In marketing your art, there are no absolutes—regardless of what you might hear from a so-called expert or influencer. Everything is a test. You don’t know what works until you try, look at results, and make adjustments.
How do you know which is right? There’s only one way to know which is the right option for you. Test and track them!
Test your email marketing and track your results Read
There is no reason to be repetitive in emails and social media posts when you promote your art exhibition, event, or class. Hitting a different angle with each message makes it more likely you’ll pique the interest of followers.
I have some ideas for doing just that. Many of these suggestions lend themselves to emails, while others could easily be adapted for social media.
Vary your marketing message Read
Your artist mailing list is your most valuable marketing asset. It is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. It’s your #1 marketing asset.
Let me emphasize that by saying it a different way: There is nothing more important you can do to build your art business and career than to nurture your relationships.
In reality, most artists have 3 mailing lists, not just 1. Here’s what I mean.
Rethinking mailing lists for artists (182) Read
Two things are clear when it comes to pricing.
First, it’s a struggle for most artists. And, second, there’s a good chance that your prices are too low.
The difficulty with pricing art is legendary. You’re not the only one who doesn’t have it all figured out.
Fear not! In this post and podcast episode, I give you 5 reasons to raise your prices and then thoughts on how to do it.
Why you should raise the prices of your art and how to do it (177) Read
Much of the stress of meeting new people comes from the mistaken notion that this one contact is your only opportunity.
If you think about it as your only opportunity, you aren’t leaving open the possibility of developing a meaningful relationship. And strong professional relationships are what will grow and sustain your art career.
Instant Relief from the Pressure of Pitching Your Art Read
Marketing is more effective and more enjoyable when you make more personal connections rather than relying on posts and broadcasts. When you interact 1-on-1, whether it’s in person or digitally.
I call this activating your marketing. I have suggestions for how to do this when using social media, searching for venues for showing and selling, getting the most from exhibitions, and more.
Activate Your Marketing for a Bigger Audience (142) Read
We’re all about the quest for more followers, more likes, more shares, more views, and more comments these days. It feels good when more people respond to your art because, as I’ve said for too long to remember, art is a form of communication. It’s the means you use to share your ideas … your
The Art Biz ep. 107: Personalizing Your Marketing to Improve Results Read
Every marketing effort should be a test. Nothing in your routine should be considered sacred because you want increasingly better results.
If you’ve been doing the same things to promote your art in the same way and wonder why you’re not getting better results, here are 54 things you might want to tweak and re-test.
Test your art marketing efforts for better results Read
Ever worry about bothering people with your emails or postcards? Even though everyone on your list has opted in to hear from you, it still doesn’t feel right to email so many people so frequently. I get it.
There’s a solution to this dilemma. Send emails only to certain segments of your list, which will vary based on the messages you are sending, but these are the 7 types of segmenting that I suggest frequently to my clients.
7 Ways to segment your mailing list and make it more useful Read
I wish I could pull a number out of the hat and tell you how to price your art.
It’s not that easy, as you’ve surely discovered. Every artist’s path to their sweet spot for pricing is different.
I’ve come to know that there isn’t a single art market that you can look to as an exact model. There are many art markets – each with its own pricing structure.
Here are a few guidelines to begin with.
1. Your first step is to research your market. Look for artists who do similar work using similar materials and who are at a comparable point in their careers.
Whenever you compare your prices to those of other artists, make sure you know that the work you’re looking at is actually selling. It doesn’t do you any good to look at prices from an artist whose work isn’t moving.
Many artists have adopted a formula for square-inch pricing. This is fine, but it must be based on something. You can’t pull a number out of the air. Follow all of the tips here and your formula will be well grounded.
2. Start lower. It’s easier to start on the low end of the scale and raise your prices than it is to lower your prices later.
However . . .
3. Never undervalue your work. Selling your art too cheaply means you’re probably not getting paid what it’s worth.
When you devalue your art, you devalue the art of every other artist who is trying make a living – many of whom genuinely need the money.
The dangers in pricing your artwork too low are:
11 Tips for Pricing Your Art Read
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