Should I show my art on Facebook?

Part 2 in a series about artists going online
Other parts in this series: 
Putting your art on(line)
Should I show my art on Facebook?
How to Instagram

Face to face with Facebook

Facebook is the biggest dog in the social media yard. It’s probably the most popular platform right now. While you may have personal reasons for not joining FB, it is currently one of the easiest ways to reach new collectors. A smart social media plan can reach hundreds, if not thousands of pairs of eyeballs. Remember that FB has right around 1 billion users. That’s quite a potential audience.

Facebook personal page vs Facebook business page

​When you start on Facebook (FB), you start with a personal page. That’s where you post notices of birthdays, weddings, graduations, vacations, or possibly inflammatory political opinions. You can make posts on your personal page private or public. You friend people on your personal page; they can accept and friend you back.
 
A Facebook business page is a different animal. You (technically) are allowed only one personal account, but you can have multiple business pages. (Remember, if you don’t follow FB’s rules, you might be banned from the site. Yes, they can do that.)
 
A business page is where you post information about your business. You might post information related to your art, or related to the business of art. You engage with your followers. You can create a gallery of your artwork. You can sell products from your business page. You can buy advertising for your business page. Your business page(s) is/are for your businesses.
 
This is possibly the most important thing about a business page:

People can follow your business page.

Yes, people can follow your public posts on your personal page (Here’s how to allow followers to your personal page)

But changing the visibility of posts is cumbersome and unless you use your personal page for only business posts, you risk mixing personal and public at inopportune times.
 
It’s more professional (and risks less embarrassment) to have a business page for your business. It allows for organic reach as people share and like your posts on your business page. And it allows for boosted posts and paid advertising if you decide to embark on that adventure. (You can't advertise or boost a post from a personal page.)
 
I follow a ton of FB business pages. I like to know what my favorite businesses are doing. What is the local bookstore selling? (She’s on FB)  What is the local catering company making for home-delivery Friday (She’s on FB). What’s the local theater producing this weekend? (They’re on FB.)

What are my favorite artists making? (They’re on FB.)
​

When I follow a business page, FB (mostly) feeds their posts into my newsfeed, especially if I’ve engaged with them on their pages in the past (this is why engagement with posts is so important). Engagement can be simply saying, nice work! on one of their posts. Or it can be a question for them to answer. Always answer comments on your posts. (You can block people if you get a nasty commenter. Your page is your space.)
 
The upshot: Facebook is still the leading way to advertise your artwork. To effectively advertise and sell your art, you need to create a business page.
 
How to make a business page on Facebook
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-business-page-guide/

The difference between a personal page and a business page www.outboundengine.com/blog/facebook-business-and-personal-pages-the-differences-dos-and-donts

www.thrivehive.com/why-you-need-a-facebook-business-page/

​Facebook marketing strategies
https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-marketing-tips