Creating opportunities through LinkedIn

No matter how autonomously you work, having a network around you as an artist is nice. For example, because it makes for interesting collaborations, a pleasant sparring partner, sales of work, new commissions, financing or (participation in) an exhibition. LinkedIn is a good medium to work on such a network online. According to trainer Brendy Batenburg, LinkeIn is a social media channel where you can get inspiration and where you can build a network. How do you do that? Batenburg defines three steps.

1. Provide a good entry point

LinkedIn can be split into two different parts: a timeline with posts from people in your network (plus ads) and your own profile. The profile is your personal landing page where you show who you are and what you make. Just like in real life, here too: you only make a first impression once.

Banner

That first impression starts with something very simple. Suppose the banner (the wide picture at the top of your profile) immediately shows what kind of work you do; for example, it makes it clear at a glance that you are the illustrator people are looking for. If you handle that well and make it nicely visible, you'll have the right audience right away.

Options for a good banner:

- Provide a logo or recognizable corporate identity colors
- think of a clear slogan
- clarify in a few words what you do and for whom
- choose a representative (art) work as a banner

Be sure to check out banners on peer profiles for inspiration.

Banner customization?

In your profile, go to the wide photo at the top of the page > click on the pencil at the top right > add a nice banner photo.

Invite action

What do you want the person visiting your profile to do: have a cup of coffee to get acquainted, schedule an appointment to spar, or view the portfolio on your website? You arrange this through the "link in bio," the link you can place under your profile picture and title.

Add link in bio?

First, turn on "creator mode. You can find this option in the third block under your profile picture. Important: For this mode, you must meet certain criteria. For example, you must have at least 150 connections. If you do not see the creator mode, it could be because of that.

Next, go to the block in your profile that includes your title and profile picture. In this block, click on the pencil in the upper right corner > in the pop-up menu, scroll all the way down and select 'add custom button' > add a link in the first field, and a call to action in the second field (e.g., 'view my portfolio here') > don't forget to save.

Show what makes you unique

Highlight things you are especially proud of or that show off well what you do. There are plenty of options. For example, you can pin in a special block for highlighted items, share images or add links. Think of it as a portfolio on a small scale.

Add highlighted items?

At the top of your profile, click on the 'add profile item' button > under 'recommended' click on add featured item. You can now get started. Add as many items as you like. You can also choose one item that will get extra attention.

A good title is worth its weight in gold

How do you come to people's attention? Partly because they use LinkedIn to search for certain terms. This is why a good title in your profile is indispensable. Make sure it contains important search terms, such as what you are and what you do, for example visual artist or illustrator. You can further indicate specializations in the title.

Change title?

Via the block below the banner > click on the pencil at the top right > scroll to header and adjust as desired.

2. Find and exploit opportunities

If you've been on LinkedIn for a while, you may have built up quite a network. You see all kinds of posts from connections, supplemented with an advertisement here and there. Of course, there might be a good opportunity among them. But why wait until something comes your way? You can use LinkedIn to look for it yourself.

LinkedIn has a search function. The field for it is at the top left of the timeline. (Click on "home" to get here). Here you can enter all kinds of keywords. For example, "search illustrator freelance. This will bring up search results. Click on the filter 'contributions' at the top. You will then see all posts that contain your keywords. Filter by 'newest' (at the top of 'sort by') and you'll get the most current results. You might find a great call for a contest or job, or come across an interesting person or organization you didn't know about. And so you can expand your network with relevant new parties or contacts.

Tips

• Give yourself time to experiment with different combinations of keywords. You usually won't find what you're looking for right away.
• Found an interesting post? Save it for later. You can do that by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner of the post and choosing 'save'. Saved posts can be found to the left of your timeline under 'my items'.
• Click through on the person or organization that shared an interesting contribution. What does this person or organization do? And is it of interest to you? If the answer is yes, you can follow the person or organization. Future posts will also automatically appear in your timeline.

3. Stay visible and create a network with interesting content

Being active yourself on LinkedIn is an indispensable part of taking advantage of opportunities. This way, potential buyers, cooperation partners or client know how to find you faster.

Provide clarity and structure

It's nice for followers to know what they can get from you. It shows in your profile, in the way you respond to others and in the contributions you share yourself. By working with a number of fixed themes, your story is consistent. In your contributions, you can always choose from changing topics.

Consider, for example:

• Share knowledge because you can tell a lot about a particular technique or way of working
• the development of your practice
• your personal values
• interesting collaborations or exhibitions

Choose quality

How often you post depends on what you want. It is important to note that the quality of a contribution affects its ultimate reach. The more relevant a post is to your professional practice and field, the better it will help you find a network that suits you. In short: don't post because you have to, but because you have something interesting to say. It also makes posting more fun. Do challenge yourself regularly to find those interesting stories in your own work. And tag people you work with.

Adding a carousel (a post with several images that you scroll through horizontally) to your contribution works well on LinkedIn. Followers are more likely to click on your post (because they want to see all the images), which means to the algorithm that your post is rated higher. A carousel is a square pdf that consists of several pages. You can create such a pdf in different formatting programs or Powerpoint. Canva even has a special option for LinkedIn, which immediately formats the pdf correctly.

Comment

Comments and interactions on posts determine who sees your contributions, and what you see. So it makes sense to respond to others' interesting contributions (with a comment or a like). And also respond to others who respond to your contributions. In this way, you can even influence how long a post is visible in others' timelines. When you respond to a post, including one of your own, it is visible again in the timeline.

Read the full article here, on the Culture and Enterprise website

This report is based on the first meeting of the Artist Meetings 2023, a series of four sessions in which artists explore with experts how to strengthen and expand their independent social and economic position. The Artist Meetings offer reflection, insight and concrete tips for making strides in your own practice.

Artist Meetings 2023 is an initiative of Art is A Guaranty, filmmaker and art manager Annick Vroom, politically engaged sculptor and conceptual visual artist Caspar Berger and Cultuur+Ondernemen.