Market Your Art Follow These Tips To Develop an Effective Strategy
In the February/March issue, I wrote about the value of time and how it is often overlooked and under considered. I am now turning to another aspect of business that gets pushed aside — even though it is probably the single most important determiner of whether you will be successful — marketing.
We remember the line from Field of Dreams — “If you build it, they will come.” For some reason, too many believe business works that way. But it does not.
You can have the best idea in the world, the most amazing restaurant ever conceived, or the most beautiful painting ever created. But if no one knows about it, you will never be able to sell it. That is where marketing comes in.
When a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, it really does not make a sound. While not true scientifically, it is absolutely true figuratively. Marketing is the art of focusing people on the tree, so they hear the sound it makes.
When we set priorities in our business, marketing is too often treated as a luxury or overlooked entirely. It becomes the category we contribute to only if we have left-over change.
After all, rent, supplies, insurance, show fees, travel costs, living expenses, and utilities get prioritized because the need to take care of them feels immediate. All those things are important.
However, budgeting for marketing should be among your top three priorities. It is the expenditure that creates your income stream.
Without marketing and advertising, you are not getting your products noticed. If your product is not noticed, it is not purchased. If it is not purchased, you will not have money to pay for your immediate needs and will be unable to continue making your art.
Setting aside money for marketing and advertising allows you to reach the people you need to for your business to succeed. While this initially seems daunting, start slowly and experiment with different methods until you find the right combination.
Photographs and Memories
The first thing you should create is your website. This is your home base. Everything you do will try to direct people back to it.
Your website should be your marketing masterpiece. It draws customers in and gets them to want to know more about you. It shows a gallery of your work. It is a storefront from which sales can be made.
It gives customers your schedule so they can find you. It shows videos of you, your studio, your process, and all the things that make you and your artwork unique and worth collecting. Your website tells your story.
Websites do not necessarily require a ton of money, but they do require an investment of time. You can hire someone to create a website for you, but you need to do the heavy lifting since no one knows your story better than you.
At a recent show, I talked to a vendor who was concerned he was quoted $1,500 per month for someone to create and maintain his website. Hiring someone costs a small fortune. In my opinion, it is entirely unnecessary.
There are many companies that offer website builder templates, so you can create your website economically. Do a little research to find out which website builder feels right for you.
Go with the one that is most intuitive since you will do the work. Also, pick one with great customer service. No matter how good you are working on computers, you will have questions and need to call someone.
I have used Squarespace for more than 10 years and am happy with the company. It is mostly intuitive, and I can get answers from customer support when I hit a roadblock.
I can upload videos and create calendars and other pages to highlight my work and business. I even have a portal for website sales.
Because I now sell wholesale to other stores, I have a password protected page my store customers can access to see my latest wholesale prices. My total cost for this is just under $300 per year. Website sales alone more than compensate for it.
If you have not set up a website — or have not updated it recently — do some research, explore your options, and get an online presence. More sales are online. We must adapt with the times.
My website averages around 1,000 visitors per month. Some are looking for me. Others are exploring pottery and could become future customers. Once established, your website is an inexpensive tool that works for you every day, all day long.
