The Thriving Christian Artist

The Art of Connection: Turning Social Media Followers into Collectors

• Matt Tommey: Artist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Artist Mentor

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Gone are the days when artists could simply post pretty pictures and wait for sales to flow in. As we navigate 2025's social media landscape, one truth stands above all: authentic connection trumps content every time.

The secret to transforming casual followers into passionate collectors lies not in algorithm hacks or perfect photos, but in genuine, heart-level connection. Today's art buyers crave more than beautiful creations – they want to know the person behind the art, to glimpse your creative process, your family life, your joys and struggles. They're investing in your story as much as your artwork.

Each platform offers unique opportunities for this authentic engagement. Facebook remains the conversion powerhouse for the 40+ collector demographic, with personal profiles now getting five times more reach than business pages. Strategic use of Facebook groups and live videos can nurture deeper community connections. On Instagram, carousel posts and stories build intimacy, while showing your face on video increases engagement by a staggering 70%. Even TikTok, often dismissed by older artists, offers tremendous potential with its highly personalized algorithm and preference for authentic micro-stories.

Across all platforms, three principles remain constant: know your specific audience, make invitations rather than announcements, and prioritize connection through storytelling. By embracing these fundamentals, you'll create not just a following, but a community of supporters who genuinely connect with your artistic journey and naturally want to bring your creations into their lives. Ready to transform your social media approach? This episode provides the practical roadmap you've been seeking.

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Speaker 1:

You know, if I had a dollar for every time an artist asked me Matt, how do I get more followers on my social media who actually want to buy my art, listen, I'd probably weave in baskets on the beach by now. But listen, here's the thing. It's not about getting more followers, especially in 2025. It's about deeper connection, the kind of connection that really turns followers into friends and friends into collectors. It really turns followers into friends and friends into collectors. So how do you do that when all the algorithms seem like they're changing every second and attention spans are shorter than ever? Well, that's exactly what we're going to dive into today right here on the Thriving Christian Artist podcast. Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast where we hope you connect with God, to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in his kingdom. I'm Matt Tommey, your host. Let's get started. Hey, my friends, so glad you're with me today here on the podcast. Listen, we're going to jump into this whole thing about how to authentically connect on social media. Whether you're with me today here on the podcast, listen, we're going to jump into this whole thing about how to authentically connect on social media, whether you're using Facebook, instagram, tiktok, whatever how to do that in a way that not only feels good to you in your heart but also aligns with your values, because those things are super, super, super important when you're trying to walk in everything that God's got for you to do, but also those are the things that really can lead to real business growth and real art sales for you in 2025. Now, listen, as you know, if you've been doing this for a while, which a lot of us have things have changed a lot, right. Gone are the days of just trying to post a pretty picture and waiting for sales to roll in. Gone are the days of even being able to post on your business pages, right, and hope that the conversions are going to happen In 2025, real connection, heart level connection beats content. Every time, again, it's not about quantity, it's really about quality, and I'm just finding more and more in the things that I'm doing and also watching. You know the accounts of artists that I follow and artists that I'm mentoring.

Speaker 1:

People just don't want to see your art. They want to see you as an artist, as a person. They want to see family life and fun and what you're eating and where you're going. They want to know you and trust you and see you and kind of walk with life with you every day. And they want to feel that in your story. They want to know that when they're buying something from you or they're interested from you, you're not just somebody that's trying to sell them something. You're really an authentic artist that's living a life based out of purpose, based out of calling, based out of passion. And their purchase means not just that they're trying to buy a thing. Their purchase is really about them wanting to not only connect with you but also affirm who you are, what you're doing and the life that you're called to. And you know, although that may seem a little more complex than just posting a picture and getting a sale, I think for us as artists, it can really be a lot more fulfilling for us to not be feeling like we're just straight up marketing all the time, but we're actually being able to authentically share our life and invite people into that. And I don't know about you, but for me that feels a whole lot better than just trying to be on this marketing treadmill all the time, all right. So I want to talk about Facebook and Instagram and TikTok really individually, because they are all three very different worlds. And for Facebook I want to say this cultivate community, not just a page, is still, according to data you know, on personal profiles, the best way to see conversions for people over 40, for buyers over 40, which includes a huge portion of art collectors all right. So, even though Facebook to a lot of people may seem old school and like everybody's going to TikTok or whatever, listen, it's still the number one platform for conversions and, again, especially for people over 40. So, if you're leaning into Facebook, if you're still on there, if you're wanting to really press into that as a sales opportunity and as a marketing opportunity for you, I would say this number one use your personal profile strategically.

Speaker 1:

Now, you know, back in the day, I was always like, and everybody was like use your business profile, use your business profile. Well, here's the deal. According to recent data, posts on personal profiles are getting five times more reach than business pages. Now you may be saying well, matt, tell me something. I don't know. Right, I've been seeing that in my experience. We've talked about that a lot in the mentoring program, but I think all of us have kind of come to realize that over the years, and so don't be afraid to lean on your personal profile and that's a great place right where you can share kind of these behind-the-scenes photos, thoughts from your creative process, moments of gratitude, moments of life and just things you're walking through and things that you're experiencing. And you know, anytime that you're sharing that kind of stuff, always give people a call to action, right, and that doesn't always mean click to buy. That could be hey, I'd love to know what you think, or which one of these do you like the most? Or what's your idea about which one of these ideas I should, you know, proceed with, or whatever. Always, always, always, try to ask for meaningful engagement so that you can get people involved in the story and in the conversation of what you're doing around your art.

Speaker 1:

All right, number two Facebook groups are still a gold mine for community. Maybe you are needing to start one, maybe you want to revive one community. Maybe you are needing to start one, maybe you want to revive one, whether it's something around you know people who are collecting your art or maybe it's behind your techniques and tips and processes that you're using in your teaching, or maybe it's a group to talk about what's going on in the studio. These kinds of group spaces can really allow you to go deeper, with people who are actually willing to raise their hand and say, hey, I like you, I like what you're doing, I want to find out more about it, I want to, I want to learn from you, I want to take a class from you. Again, facebook groups are a great, great place to do that.

Speaker 1:

And the third thing I would say about Facebook is go live on purpose. Live videos are still a high priority for Facebook in 2025. And so, whether you're doing like a live, like maybe a 10 minute, 15 minute studio chat where you're just kind of letting people know what's going on in the day, whether you're I don't know, reading an inspirational scripture or poetic quote or something, or whether you're showing off your latest piece or talking about a recent commission or whatever Plan on going live consistently and listen, I know all you perfectionists out there. I can be one as well. Don't worry about being perfect. Just be real, right. Just invite people into your world. I promise you, the more you do it, the better you'll get.

Speaker 1:

I look back at some of my social media back in the day 2008, 2009. I'm like Lord Jesus, who let me on on Facebook with with a camera, right, but guess what, as I did it, more and more, you get better at it, and that's just kind of the nature of the beast. All right, last thing I want to say about Facebook is this if you're not using your meta business suite, um, to post on your business page Now I just told, told you, post on your personal. Yes, do that. But also don't just neglect your business page. And using the meta business suite, it is a great way to schedule and also cross post on Instagram so that you can put one post out but have it come out on two platforms, even customize the post descriptions and all that. And also you get to track the performance, right, how many people are clicking, how many people are being engaged, all that kind of stuff. You can schedule it to go out. I literally this morning this is a Monday morning for me podcasts go out on Tuesday, but I record them every Monday. And on Mondays I sit down and I write the Thriving Christian Artist newsletter. That goes out. I record my weekly podcast. That goes out. And also I schedule all my social media that's going out for the whole week on Monday morning, and guess what? I do it on Facebook and Instagram. I do that on my Meta Business Suite. Listen, you got to get used to using that and it's a simple, simple, simple tool that you can use, and I just want to encourage you, you know, be leveraging that for yourself.

