5 Invaluable Marketing Tips for Emerging Artists

Do you want to be a successful artist and earn a decent living from your art? According to Monica Bryne, a writer, and 2016 Ted talk speaker, only 10% of art school graduates earn a living from their art.

But, is your dream to be the next Picasso impractical? No. If you are creative and oozing with passion, you can find your way to the top in the art industry. To succeed as an artist, you need to believe in yourself; read top art books and blogs; find a mentor preferably a person, who has tried, failed and succeeded in the industry; treat art as your business; and market your art.

Investing in marketing helps you to connect with the customers while building your brand. If you lack ideas and skills in marketing, read on to find out the top marketing tips for emerging artists to succeed in the business of art.

1. Create your portfolio.

If you are going to sell in the market, you need a product. Likewise, if you want customers and employers to notice you; a good portfolio is a must-have. A portfolio will help showcase your strengths and skills to prospective clients. It also serves as proof of professionalism and experience.

As an emerging artist, you might lack any previous work to use in your portfolio. The way forward is to create at least five artworks that can exhibit your potential. It is even better to create multiple samples and pick those that are the most outstanding.

More important, include in your portfolio, any awards or certifications won in college or high school.

While creating your portfolio, remember these tips;

• Make sure that your artwork is of the highest quality, and the formats are easy to access. Today, customers prefer online folders that are easy to share. You can create free portfolios on WordPress, Google Drive, and Pathbrite.
• Use your finest art. The goal of creating a portfolio is to impress and win customers. Your best work is your first selling point.
• If a client has requested a portfolio, follow his/her requirements to the letter.
• Use a resume or CV to showcase your unique strengths and relevant soft skills that you possess.

2. Build an Online Presence

In March 2019, there were 4.3 billion internet users, and with the growth of e-commerce, it is now easier than ever to grow your business online. Internet connectivity gives you a broader market base and faster growth potential than the old localized way of marketing.

According to David Anderson, author at IHateWritingEssays, integration of social media sites and websites enhances engagement with followers and customers. After creating your portfolio; building your social media business pages and blog should follow.

The following are essential guidelines to consider when growing your online presence:

• Build outstanding profile pages; your social media profiles must be striking, use quality profile images give portray professionalism. Your bio and about pages should vividly showcase your skills.
• If you are going to start a blog, create a domain that has the name of your art theme or your name. Using your names can help you grow as a brand. For instance, if you Google the name Neil Patel, the results that appear are Neil Patel’s website and social media pages.
• Integrate your social media pages into your blog and connect your Facebook and Instagram pages. Customers will quickly follow and share your content.
• Share your content regularly. Do you know the story of 26-year-old Eli Waduba Yusuf from Nigeria? Kevin Hart, the famous US actor, contacted him directly after his portraits of Kevin went Viral.

3. Network

As an emerging artist, networking is one of the best ways to attract new fans, investors, and followers. It is important to note; networking events are not selling platforms but an opportunity to build relationships with the long-term aim of growing your customer base. Use the functions to make friends in different business sectors, sharing and collecting business cards.

Important networking tips;

• Attend networking events that are relevant to your business (Art).
• Pay attention and ask a lot of questions, especially from art gurus.
• Issue your business cards only when requested.
• Use the meetup app to identify likely events in your area.
• Participate in art auditions and exhibitions.
• Visit the art galleries and museums in your area. You can expect to find art lovers in such places.

4. Research and Understand What the Market Wants

Since your brand is new and still growing, it is vital to seek feedback and suggestions from collectors and potential buyers to determine what they want. Also, with the changing technology, research will help you to keep abreast with technology and to track new customer tastes and competition. Be sure to use the analytics from your website and social media sites in improving and refining your art.

You can also visit online art shops like Etsy, Artpal, Singular, and Amazon to track the bestselling art items. This information will help you in customizing your art to meet customers’ needs.

5. Be Consistent

Implementing other tips can be easy, but most artists fail with consistency and discipline. Consistency means proper time planning and repetitive application of the appropriate strategies to achieve your business goals.

You must practice daily to grow your expertise. You must also market consistently and engage your fans and customers online.

You can achieve consistency by:

• Creating a schedule for your upcoming activities; prioritize urgent and critical marketing activities.
• Using reminders and alarms.
• Engaging your fans and customers regularly.
• Sticking to set schedules unless inevitable circumstances occur.
• Rewarding yourself; when you attain a marketing goal, you can choose to reward yourself. For example, you set goals based on specific sales targets.
• Using social media tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, Postplanner or Coschedule to help you in planning and managing your social media pages.

If you have been dreaming about availing your beautiful art for the world to see, ensure that you follow the expert marketing tips discussed in this article to get the best results. Remember that while forging alliances with art galleries is important, forming alliances with fellow artists is equally important as it exposes you to new ideas and boosts your creativity.

About the writer: Carol Duke is very keen on teaching students new, effective ways of learning. When not freelancing and blogging on marketing-related matters, Carol enjoys traveling, taking immense pleasure from visiting new countries.