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Hi Everyone!
I have been approached by a couple of members of the local art community to conduct a seminar/workshop in "Online Marketing for Self-Represented Artists" - possibly at the Arts event in May. I love the idea, but my house is up for sale and it is possible that I will be living in an exotic tropical place by May so I cannot commit to a presentation in May. But, I could write a booklet that would be available on my site for less than $5.
I am not an expert in site building and I am not an expert in marketing. But, I would be happy to share: how I built my own site, what I tried and what works for me, how to get a domain name for less than $9/year, how to track keywords, how to get stats on visitors to the site, the secrets of getting a reliable and affordable merchant credit card service, and how to get visitors to come to my site. In short, I can describe how I did it and you can use it as an example for doing it for yourself.
The reason I am blogging this is to ask you what you think. Would you be interested in such a booklet? Would you buy it? What would you like to see explained in it? Anything else you would like to add?
If you haven't seen my site yet, please visit it at: www.GereesStudio.com.
Thanks for reading this blog and commenting!!
Geree
Geree
ReplyDeleteBeing able to sell art online certainly could help artists in out of the way places - nice when buyers make their way here, but it's not something to count on (or take to the bank).
There are a lot of free articles and resources (ie metatag generators) available about online marketing. I'd say cover what is different about selling art online than selling other goods. Are some categories of art better candidates for online marketing than others? What about shipping?
How much time should artists expect to spend on effective online marketing? What would be a realistic expectation for return on investing time in learning the game, site building and maintenance, follow ups to queries, etc? I have friends who do consistently well selling on eBay, for example, but it takes a lot of work and time. And others who are not getting anywhere selling online despite putting in a lot of time and effort - and in some cases working with better computer skills.
Have you seen this site (articles & links)? Selling your art online http://1x.com/advisor/
How many local artists have a "web presence'? How do they use it and with what results?
ReplyDeleteI like Geree's idea of the booklet. How To's are nice to have in hard copy, to read away from the computer screen. Also, I feel that hearing from someone who is not some Marketing Giant, but rather just a "regular artist guy" like myself is easier to relate to.There certainly are sites where one can get good advice, though sometimes the language is a bit techincal, and therefore intimidation sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI say Go For It, Geree!
Those are very good questions. I would be interested in knowing the answers myself. Okay, Mountainair Artists, feel free to answer!
ReplyDeleteBut, I can tell you about my site: I show and sell my artworks and booklets on my site with good results. For instance, I get better sales on my site than I had at the tour last year, and it is a lot less work to maintian a site than it is to stay at a booth for several hours at a time. (At least it is for me.)
Are you interested? I looked at the site that Vanessa suggested and it is full of sound advice and great informantion and suggestions. It is a great place to start.
Let me hear from you again,
Geree
Just from surfing/researching, I have the impression that art sites - whether galleries, directories, or individual artist's listings - come in various genres that have different purposes. Although all are obviously there to help the artist sell his or her work, some are more "direct marketing" oriented and others seem more like online portfolios, with minimal promotional copy. I would think that even the latter, although not targetting direct sales as aggressively as the former, still contribute to a "web presence" recognition factor for artists selling primarily through "real world" galleries or private studios.
ReplyDeleteGood observation, Art Surfer! You are right: some sites are primarily portfolios because we are often asked when we tell someone we're an artist, "Do you have a website where I can see your work?" Its great to say, "Of course" and hand them your card. But, then what? Are you referring them to your "real world gallery"? While you may have a few choice pieces on exhibit, you can offer much more online. Or, are you accepting commissions? (I have received commissions from people I have never met who went to my site and ordered floor cloths similar to ones they saw exhibited there.)
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Vanessa's question about shipping: my philosophy is, "If they buy it, I will ship it." If I sell something, I will find a way to ship it. I try to recycle shipping boxes I receive myself when I've ordered something. Small unstretched canvases ship well in bubble envelopes or rolled in tubes. When I sold a floor cloth kit recently, I had no box or tube large enough so I had to go to Albuquerque to find one. But, I had priced the kit high enough so even with the drive to town and the purchase of the tube, I still made a nice profit. The key is to factor shipping costs into your purchase price.
Ebay is a great way to sell online without a site. All you need is a digital camera and you're in business.
And, I would like to thank Robin for her support, considering I picked her brains for weeks and learned a great deal from her.
Glad to see some interest in the project. Perhaps there will be a few artists who would like to group together to have a community site on which to exhibit and sell their art? That is another project altogether, but perhaps something the art council could sponsor.
Geree
On the subject of online cooperatives - here are a couple. ArtsForge at www.artsforge.com is a collaborative online exhibition space, with a “marketplace” section and some very interesting categories – called “forges.” According to the site blurb, “ArtsForge is a virtual space in which artists, writers, musicians and programmers from all around the world collaborate on projects using ArtsForge as a virtual collective canvas, forging new online creations.”
ReplyDeleteThe Art Well at www.artwell.org, less interesting than the Forge, is described as online art marketing cooperative but seems more a hodge-podge collection of ad links.
My Exposé at www.myexpose.com:16080 is a commercial artist's portfolio site – unlimited images, straight forward approach, realistic (does not promise miracles) and accompanies recommendation that subscribing artists continue to take responsibility for promoting work with concrete suggestions. No doubt there are many such sites – I’ve looked at more than a few, but this offers more features and less hype than most. The online portfolio option might suit someone interested in developing a web presence but reluctant or overwhelmed about jumping in headfirst with do-it-yourself online marketing.
HI again-
ReplyDeleteVanessa is right, there are lots of online opportunities for artists without websites of their own. I am familiar with some, which I will list below. Check them out, but make sure you read the fine print. Some charge a pretty high commission, but that's okay if you factor it into your purchase price. Others have shipping policies that may be hard to honor, like shipping from an authorized UPS store, (not easy from Mountainair).
I hope you will find a site or two that you can use. Whenever I link or list myself on another site, I always include that my studio is in Mountainair, NM so if someone Google's Mountainair, every site I'm on will hopefully surface. Wouldn't it be a great way to establish an online presence of the local art community for many more artists to surface too? Give it a try.
www.peopleswarehouse.com -10% commission, 8 catagories, 50 items.
www.thefrugalshopper.com - free.
www.ecraftmakers.com - free mall store.
www.freecraftfair.com - free 10 images and 5 pages.
www.artistsheaven.com - 14% commission, no setup fees but has the UPS shipping requirement.