Speaker 1:

All right Now Instagram. All right, really, instagram is still the best place, the great place that artists love to be from a visual perspective. All right, it's still very visual from a visual perspective. All right, it's still very visual, obviously. But the algorithm also is favoring, right now, engagement and conversion over perfection. Now, listen, I know you may be following Instagram influences and be like I can't take these beautiful, perfect pictures like these guys are taking all the time all over Instagram. Don't worry about it. Right? It's about engagement, it's about in. Conversation is about not, it's not about perfection, and so make sure that that you're just as you're putting stuff up, as you're posting things. Get in the comments, ask people questions, talk to them, engage people in your post. That's going to tell the algorithm that you are somebody worth promoting.

Speaker 1:

All right Now a few things that I think are big wins right now on Instagram that I'm seeing number one carousel posts. That is, one post with multiple images going on three to five slides. That is a real plus right now for high engagement. You can use that to show your process. You can use that to maybe share recent testimonies, five things I learned in the studio this week, or five things this last commission taught me, or five things that inspire me. Whatever it keeps people swiping and it increases time on your post and from an engagement standpoint and an algorithm standpoint for Instagram, that is a win, all right.

Speaker 1:

Number two, on Instagram, stories are really a secret weapon for building intimacy and building connection with people. All right, so use your daily stories to share sort of unfiltered studio life, quick, little comments or funny things. Ask questions. Show your face, you know, show your studio, show your materials, what you're working on. Recent insights in Instagram are showing that artists who show their face and talk on video and I know all the introverts are going, I don't want to do this, listen artists who show their face and talk on video, according to recent research, has 70% higher chances of getting replies and shares. Why? Because people feel like they can relate to you. All right, so that's a big deal.

Speaker 1:

Number three, on Instagram reels equal reach, stories, equal relationship All right. So use reels. All right, these short, 30, 60, 90 second videos. Use reels to expand your audience, but use stories to nurture the ones that are already there All right. So, again, you kind of use them in tandem. Reels are bringing people in, stories are drawing people close to you, and that's a great thing you know to do, all right. And then, lastly, a couple of things on Instagram DMs direct messages right, are where most of the sales are happening on Instagram, so be sure to respond to comments, follow new engaged users and send voice memos in your direct messages. It can be a powerful and personal way to connect with people and direct them right to whatever sales channel you want.

Speaker 1:

All right, and listen, if you're not using Canva, I mean, oh my gosh, where are you? It's 2025. You need to be using Canva, uh, to to really uh. You know you can be making reels, you can be making carousel graphics, you can be making single post graphics, doing all kind of stuff with Canva to really make your Instagram look great, and so I just want to encourage you definitely be using that as you're, you know, developing all that you're doing on Instagram and on Facebook too, so it's a great tool for that. All right Now, lastly, tiktok, and I know we're covering a lot today, so go back and re-listen if you need to, but listen TikTok.

Speaker 1:

I know for a lot of people that are, let's say, 40 plus, it may feel like the dance party that you weren't invited to, but listen to me, it's not too late to get into TikTok. And the good thing is TikTok, even as a platform, is maturing a lot and the algorithm is turning into one that is really highly personalized, all right. And there's a ton of artists on there, ton of, you know, faith-filled content on there as well, and people that are coming from a you know, faith-centered point of view, if you will. So, few things that I would say on TikTok in 2025, number one 15 to 60. Second, sort of micro stories, all right, that are going to kind of start with a hook that that makes it really curious or make something that sounds really surprising. Invite people in, be raw, be real, be kind of in the moment, but do it quickly, all right. Number two if you can start speaking to identifying and speaking to a niche, a niche of people on there, that is something that the algorithm really, really loves, because it loves it when you can really speak with clarity. All right, like for me if I'm saying, hey, christian artists over 50, or if I can say, you know, nature lovers who want art in their home, or nature inspired art lovers, or something like that, or people who want to fill their art, their home, with with art. That means something you know, whatever your lane is, whatever you ever, you find, uh, you know, some some real connection with stay there and really work that All right.

Speaker 1:

As you're speaking to that niche number three, I would say, uh, use trending sounds, but with your own twist. All right. So maybe you're you're doing a video with your art process and trending audio. Okay, that's a great thing for reach, all right, but make sure that you're doing things that really are representative of the look and feel and sound that you are as an artist, and I think that just, hopefully, that goes without saying but just make sure that you're not. You know, if, like for somebody like me, I'm not going to be using punk rock, uh, music to to represent my art and who I am as an artist is, people will be like what are you doing, man, this is not like you. For somebody like me, I'm going to be using like I don't know acoustic guitar or maybe some blues or maybe some worship music or or whatever it be. That's kind of who I am, what people are used to, and that's probably what I would be looking for trending audio within those styles, all right.

Speaker 1:

Um, last thing, a couple of things I would say on on TikTok, pin your best three videos to the top of your profile, all right, ideally one that's telling people about you, one that's maybe a storytelling video and one that is actually showing off maybe your best work, your latest work, your commission, whatever. All right. Again, it just gives people a quick way to learn who you are and connect quickly with you on the platform, all right. And lastly, if you're not using CapCut, both for TikTok and for Instagram, I would just say, look at it. It's a great great tool that's super inexpensive, that can produce these professional reels really fast, great captions, and it's just a tool that I use and I think you ought to be probably, um, considering, you know, using that as well, all right.

Speaker 1:

So listen again, just to wrap this thing up, no matter what platform that you're using, the principles of trying to convert people from just followers into clients are the same across any platform. Number one know your people, speak directly to the heart of your ideal collector and not just randomly. You know this everybody, sort of thing. Number two, I would say make invitations, not just announcements. All right, say things like hey, I got three pieces available this week, or I got a brand new piece that I want to introduce you to this week, or, you know, join my collector's club and find out when the next piece drops. All right, invite them to be a part of what's going on with you, not just making these sort of blanket blase sort of announcements. And no matter what platform you're doing, connection counts, right?

Speaker 1:

So always lead with a story, lead from the heart and uh and trust, and I just I believe this for all of us as we share authentically who we are and what we're doing and the things that God's called us to do in the context of our creative process. He's the one that brings the fruitfulness, he's the one that brings the sales, that brings the people to us that we can engage with. All right, Listen, I know social media can be so overwhelming, it can be a lot, but the key to it, I think, is be yourself, share your story, connect well with people and trust God for the conversion as you give people clear call to actions or to follow All right. Father, thank you that in 2025, we have all of these incredible tools at our disposal to really share not only who you are, but who we are in you and what we're doing creatively and how we can release your light in life. God, I pray for grace and wisdom and discernment for people as they continue to lean into the social media platforms that we have access to, to be a light and to be a light bringer and a life giver to all the people that follow us and all the people that can potentially find out who we are and what we do creatively. We thank you for that, lord in Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 1:

Hey, thanks, my friend, for being with me today. Remember, we're on the road to 2 million downloads. Can you believe it? It only happens through you, as you subscribe, as you share this podcast with others and as you keep coming back every week to the podcast, hopefully for some encouragement and some uplifting content that's going to help you be everything that God's called you to be as an artist in his kingdom. I love you, my friend. I'll see you next time and remember, till then, you were created to thrive.

Speaker 1:

Bye, hey, my friend, before you go, make sure that you're signed up for the Thriving Christian Artist Weekly. It's my free newsletter, full of spiritual encouragement, creative inspiration and practical tips to help you thrive in everything that God's called you to do as an artist in his kingdom. Every issue is absolutely free and it includes the latest podcast episode, featured artist spotlights, a worship song of the week and, again, tons of tips and encouragement and inspiration for you to keep you inspired and encouraged in everything that God's got for you as an artist in the kingdom. You can click the link right here in the show notes to join us, and it's a great way to stay connected in the kingdom. You can click the link right here in the show notes to join us, and it's a great way to stay connected. All right, love you, bye.