Success for an emerging artist does not simply lie in the production of great pieces of art. Of course, that’s needed, anyway, to attract clients but in a sea of great creative works, it’s important to be able to make yourself and your work swim to surface to be seen. This means that the majority of artists need make best use of the available opportunities to promote their work.
Social Media
Social media is well entrenched in our society, now. Having a social media presence is a great way to get noticed but, again, in the mass of people trying to be notice, you need to have something worthwhile to say.
Use your social media to engage with your audience, give replies to their comments. A great saying in sales circles is that people buy from people. This is a phrase that’s worth etching into your mind. The better you engage with people on a personal level, the more works you will sell.
Don’t just post a stream of pictures that you’re trying to sell. Create posts that tell your followers a little about how the picture came about, how long it took to paint/draw, how many sittings it took, did you follow a routine or work ad-hoc. Include a link that jumps to where the work can be bought. If your post is engaging, people will click the link. That way, you’re not doing an obvious hard sell, which can turn potential buyers off.
Blog
Writing a blog is a great way to let your potential clients see the personal side to you and your art. It’s almost like a backstage pass to understand what goes on behind the scenes in producing your works. People love to see that stuff. They love to know the inner workings of your mind.
This doesn’t sit well with everyone, though. Some artists and creatives are actually very private people and their works expose little parts of their soul. If that’s you, create a persona for yourself. This is your public image that you allow people to see. In fact, doing this can be great fun and open up a world of possibilities for building a great audience whilst keeping your personal privacy – and, you can be just as creative as you want to be!
