Small Business Marketing Tips for Fine and Digital Artists
Fine and digital art are popular business niches, especially if you do realism and hyper-realism. Marketing yourself involves more than creating a website and social media account, though. You must work on different marketing tactics to go from an occasional seller to a true small business.
Practice Good SEO
If you don't have a website, this is the best place to start. Unless you have a background in web design, you will probably want to leave this job to professionals. Part of good search engine optimization (SEO) will include researching keywords that are not only popular with low competition, but that are also applicable to your art. SEO for fine and digital art can be more challenging than other types of small businesses. Since your business is visual, you will rely less on written content. This means you may have to focus on keywords in your descriptions and introduce yourself as an artist. A blog is the most strategic way to introduce written content on your website. As an artist, it will be important to have an extensive online portfolio not only to serve as a resume for people who want commissions, but to sell original art or prints. Many artists find selling prints is more lucrative than selling original artwork because it is appealing to people of various income levels.
Showcase Yourself On Social Media
Many fine and digital arts work hard to build up a following on social media. Some social media platforms are more geared toward artists because of their features. For example, Facebook allows you to post videos, do live shows, and create a community around your brand. YouTube is another good option because of the ability to post videos and do live videos. This does not mean other platforms have no value, but they are better for cross-posting pictures and short blurbs about your work. Many artists do long or short videos showing their progress on different pieces. If the aim of the video is to teach, you may want to do a longer educational video about your techniques. When the purpose is simply to show how you did a piece, you can speed up the video so viewers have an idea of the progression of the piece.
Teach Rather Than Tell
Most artists find their small business becomes more lucrative if part of their marketing is dedicated to teaching. There are many aspiring artists, especially those who want to create realistic work, who would love to know your techniques and ask questions. Basic videos about introductory techniques and answering common questions are fine, but you will need to do more to attract more people. Live shows are increasingly popular because it gives viewers an opportunity to ask questions and receive an answer in real-time. Generally, artists do Q and A sessions while working on a piece so viewers can also see the progression and technique.
Multitasking can be cumbersome, so to give viewers the best experience, you may want to have someone available during your live stream that can ask you the questions. This increases the likelihood that questions will not be skipped and helps block people who disrupt the stream and frustrate actual viewers.
Fine and digital artists have to take a unique approach to small business marketing because they must use visual appeal. You should use a combination of strategies to not only promote your art, but to find multiple avenues for income streams and to grow your business. For more information, contact a small business online marketing service to learn more.
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