I was on an industry analyst call the other day, and researcher said that a full 20-25% of all page views on the Internet now are for Facebook! Can you believe it?  March last year Facebook surpassed Google as the #1 visited site in the US.  With these stats in mind, you can’t ignore Facebook as a marketing tool for your art business.

I’ve had a Facebook Fan Page (post here) and have tested advertising (2007).  I think most of my art sales are via this blog, but I get more engagement (comments, “likes”, etc) on Facebook.  My bet is that more collectors (and other artists) are discovering me first now more through Facebook than Google, but that’s pretty difficult to measure (and I’d rather spend the time painting!).

My latest test of Facebook marketing (I hope you’ll participate and help me measure it!) is use of the “Like” button.  You can add a “Like” feature to any web page.  When someone clicks the Like button, it adds the web page to their Facebook newsfeed and any associated images.  By adding to the newsfeed, you’ve extend your reach to that person and their friends (via the “Social Graph“).  I’ve now added a “Like” button to every painting on my website (because each painting is a unique image URL), all blog posts now have it, and my website overall has it added.  Like me, like me!

Can you help me test this out? Please visit my main website, go through the online gallery and “Like” paintings (also, add a short comment if possible).  I’d love to see what happens, and I’ll write a followup post on this in the next couple weeks to show you the results.

And, some early insights into what may happen.  I liked one painting to test it, it showed up in my newsfeed, and I already (within 30 minutes) have other friends liking the painting (including Stephen Doherty, editor of PleinAir magazine!).  Looks like this could work.

Today, publisher Eric Rhoads and Editor M. Stephen Doherty announced the return of PleinAir magazine.  From their website:

“Artists, Collectors, Suppliers, Schools, and Dealers have been asking for the return of Plein Air magazine since it was converted to Fine Art Connoisseur magazine in 2006. Now it is back with the same respected publisher, B. Eric Rhoads, and a veteran editor, M. Stephen Doherty.”

I’m also happy to say I will have an role in this rebirth, serving on their Advisory Board. I’ve already sent Stephen a list of artists I hope to read about in the magazine, with a slant towards the unknowns, and those better known outside the United States. I’d love to hear your thoughts about who you’d like to read about—please take a moment to enter a comment.

I like the annual subscription options, you can subscribe to print only ($29.96); digital only ($19.95) or both ($34.95).  And there’s good reason to act quickly:

“Place your advance subscription today and receive our special digital edition of “The Best of the Original Plein Air Magazine.” We’ve taken the best articles from our past magazines and packaged them into a wonderful digital magazine. This offer expires January 10, 2011.”