s collaborators and the artist in question to share this event from their own personal Facebook account so that the event gains in visibility!
BE CAREFUL: When you have create your event, by clicking on “Publish” the first time, a post called “Name of your Facebook page has added an event” was automatically published. Find it and delete it: go to the lateral tab “Posts” of your Facebook page, select “Hide from Timeline” from the upper arrow at the top right of the post.
#2 Make a teaser
to promote your opening
Why would you not stimulate a little bit of suspense around your opening? Adopt the “teaser effect”: say little, very little, to awaken curiosity...
- From your editing bow, type a few explanatory words, for example : “EXHIBITION OPENING *** / Friday night, join us for the opening of the *** exhibition in presence of the artist @FirstnameLastname, upon presentation of this invite!”
- Add the image of said invite to the post.
- From the arrow next to “Publish” on the right, select “schedule”. You can determine the time of publication, and when you would like the post to disappear for example, from 7pm to 9 pm.
BE CAREFUL: So that your teaser operation is efficient, make sure that a few days earlier you announce it with a post: “Pay close attention to this gallery’s page on xx / xx / xx , a surprise awaits you!”
IN-GALLERY ARTWORKS
#3 Present your artworks
Your are a gallery owner! Post high definition photos, with nice lighting, of the artworks you have in stock.
Mention the title of the work and artist. If the artist has a Facebook account, reference him or her by typing “@” followed by the name of this artist’s account. A drop-down list appears, select it, then write a very short description of the work. Don’t forget to mention “Check it out at our gallery or on www.artsper.com”; by inserting the Artsper link of the webpage dedicated to said artwork.
You can name this post “Artwork of the week” and pin the post to the top of your Facebook page’s Timeline thanks to the right top arrow of the post.
BE CAREFUL: If one of your posts is already at the top of the page, you must first remove it by clicking on the same icon, at the top right of the post.
Don’t forget to remove the “Artwork of the week” post at the end of the week!
#4 Use the carrousel option
TO GO FURTHER
The “Carrousel” tool in the editing box “Photo/video” is particularly adapted to the presentation of your artworks on Facebook.
Thanks to the possibility of adding a URL link, the added images will be clickable and will redirect to the link you have decide to put. Why not put your Artsper gallery page?
Select the “Carrousel” tool and complete the field “URL of destination” with the link towards which will redirect your artwork images. Now, you can add as many artworks as you like by simply clicking on the “+” framed by dots.
Publish your post, now or schedule it for later!
#5 Use the "slideshow" tool
You exhibition has passed? Put together a retrospective!
Use the “Slideshow” tool in the editing box of “Photo/video”. Add the number of artworks that you want, then configure the duration of each image, and a simple or faded transition from one visual to the other.
Type a description, like: “RETROSPECTIVE / You missed the exhibition dedicated to the artist @FirstnameLastname? It’s not too late / Check it out in our gallery or online at www.artsper.com”
ARTIST QUOTES
#6 Publish artist quotes
Facebook is a social media, that invites us to conversation. Publish an artist quote, and invite followers to react!
You can quote one of the artists your gallery represents!
Even though this concerns a quote and therefore text, you can illustrate your words with a visual!
Why not use the portrait of the artist in question? Images attract attention.
#7 Create attractive visuals for Facebook
TO GO FURTHER
Visuals work much better on social media than text does!
You don’t have a graphic designer? You don’t have a lot of time? We know it! And that is why we encourage you to use the free tool of Canva. Create your visual in less than 5 minutes!
The experts amongst you maybe already use more efficient softwares than Canva, like Photoshop (240€ yearly subscription), or Graphic for Apple users (19,99€).
Assort your visual with a title and publish.
Vary the content by posting a video! Create a short interview of an artist that you show, of 1 minute 30 maximum and post it on Facebook!
INTERACT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
#8 Ask questions
The moment you can, in your posts, prefer the interrogative form. It attracts more attention.
Create debate! Post a series of artwork images, and invite your followers to share their point of view on an artist’s work.
BE CAREFUL : This type of operation will require extreme vigilance in terms of page moderation. This mean that you’ll have to delete the eventual very negative comments, and weigh on the critical opinions.
You can, in the same way, invite your followers to react to other topics: something in the news, a sentence...
SHARES, LIKES
#9 Share your news
Something caught your attention this week? An article? A photo or video? You liked the post of another Facebook account?
Share them!
Don’t forget to reference the shared content’s sources, tag concerned accounts with the combination “@ + Name of the Facebook account”.
Do not hesitate to realize theses publications for your gallery! Adapt them to your own identity, and continue to follow us: every fifteen days, we share with you some new ideas.