An Artist in Business, How-To

Top 10 Methods To Market Your Art

How many times have you impressed people with your artwork? Have you heard the statement “You should sell these!” Are you seriously considering art as your bread and butter? Let’s face the facts, art in itself is a powerful channel of skills, personality, and emotion but, producing art is not an instant way to make money. In addition, if you were like almost every artist and crafter out there, you would rather spend your time creating than doing art marketing. However, you probably already know that art marketing is necessary to get the cash flow going so you can continue creating. But how? Here are the top 10 methods to get you started in art marketing:

  1. Get listed

If you want to succeed in the art industry, you should know that you could not do it alone. Luckily, the art community is welcoming to those who can prove their worth and chances are, there is a local art group in your area that you can join. Getting listed in art communities marks the start of creating your network and getting access to other resources such as other artists, venues, shows, fairs, discounts, and more.

  1. Attend Artist Meetings and Conferences

Once you have access to a local art group, it is also wise to attend their events and physically socialize in meetings and conferences.  You can also search google for “local artist meetings and conferences.”  You do not just get connections; you also get ideas and inspirations. So many opportunities come to people who go out and attend these things.

  1. Have a blog or website

The power of the blogosphere is beyond awesome. Having a blog establishes your online presence and it is a way to build relationships with other people in the art community, potential buyers of your art, and more. The best thing about blogs is they are virtually free from platforms such as blogger.com and wordpress.com. If you put content like tutorials and tips for other aspiring artists, you could also establish a following and a specific audience, too.  If you want your own hosting, website and blog, contact Help 2 Succeed.

  1. Embrace social media

As most businesses know by now, it is a major disadvantage if a business does not have a single social networking account. Artists can benefit from social media because it is easier for word to get around and works to be shared through social media. There’s not a lot to do, just put your work (watermarked of course) and thoughts out there and chances are someone will appreciate and share it with others. Some of the most useful social media platforms for artists and art marketing are:

  • Facebook (especially the business page)
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube (if you like moving art and tutorials)
  1. Get an online store

It is important that people have a go-to place when they want to view or purchase your work. Getting your own gallery or storefront is way expensive, but getting an account with Etsy.com costs next to nothing. Participating in the online market place does not just give you online visibility, but keeps you updated on what other are making and selling as well.

  1. Collaborate

Once you have made some friends in art communities and in social media, it is a good idea to collaborate in an artwork, a video, an exhibit and even co-authoring in blogs. This has been common over at YouTube, where artists cross over to other artists’ sites as guests. The premise is to be discovered and liked by the existing audience of the other artist you are collaborating with and vice versa.

 

  1. Teach

Another good way to engage your audience and possible clients is through teaching. It may not seem like a good art marketing idea, but if you have a certain skill that many are interested in learning about, sharing your talent can earn you money. Teaching a class targets so many aspects of art marketing:

  • Getting people interested in the craft
  • Getting people interested in you as an artist
  • Getting people to pay to learn
  • Getting people to want to buy what you make since you appear to be an expert
  1. Art garage sale

If you have the space to do it, have an “art and supply garage sale”. It does not mean sell your stuff for cheap. Think of it as introducing yourself to your neighborhood as an artist that they might want to commission for future work.

  1. Advertise subtly

Get your logo on a shirt, give a small artwork to a coffee shop, or volunteer to do art on the wall of a restaurant. It’s all about visibility.

  1. Get a Open Air Marketplace stall or Create a Pop-Up Shop

Open Air Marketplaces are everywhere – search google for “swap meet,” “local marketplace,” and “flea market.”  Even if you just share a stall with a friend at a Sunday market, the fact that you are there gets you noticed.  You can also create a Pop-Up Shop by finding a local store that is empty and asking to use it for a certain period of time.  You can explain to the owner that getting positive attention to the empty store can help to get it leased.  Sometimes you can get a space like this for little to nothing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *