When art was truly appreciated, artists didn’t have to spend as much time or money in marketing. Artists, back then, probably had enough clientele to be busy with local clients. Since art was more appreciated, I imagine its value was higher hence a heftier payout per piece. That appreciation would also allow the artist to use their valuable time towards their craft.
Things are obviously different now. I’ve read and heard of so complaints from various types of artists about how they spend more time marketing and selling their art which gives them less energy for things that truly matter – creating art. No matter your craft, the complaints are similar.
So, what’s an artist to do? Stay creative! An artist must be as creative if not more at marketing their art as creating art. It is possible to make marketing or finding clients just as exciting as thinking about your next creation.
Let’s explore some avenues together so you can figure out what sparks your interest. Finding a loyal client base shouldn’t be stressful. Think of it as cultivating relationships.
Get a notepad and pen, and let’s figure this out once and for all so you’ll never have to do this again. I will include questions throughout the article as well as at the end, for you to answer and do a bit of research if necessary. Your answers and actions will guide you where and how to find more clients.
What Type of Artist are You?
Before figuring out what type of artist you are, let’s be honest about what an artist is. Who is an artist? An artist is ANYONE…who creates.
According to me, it does not matter what you’re creating, as long as it benefits someone. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s proceed to what type of artist you are to get a better understanding on how to pull in more supportive clients.
Who Digs your Art the Most?
Who would you say would benefit the most from your art? Write a list. You know your objective, type of canvas and emotions you project, so who do you think would understand and enjoy it the most?
Describe the type of people they would be, what hobbies they enjoy or where would they frequent? Be as specific as you can to get a greater understanding of your clientele. Then, you’ll know where to find them.
Thinking Outside the Box with Creative Marketing
Who says you have to find clientele as if you’re a businessperson? No matter what type of artist you are, the more creative you are at marketing your art, the wider your playground.
You can attract people online and offline or even use one method and follow up with the other or better yet, use both like creating parts of a machine. No matter what marketing channels you choose, you can always grow. Interconnecting your channels is key.
Do you prefer beginning your marketing strictly online or offline?
Who needs Artists These Days?
We are living in rapidly changing times and answering who needs artists these days is crucial. It may even require some thought on a regular basis.
It goes without saying that you should be looking for recurring customers. Keep in mind that recurring customers attract recurring customers. A positive word of mouth is golden and of course, the opposite is also true.
Write a list of what type of people need your art these days, and be specific. If it’s a certain business, write down what type like let’s say, cafes, upscale bars and modern restaurants and their contact details. If it’s the younger crowd, write down their demographics and where they can be located like a bookstore, library or college.
Showcasing your Art
Whether you choose to focus on online or offline methods, you’ll need to showcase your art. People need to know more about you, what your art is, what it’s about, what inspired it or its story, examples of your work, prices and other relevant details.
Consider making business cards, flyers, gifts, journals, post cards or similar type of promotional materials. Don’t forget to include your contact details!
If you want to offer an online showcase, you can do so in a few ways.
Gallery
Online Gallery: What’s great about starting your own online gallery is that you have more control. You choose how many pieces you list and how often, how much information you share, prices, delivery and so on. You also have the option of collaborating with other online galleries.
Physical Gallery: Through different channels, we’ve been taught to envision what a gallery should look like. Times are changing and the public is longing for more creativity. It’s not necessary to start big or ridiculously expensive. If you do things right, you could upgrade or expand in the future. What’s important is getting started.
Consider looking into leasing a section of an existing business or your own manageable space at an affordable price. Depending on what your art is, your showcase doesn’t even have to be located inside. You could even collaborate with an eco resort, eatery or intentional community.
Collaborations are Gold
The right collaborations are gold – the ones that are win-win. You’ll need to track down people who need your spice in their life and acknowledge its value.
How about looking for businesses that are in dire need of customers or your niche? What people and businesses pair well with your innovations?
Remember that creative marketing is crucial! Don’t just put up your art on their walls and hope for the best.
You are looking for recurring customers, so you never have to search again. You must figure out ways that don’t require too much effort to pull people in and remember your work.
A truly successful collaboration is one where all parties benefit – the givers as well as the receivers, meaning the public. Helping the public also helps the givers – the artists. This cycle goes on as long as the relationship remains balanced.
Pairing Niches
If you decide to pair up with some local businesses, aim to set up a long-standing relationship where you can host several events per year, as well as putting up your promotional art. That way, you can sell more using less time and energy, giving you more time to create.
