by Becky Sciullo | Jul 19, 2021 | Learning
Monday Morning Marketing Ideas is a regular blog post series I’ve posted for several months now, offering marketing tips and ideas for marketing visual art.
The tips and thoughts cover a wide variety of ideas. Some may seem a little unorthodox. Others, you might say, now why didn’t I think of that? These are simply ideas that pop into my head or come across my desk as I work through the week.
This content is moving to my weekly email newsletter, which you can join here.
This blog page will still offer more in-depth posts related to building your web presence, marketing, and blogging for a visual art business.
by Becky Sciullo | Jun 28, 2021 | Artist Websites, Resources, Tools
Here are some marketing ideas for your Monday morning.
Five Art Marketing Ideas
1 – It’s never too soon to start your email list—many people who visit a website for the first time never return. It’s good when fans subscribe to social media profiles, but that doesn’t guarantee that they will see all of your content. One way to keep people coming back and ensure they don’t miss content is by asking them to subscribe to your blog or an email newsletter.
2 – Make sure your website is mobile-friendly using a tool like this.
3 – Make it easy for people to purchase from you. You can do this by having clear information on your website, such as a call to action or easy-to-find purchase buttons in your gallery. It also helps to have a dedicated page explaining how to purchase work.
4 – Print out your work as stickers using a service such as Sticker App. You could include them as thank-you for artwork purchases or offer them as a fun, low-cost item when displaying your work for sale.
5 – If you offer limited edition prints, rather than providing them as afterthoughts to your original work, give them the attention they deserve. Announce the release of each new edition through your email newsletter, blog, and social media.
Learn More
Monday Morning Marketing Ideas is a regular blog post series to offer ideas that you might use in your business. Thoughts provided cover a wide variety of medium and marketing methods. Some may seem a little crazy. Others, you might say, now why didn’t I think of that? These are simply ideas that pop into my head or come across my desk as I work through the week. I don’t always have time to write an entire blog post on the subject, but I thought they might be worth sharing.
For even more ideas and information, join my weekly newsletter here.
by Becky Sciullo | Jun 25, 2021 | Artist Websites, Blogging
Dorit Brauer is an award-winning author and artist. I had the pleasure of meeting her in early 2020 when presenting to a local art league. She recently emailed me news of her acceptance into a competitive art exhibition, along with this blog post. It’s worth sharing as a great example of how to blog about an event.
Sharing Her Story
Blogging is a great way to give followers a glimpse into your world, whether behind the scenes in your studio or sharing events such as Dorit does in this post. Some points to note:
1 – She provides background information about the show and the significance of being chosen for it.
2 – She offers good visuals in the way of images and video.
3 – The video allows people who can’t attend in person to get a view of the exhibit and the perspective of her art within the show. Also there is a fun twist encouraging viewers to take a close look at her work.
4 – She makes good use of hyperlinks, linking to the venue, the Hoyt Art Center, should readers want to visit, within the post and also provides links to related blog posts.
And, finally – a shameless plug – Dorit found this opportunity by reading my email newsletter🙂 (If you’re not already getting it, I’d love for you to join here).
A Dynamic Website
Please spend a few minutes on Dorit’s website, and learn that she is an energetic artist living out her creativity every day. Her site is a perfect example of a “dynamic website”!
Thank you, Dorit, for sharing your work and inspiration with the world!
by Becky Sciullo | May 26, 2021 | Planning
Recently, a venue approached artist Robert Yonke to have a show later this year. It’s always exciting when a gallery offers an artist a solo exhibition opportunity, and a first assumption is usually of course. Yet, after reviewing the calendar and his current inventory, we decided to pass.
Why would any artist turn down an opportunity for a live in-person solo show after the year we just had?
The truth is, he sold a good bit of work throughout 2020 into this year, and there wasn’t enough time for him to build up a quality body of work to fill the space in time. As an artist that does not work well under pressure, it could have been counterproductive for business this year. So, we asked to schedule it for a later date, and the gallery thankfully accepted our request.
The moral of the story.
Sometimes you have to say no. And, it is perfectly Ok. When presented with a chance to show work, it’s easy to want to jump right at the opportunity. But, you have to consider the long game, your current goals, and whether or not it will work in the overall big picture of your business.
A Shameless Plug
I’m proud to say that because we have relied heavily on a consistent art marketing system, he sold art during the pandemic without missing too much of a beat – even though Covid canceled his largest in-person biggest selling event of the year. Going into the pandemic with the system already in place made a big difference for him.
When Does it Make Sense to Say No?
There are times when you should say no in your art business. Here are some ideas as to when this might make sense for you:
When you need to reduce your stress level.
If you feel overwhelmed and overcommitted, you might consider a pause on all new activities and commitments until you can assess your situation and figure out which activities and events should take precedence. Your decision does not have to be final, and you can consider a temporary “no,” as with Robert’s show.
When it Disrupts a Routine that is Working for You
If you have found a routine that is working and bringing you results, you might want to say “no” if the new activity will disrupt what you are currently doing. You can say yes when you can figure out a way to add the commitment alongside your successful routine.
When You Don’t Have Time To Prepare
While perfection can be the enemy of progress, you also don’t want to be woefully underprepared for an opportunity. Take a good look at your calendar and timeline before committing to a new activity. The worst thing would be to be unprepared and make a poor showing.
When It’s Not a Good Fit
Sometimes opportunities present that are not a good fit for your work or your business goals. Having a solid vision of where you want your business to go will help you identify whether an opportunity is one that you should take.
Your time is valuable! This post isn’t to encourage you to say no but rather to be discerning and thoughtful about how you move forward in your business. And then, you are able to say yes confidently when the time is right.
Share Your Story
Do you have an example of a time when it made sense for you to say no? I’d love to hear about it. Please send me a note at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Gemma Evans on Unsplash
by Becky Sciullo | May 19, 2021 | Artist Blogging 101
When you are ready to build a blog-based website as the center of your art marketing system, it’s important to understand all of the parts of your site. Your blog header is a fundamental component of your overall design.
What is Your Artist Blog Header?
You’ll find the header at the topmost part of your site, introducing visitors to your site and establishing their first impression. It typically contains things like your name or logo and a navigation bar and usually remains the same throughout the website. Most platforms will give you the ability to customize your header one way or another. Below is an example of a simple header.
How to create or add a header to your site.
When creating your site, it’s important to understand how to make the best header, which is typically the first thing people see. For an artist, either the image itself will pop visually, or you can keep it simple to focus on the pictures lower on the page. Here are some links on working with your header for popular artist website platforms:
Weebly
Wix
WordPress.com
Squarespace
Best practices for setting up your site header.
Don’t overanalyze it too hard.
Make sure it is drawing in or grabbing attention.
If you are going with a solid header, use some expressive type not to be too boring.
Sliders can be used for rotating through different images.
Tools to help create your site header.
You may need to resize or want to create a custom graphic for your header. Canva is a good tool for this purpose.
Tiny PNG – You may want to compress an image so that it loads faster. Tiny PNG is a great tool for this purpose.
If you’d like more information on the basics of setting up your blog-based website, follow this Artist Blogging 101 Series or join my email newsletter.
