How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off
If you want to teach, you need a pool of potential students.
You need a following. And a following suggests there is a leader. If you expect people to sign up for your classes or buy your how-to book, you must step up and be the leader.
You’ve got to position yourself as an expert.
Becoming known for your skills is not an overnight process. It’s a process that you must be dedicated to and in it for the long haul.
I built Art Biz Coach using all of the tactics I share below. I think it would be harder to start my business today because the market is much noisier than when I opened back in 2002.
Your market is also robust. There are more people seeking instruction, and there are a lot more artists who are teaching in their own studios, in art centers and supply stores, and online.
In business terms, this presents both a threat and an opportunity. The threat is that more people are competing for students. The opportunity is that you can differentiate yourself.
The distinguishing characteristics of a successful, independent art teacher are:
Art Exhibition Checklist and Timeline to Customize
There is so much to think about when you’re getting organized for an art exhibition. Above all, you should be making and finishing the art.
An exhibition checklist will keep you on task for your show without having to spend unnecessary brain cells wondering what you should be doing.
The tasks on your checklist, and the deadlines you give them, will depend on the following:
The type of exhibition (juried, self-curated, open studio)
If the venue is in charge of sales and refreshments or if that’s up to you
Whether you’re showing with other artists
The amount of time you have to plan
With this in mind, you can use the list below to customize your own timeline.
Do It Now
Set a goal. What would you like to have happen at this exhibition or as a result of it?
Plan your budget. How much can you afford to spend on materials and framing? How much can you allocate to promotions, printing, and a reception?
Identify a theme and curate the work accordingly. Your exhibition should make sense. What will hold the works together?
Give it a title because titles distinguish one show from another on your résumé.
Titles with your name in them
How To Attract More Followers to Your List
These are the 3 steps to attracting people to your list if they are followers on social media …
Content Crimes: How You’re Misbehaving Online
As I wrote last week, you could waste a lot of time online if you’re not paying attention.
Let’s look at this subject a little closer so that we’re not just looking at where you’re wasting time, but at how you’re harming your art career goals.
My friend, Cynthia, calls them content crimes. Nobody is going to throw you in jail for committing these transgressions, but you might check yourself into rehab when you decide to do something about it.
Here are the top 4 content crimes you might be committing.
Content Crime #1: You’re inconsistent.
You sent a newsletter for a few months and then nothing. Nada. The big zippo.
You tried blogging for a while … um … whenever you felt like it.
You heard that artists were selling art from Facebook, so you built a business page and put a few pictures up. It’s just not working for me, you claimed. Waste of time.
If you are truly excited about your art, you’ll share it repeatedly, even if you think nobody is listening, because you believe in yourself. You don’t give up.
If you do give up, I’m led to believe …
Stop Wasting Time on Social Media
Are you wasting time trying to promote your art on social media sites?
I’m not implying that you shouldn’t be on those sites. I’m just wondering if you’re using them to their potential.
It’s not that you need to be posting and sharing more. It’s that you want to make sure your effort is worth it for you. In other words, you should invest in quality, not quantity.
If you don’t, you might be wasting time.
Mindful sharing will bring you more friends, more shares, and more likes, which results in more people to buy your art or to offer you opportunities. It’s not only more rewarding, it’s also more fun.
Here are some tips to help ensure that you’re spending time wisely online.
Pick Your Platforms
Think of all the photos you have to take. The videos you intend to make. The words you need to write. So. Much. Work.
You don’t have to be everywhere.
You don’t have time to be everywhere!
34 Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference
It’s a Memorial Day tradition at Art Biz Coach to offer a list of reminders for your art business.
This is a twist on that tradition.
With inspiration from the stage of Copyblogger’s Authority Rainmaker conference, I opened up my notes and share my biggest takeaways with you.
The thing to remember about live events, books, and even online classes is that not everything shared is going to apply to you. You’re either not ready to receive it, you’re past its relevance in your growth, or it doesn’t match your business model.
You have to look for the nuggets in these situations. I find that there is usually at least one thing from each talk, lesson, or chapter that is worth the investment.
Here are some of the highlights worth remembering.
