It’s all about marketing nowadays, isn’t it? We discussed extensively about personal branding in the blog last week and how it can be crucial for an art business and the legacy of the artist behind it. With the positive response to that blog, I thought why not take a deeper dive into art marketing and see how it can effectively be used by an artist to help promote and eventually sell their artwork.
So, in this blog, we will be going over some elementary yet fundamental steps that you can take today to help get the word out about your business, your work and your brand. So, what are these steps? Take a look…
Any social media is good media
I cannot emphasis enough how important it is to be visible on as many social media platforms as possible. Regardless of what your follow count is, you should be talking and posting about your art on all of your social media channels. Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok are a good launching pad for your first social media marketing campaign. You do not have to have elaborate art marketing strategies to get started or get bogged down with the engagement numbers. Simply start by creating content that is about your art: this could simply be a behind-the-scenes look into how you work on your art to announcements about your upcoming projects.
Once you get the ball rolling, it would be great if you invest time in planning out your social media engagement with your followers. This could involve creating content beforehand, using the right hashtags and scheduling posts to lead up to the announcement of a new series or painting. It always helps to look like you have a plan and everything is going according to it…
Maximising on real-world networking opportunities (exhibitions, art fairs, gallery openings etc)
We can take marketing out of the sphere of digital media and utilize opportunities that exist in the real world to get the word out for our work. I have personally found that participating in art exhibitions and fairs to be an incredibly rewarding experience, as you get to connect with fellow artists and also meet art aficionados who could be potential clients.
You do not have to start by participating in these events initially as buying a stand can be quite an investment, you can just simply visit them and understand what the footfall is like and how well it is organized. Even initial visits can be treated as a marketing opportunity if you go out there and engage with as many people as possible. If you have the resources, it will really help if you have creative business cards and pamphlets of your art business to pass around when you attend such gatherings.
Pay for advertising and marketing experts
If you are short on time and just would like to focus all your efforts on creating your art, then making use of advertising services involving Google ads and other social media channels will be of great benefit. Depending on your budget, you can use an advertising agency which focuses on marketing for artists that can take away the burden of marketing off of your shoulders. Additionally, you can make use of an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert that can help your website rank higher in search results and drive more traffic towards it. I have an incredible SEO expert that helps me with my blogs every week actually and trust me, she has done wonders for my online profile.
You can also look into reputable PR companies or freelance agents that have the right connections to get you featured in trade magazines and publications. This can instantly bring a lot of attention to your work; however, it can be quite the costly investment.
YOUR WEBSITE IS EVERYTHING
I know, I know…I have said this countless number of times, but this is really one of the most important art marketing tips. If none of the steps above are possible for you to do, then you need to at least have an active website. To quote an earlier blog:
“Your website should be a personal statement, visually and textually, that gives the visitor an idea about what your art is about.
Think of your website as a blank canvas on which you are building a collage of your work, ideas and your artistic journey. Your website should be treated like a private gallery of your own work, where you want to display your pieces in the best possible manner. Therefore, the cost of developing a visually appealing website should be considered an investment that you can reap the benefits off later on.”
And that’s pretty much it! To conclude, I must emphasise that marketing is a practice in patience and diligence: You have to be frequent and consistent with your engagement and updates online and in the real-world to start getting an actual positive response for your business. Therefore, trying out some of these steps can get you started on the road of marketing your art, keeping in mind that Rome was not built in a day…
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