In the past four videos  we’ve covered my process for finding an audience for your artwork – including steps from assessment to research and experimentation in finding an audience. Now, it’s time to turn these steps into actionable strategies.Â
Finding an Audience for Your Art: Â Video Recap
Once you’ve experimented and seen what resonates with your audience, take note of what works. For example, with Robert Yonke’s Bluegrass Painter project, press releases to niche media resulted in a swift and positive response. Identifying successes lays the groundwork for strategy development.
It’s important to remember that not every experiment will yield immediate success, and that’s perfectly normal. In fact, setbacks can be valuable learning opportunities. When faced with a setback, take the time to evaluate why things didn’t go as planned. This could be an indication that adjustments are needed, or it could be a sign that the approach isn’t the right fit.Â
When you find a strategy that works, it’s not enough to acknowledge its success. It’s time to amplify your efforts. For the Bluegrass Painter, this meant doubling down on press releases, reaching out to potential clients, attending relevant events, and crafting tailored social media strategies. By building upon their successes, they were able to extend their reach and deepen their connection with their newfound audience.
In future videos, we’ll explore these strategies in more detail and explore how you can implement them effectively to continue growing your audience and expanding your reach.Â
We’ve been working through the four steps to finding an audience for your art – a process I use to when working with artists.  In the last video, we talked about doing a comprehensive assessment of your current body of work. This week, we focus on doing research around the ideas you come up with during this assessment. Â
Step Two: Using Research in Finding an Audience
Video RecapÂ
Research is key to understanding who might appreciate your art and how to reach them effectively. Here’s a simple breakdown of what we discussed:
1 – Use the internet.Â
Start by searching online for keywords related to your art. This process can lead you to information such as potential people, organizations, and events that might be a fit or have interest in your work. Â
2 – Keep Track of What you LearnÂ
It’s essential to write down what you find. I recommend spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets, Excel, or Airtable to organize your information. This will help you stay organized, and you will use this information later in the marketing process. Â
3 – Set Time LimitsÂ
Research can take up a lot of time, so setting boundaries is smart. Decide how much time you’ll spend researching each day and stick to it. This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and help you make progress consistently.
4 – Engage with OthersÂ
Don’t just rely on the internet. Talk to other artists and people who might be interested in your art. Their feedback can give you new ideas and perspectives. Also, attend events or gatherings related to your art to learn more and meet potential fans.
5 – Refining Your IdeasÂ
Research isn’t just about gathering information—it’s about figuring out what works best for you. Some ideas might not pan out, and that’s okay. Keep exploring and stay open to new possibilities.
As we move forward, remember that research is an ongoing process. Keep learning, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Join us next time as we dive into experimenting with purpose!
Finding Connections for Your Artwork: Â Emotion and Story
This week is the final video in a series on how people connect with your art. We are considering these connections to identify different audiences and niches that might be places where we could market effectively.
Video Recap:
In this video, we explored two final ways people connect with art: through emotion and the story or message conveyed. Emotion plays a significant role in how we engage with art, allowing us to relate to it on a personal level. Art can also form a connection through stories or narratives that resonate with audiences.
As artists seek to identify their audience, considering these connection points can help them effectively market their work.
Help With Your Audience
If you’d like some assistance in figuring out your audience, consider a Strategy Session,  to discuss how we might be able to work together.  If you’d like to explore a session, I offer complimentary calls where we can discuss how we might be able to work together.
Resources Mentioned in This Video
This blog from UGallery offers insight into how and why people purchase art by interviewing their collectors.
Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, photographer, or any other visual artist, connecting with your audience is critical to success. This blog post series focuses on finding and cultivating an audience. So far, we’ve tipped the surface of this topic with an overview of a target audience and how to create a buyer persona. Before we go any further, I’d like to cover setting up a CRM system.
What is a CRM?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and it’s not just for sales teams or large corporations. At its core, a CRM is a tool designed to help businesses manage customer interactions and relationships. You can use a CRM system to organize contacts, track interactions with potential collectors, schedule follow-ups, and segment audiences based on preferences. This practice helps build and maintain relationships, understand collector needs, and strategically target marketing efforts for audience expansion and retention.