Another way to pair niches is combining people’s favorite things, like art & music, culture, food and more.
Coordinating Memorable Events Creates Memorable Memories
Plan on events that are useful, not the same old stuff everyone else does. Spice it up so you can be memorable. Aim to create useful things to help people grow, or art that people crave for, or get lost in.
We all know what people complain about and what people wish there was more of. Give people that – not by copying what you think is successful but by being true to you. Explore yourself, what your uniqueness is, your abilities and match those needs.
Remember that we are not meant to be for everybody.
You can also organize events that match or pair well with your art. That’s where the lists above come in handy. Match all these things up to create yet another list, relating to memorable events.
You don’t have to get too fancy or expensive, just use your creativity and collaboration skills. Match everything – all the lists – together.
I won’t give too many examples of an easy marketable event, because you must stay true to you for recurring customers or they’ll see right through you.
Here is an example that fits most niches:
Almost any type of artist exhibiting or performing their art at an eco resort or intentional community would be well received with proper planning. Whether it’s nature or culture-related, visual or performing arts, make sure your theme is something useful or provides solutions. Healing related themes would do well at this time.
Pairing up with aligning artists would provide a wholesome experience, such as musicians, alternative therapists, visual and culinary artists.
Create avenues for you to remain in contact with the public. After your first event, reconnect with new clients right away to determine whether it’s something that they would like to experience on a regular basis. You can use different methods besides the above-mentioned, like newsletters, e-books and personalized emails.
Make enough art or have enough products to sell at your events, if it’s a promotional event or you can also host easy, relaxing events to stay connected with your customers, like tea time, workshops or watching you work live for an hour or two.
If you realize that you really like coordinating and collaborating, consider starting an artist agency as your ‘full-time gig.’ Don’t forget that you are an artist before being a boss, so remember to treat them with the respect you expect, and pay your artists as well as you can. Soulistic means service with heart & soul – not exploitation.
Helping Other Artists
Whether you choose to focus on connecting with new clients online or offline, you’ll go further if you collaborate with and support other artists. An event or gathering with many artists does a body good, and everyone knows it. Imagine hosting a by-artist, for artist event, an art concert or auction!
If you decide to do an online gallery of your work, consider assisting fellow artists by accepting their works on your website. You could do so by membership, ad basis or both. With you taking care of not only your own marketing but other artists’, all of you can focus more on your craft.
If you decide to start your own physical gallery, you could collaborate with many types of artists in a greater variety of ways. You could coordinate events, have VIP-type of affairs, a variety of networking functions and even themed arts-related festivals.
Watering your Relationships
You’ve done a lot of work thus far and should feel very proud of yourself! Keep in mind that you’re putting in all this effort now so you don’t have to do this again. You’ll now have several lists, including business/customer lists that you can keep updating over time.
Since you’ve done all this work and put in so much thought into marketing, don’t forget that you have to care for your customer relationships. You’ll have to keep up to date with them, let them know of your next creations and so forth. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, just be smartly creative!
You could use social media, your website, newsletter, video or some other preferred method. Think of it like writing in a journal. Just document some ideas down about your creativity process, just so they remember you.
You can use such methods to market your next works before they are even completed. Take your customers on an artistic adventure, so they understand what the journey entails. That way, they’ll have greater appreciation for your craft.
If you’re considering coordinating your next event, let them know or even have them vote on some of the details ahead of time, so they feel like part of the process. They will be more willing to support you.
Referrals
Another way to put in less effort in marketing in the long run is by putting in some thought beforehand about how to acquire referrals. The most effective and low-cost method is by word of mouth. Positive words from your own customers go far.
Since people are busy and distracted with their d daily struggles, make it easy to remember your awesomeness with creative promotional materials, like flyers showcasing your work or trinkets.
Give people incentive for their word of mouth by giving them extra materials to give out to colleagues and loved ones. If you feel so inclined to dedicate a weekend by making some cute, small versions of art to remember you by, do so! You could even turn that into an educational workshop. Don’t forget to add your contact details on your gifts and trinkets!
Conclusion
Putting in work all at once to attract clients with minor efforts at sustaining your relationships will work out better than staying anxious at getting customers while creating your works of art.
Let your relationships do the work for you. That way, your customers will feel more and more like your family. Marketing your art through events will make this thing they call marketing more fun and soulistic.