As an artist, you know how hard it is to stand out in an increasingly digital world.

You want your art to reach a larger audience but don’t know where to begin.

That’s why I have put together this guide on effective art marketing strategies. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, these strategies will help you take your passion to the next level. Let’s get started!

Building your brand will help you market your business with efficiency and clarity and you will spend less time and be more effective selling your work—and more time actually doing the things you love.

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Building Your Brand and Knowing Your Audience

Nailing your brand and identifying the people who connect with it is critical to success in a creative business. It should be tackled as your top priority!

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How do you begin to market your work if you don't know who you are marketing too? And no, EVERYONE is not a target audience.

It is important that you have a clear idea of who your artwork is for so that you can tailor your brand message accordingly or even change up how you deliver your work for your ideal people. Researching who you are, and who you exist for is your first step towards building something that people connect with.

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YOU NEED TO:
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1.  Define Your Brand
The first step to nailing your brand is to define it. What are the core values that you want your brand to represent? What are your goals for your brand? Once you have a clear understanding of what you want your brand to be, you can start to develop a strategy for how to achieve those goals.

2.  Identifying Your Target Audience
Once you have defined your brand, you need to identify the people who will connect with it. Who are your ideal customers? What are their demographics? What are their interests? Once you have a clear understanding of who your target audience is, you can start to develop marketing and advertising campaigns that will resonate with them.

3.  Developing a Marketing Strategy
Once you have defined your brand and identified your target audience, you need to develop a marketing strategy. How are you going to reach your target audience? What channels are they most likely to be using? What type of content are they most likely to engage with? Once you have a clear understanding of how you're going to reach your target audience, you can start to develop and execute your marketing campaigns.

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Be sure to spend time researching what other artists are doing, so that you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

Research what similar artists are doing and do something different.

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Consider using social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to research and discover what others are doing.

Create your own unique niche or concept so that you can effectively stand out and then use those same platforms to create content related to your craft that gives your people value or helps them in some way.

This will help bring more attention to your work and build engagement with potential customers and fans.

Build Your Brand Message

Part of creating an effective online presence and marketing your work effectively is well, sharing your message effectively.

What is your brand message?

What is your brand mission, what is your message?

What are you telling your people?

Are you using stories and emotion to sell your work?

You should be.‍

Brand storytelling is a uber effective way to stand out and get attention.

‍Brand storytelling helps you tap into every humans need to connect with others. We are story-tellers by nature.

Brand storytelling is an increasingly popular approach to marketing that taps into the foundational human need to connect with others through story.

It’s a method that centers your customer as the main character in the narrative, not your brand or your product.

Cause let's face it, no one likes it when people always talk about themselves.

You should read the book by Dale Carnegie, "How To Win And Influence People" It pretty much explains that people like to talk about themselves and only care about well, there issues.  When you share relatable stories about life experiences that matter to your audience, you create strong emotional connections with your ideal customers. You put your people in the spotlight. And yes, even as creatives they deserve to be showcased too. Figuring out how to apply story telling to your creative craft will change everything! In a good way. I promise.  

Use Visuals To Tell Your Story

Pictures can be powerful tools when used correctly in marketing campaigns.

Photos of yourself working in the studio, behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creative process, or even photos of pieces being installed in their final locations can all be used effectively for marketing purposes.

Additionally, consider creating videos about yourself, showcasing new works of art or displaying sculptures at outdoor galleries and shows—these visuals are incredibly impactful when it comes to communicating with potential buyers or viewers of your work.

Hire a photographer to take some brand lifestyle photos and while you are at it take some product photos too.

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Part of telling and sharing your brand story is using photos to paint a picture of what it's like to use, have or buy your work.

So, what does your painting look like on a brick wall?

What does it look like hanging on drywall?

What will your customers say when they have friends over?

Think about how your customers use or display your work...and help them visualize it.

Use a visual to tell the story.

Take a photo of a cocktail hour with your work in the background.

Set the scene...it's all about telling a visual story and that also extends to your marketing.  

Leverage Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms offer incredible opportunities for artists looking to promote themselves and their work online.

They provide direct access to potential customers and allow them to connect with other creatives in the industry quickly and easily.

Consider using hashtags on Instagram or YouTube stories when sharing images of new works or announcing upcoming events like shows or exhibitions—this helps ensure that people are able see your posts even if they don't follow you directly on the platform itself.

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Organic Marketing & SEO

Additionally, creating a blog about yourself or investing in targeted advertisements on social media platforms can also be beneficial for increasing visibility online.  

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Think about what your ideal customers are searching for online?

They might not be actively searching for a new painting but they might be looking for new cocktail recipes.

This is where knowing your ideal customers can come into play and how you can connect with them outside of just plastering your art everywhere....remember, because part of effective marketing comes with branding and marketing your work in the best way possible.

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Sometimes that means just showing up and giving value.

Paid Advertising Is a Real Thing

You don't know how to start with paid advertising and you're not sure where to begin.

It seems like it would be a lot of work and you're not sure if it would be worth it in the end.

Well my fine creative friend. I am here to tell you that it's worth it. Every penny that you spend marketing is worth it.

It's a fine and creative game.

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It's all about using your social media presence to see what things your customers are "jiving" with and then using the same information to create a paid ad.

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If marketing is a numbers game than paid advertising is where it's at.

By implementing paid advertising, you can drive traffic right to your website and see an instant increase in customers. You'll be able to see what's working and what's not, so you can make the necessary changes and improve your ads over time.

Paid advertising is simple to implement and brings your customers right to you. If you need help I would love to chat with you about what's effective and what's not, so that you can make the most out of your ad campaigns and consistently drive traffic—your customers to your online store.

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Art marketing requires creativity and consistency if you want it done right!

The key is defining who you are as an artist — not just what type of art — then leveraging visuals (photos/videos) as well as social media platforms (e.g., Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube) strategically so that people will recognize both your artwork AND YOU!

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Taking advantage of these tools will help create a successful presence both online and offline while opening up opportunities for potential buyers at home and abroad! Good luck!

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