Set Your CRM Up Sooner Rather Than Later
Here’s why every artist should proactively have a CRM in place:
1 – Centralized Contact Management
As an artist, you’ll interact with many people – collectors, gallery owners, fellow artists, and fans. Keeping track of all these contacts can be overwhelming without a centralized system. A CRM allows you to store and organize contact information in one place, making it easy to manage your network.
2 – Track Audience Interactions
A CRM enables you to track interactions such as email inquiries, social media engagement, event attendance, and purchases. By monitoring these interactions, you will have a better idea of how people are finding you and responding to your work.
3 – Personal Engagements
One of the most significant benefits of using a CRM is the ability to personalize your interactions with your audience. By segmenting your contacts based on interests, location, or purchase history, you can tailor your communication to better resonate with each segment. Whether sending personalized emails, offering exclusive promotions, or inviting local supporters to your events, a CRM allows you to engage with your audience on a deeper level.
4 – Consistent Follow-Up
Building relationships takes time and effort. With a CRM, you can set reminders and automate follow-up tasks so you stay connected with your audience. Whether following up on a potential commission, sending a thank-you note to a collector, or reaching out to attendees after an exhibition, a CRM helps you maintain consistent communication and nurture relationships over time.
If you’re serious about finding and growing your audience as an artist, having a CRM in place is essential. A CRM can help you manage contacts, track audience interactions, personalize engagement, and stay organized. By proactively managing your relationships with your audience, you can build a loyal following that supports your art for years to come.
Are you Using a CRM?
Are you using a CRM that you love? I’d love to hear from you. I’ll focus on CRM options for artists in a future blog post.
Knowing your target audience can make a significant difference in your visual art business. It’s like having a secret tool to take you from sharing and marketing work sporadically to building a strategic business.
This post is the first in a series focused on finding your audience.
First, we’ll cover what a target audience is and how visual artists can use this concept to make their marketing strategies even better.
Defining Your Target Audience
Simply put, a target audience is the specific group you aim to reach with your artwork. This group shares common characteristics, interests, and preferences, making them more likely to appreciate and engage with your work. Â It’s possible to have more than one target audience, and identifying these groups involves some research and strategy.
Why is Your Audience Important?
Focused Marketing Efforts
Knowing your target audience allows you to tailor your marketing efforts more precisely. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping to attract anyone and everyone, you can focus on the individuals most likely to resonate with your art. This not only saves resources but also increases the effectiveness of your promotional campaigns.
Improved Artistic Presentation
Understanding your audience’s preferences helps you make informed decisions about who you present your work to and how you do that. Â For example, if you’re participating in an arts festival and understand who in your target audience is likely to attend, it will help you determine the type of work you include in that show.
Building Meaningful Connections
Art is a personal experience; forming connections with your audience is the first step in helping them to purchase or choose your work. When your art speaks directly to the interests and emotions of your target audience, it becomes more than just a visual representation – it becomes a shared experience, forging a stronger bond between artist and viewer.
How to Figure Out Your Target Audience
Conduct Research
You can research the audience in several ways, some of which we will tackle in later posts. Â If you’ve already been selling work, look at the demographics, interests, and everything you know about your current audience. This data serves as the foundation for creating a detailed profile of your audience. Â If you’re new to marketing, think about your work and who might be interested. When I started working for Robert Yonke, all I knew was that he painted images of bluegrass musicians. Doing some research quickly led me to the world of Bluegrass music, which became an excellent audience for his work.
Create Customer Personas
Develop customer or buyer personas based on your research. These are fictional representations of your ideal viewers, complete with names, backgrounds, and preferences. By humanizing your target audience, you can better understand their needs and tailor your communication and marketing approach accordingly.
How to Use This Knowledge
Craft Strategic Marketing Messages
Develop marketing messages that resonate with your target audience. Speak directly to their interests, aspirations, and emotions. Whether through social media, email campaigns, or promotional events, ensure that your messaging aligns with the values of your ideal viewers.
Utilize Targeted Platforms
Identify the platforms where your target audience is most active. Whether it’s social media, art galleries, or specific online communities, focus your marketing efforts on these channels to reach your audience more effectively.
Understanding and leveraging the concept of a target audience is a cornerstone of successful marketing for visual artists. Use your research insights to inform your business decisions. Â Then, align your efforts with the preferences of your target audience to maximize appeal.
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