Posts Tagged marketing
Is your art marketing a hot mess?
Posted by Amie Gillingham in Call for Artists, challenges on May 16, 2013
Mothering Chaos by EBSQ Artist Kelli Ann Dubay
So. You’ve been reading up on how to market your art, gathering advice and tips from a smathering of friends, colleagues, and online experts. You believe in your art. You’ve got the requisite accounts at EBSQ (obviously), Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. You have a blog. (You even occasionally update your blog.) So, why isn’t it all coming together?
Sometimes it takes an outside eye to see what you’re missing. To that end, we’re looking for up to three artists to review, critique, and case study. Totally on us.
Interested? Leave us a comment with your name, EBSQ Artist url, and let us know why you want our help. If you’re chosen, you’ll get to work with us for 90 days, totally for free, to see if we can help jump start your marketing efforts and find you some greater success. We’ll be profiling our selected artists during the case study via the EBSQ blog. Even if you aren’t one of the lucky artists selected, we hope our case studies will be able to help you as well!
Ready? Let’s get started!
PS Not yet an EBSQ Artist member? Why not join today?
EBSQ Friday Five
Posted by Amanda Makepeace in Business of Art, membernews on November 16, 2012
1. Lady Luck – EBSQ has an abundance of visual artists but did you know we also have some amazing glass artists? I love these original earrings by Vickie Miller.
2. Strathmore 2013 Workshops – Strathmore has opened registration for their 2013 workshops. This year’s classes are: Abstract Fine Art Painting with Mixed Media, Sketching & Drawing with Toned Paper, and Artful Card-Making Techniques.
3. Copy Rights – What is fair use? Where do you draw the line? This is an interesting article from March of this year from Art News magazine.
4. 8 Secrets of a Successful Artist’s DNA – The habits and traits of a successful artist are examined in this article from Light, Space, & Time.
5. Do you have a news worthy blog post you’d like to share with our readers? Email me at amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com.
Building Trust with Online Art Buyers
Posted by Amanda Makepeace in Business of Art on August 14, 2012
You Can Trust Me by Kris Jean
Building trust with online art buyers is essential. The internet is home to thousands of artist websites, online marketplaces, galleries and arts organizations. Standing out is the key to being noticed, but trust turns a visitor into a buyer. In a recent EBSQ forum discussion, I brought up the importance of portraying your true self online. For the most part, online buyers don’t get to meet you in person and a computer screen only offers a two-dimensional view of an individual. It’s therefore vital for us to show potential buyers that we are “real” people. We want them to trust us and buy our art. That’s not to say that an online persona can’t achieve success, but as it turns out, there is a trend toward buyers choosing to purchase from an individual over a logo.
EmptyEasel.com has an excellent article on building trust through social media. Here are their five tips:
1. Don’t Make it About “You”
“It’s about the community. People aren’t going to follow you if all you do is try to sell them stuff and promote yourself. Become a trusted resource, instead of a salesperson.”
2. Be sociable
“…the next time you think about listing one of your art pieces, take the time to figure out how you can present that piece in a more social manner.”
3. Show the real you
“Use a photo of yourself for your profile image, not a photo of your art, or company logo. People want to connect with people, not products or businesses.”
4. Respond to your fans
“When you respond to your fans (or customers)…have a conversation with them.”
5. Be consistent
“From how you portray your company across various social networks, to how often you post…”
I’ve reiterated many of these tips before. They are not new ideas–they are trusted rules. The quotes above are from the heads of different companies and marketing firms. Following these tips, over time, will build trust with your online following and when it comes time for them to make a purchase, either for themselves or as a gift, they’ll go with someone they know. Be sure to check out the full article at EmptyEasel.com.
Giveaway: 100 5 x 7 Postcards from PrintRunner
Posted by Amie Gillingham in Giveaways on May 22, 2012
For this giveaway, we’ve teamed up with our friends at PrintRunner to give one lucky reader 100 5 x 7 postcards, perfect for promoting your art. Interested? Read on for the details!
About PrintRunner
PrintRunner.com was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later our company became one of the foremost quality printers in Southern California. Our commitment to provide the best value and high quality full color printing at affordable price made our company grow. PrintRunner is a full service high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California. Try PrintRunner’s postcard printing through their online printing services.
Giveaway Details
Postcard Size: Postcards 5×7
Quantity: 100
Colors: 4/0 Front Only Printing
Paper: 14 PT. UV Coating on Front,
Rounded Corners: Yes
Proof: None
Ready to Ship In: 4 Business Days
Standard shipping is free. Expedited shipping will be shouldered by the winner.
*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.
Consider giving PrintRunner some love by following them on Twitter and Liking them on Facebook
How to Win
For a chance to win, simply answer the following question in the comments:
- What would you do with your 100 postcards?
Deadlines
Our submission deadline is May 29, 2012. Our winner will be notified via email on 31 May 2012, as well as announced in a separate post. Why not subscribe to our RSS feed so that you can be quickly notified when the winner announcement post has been published?
Our thanks to PrintRunner for providing us this giveaway. EBSQ will be compensated with postcards as well for hosting this event.
Is Pinterest relevant to your Interests?
Posted by Amie Gillingham in Artist Interviews, Business of Art, Call for Artists on January 11, 2012
We’re looking for a handful of artists who regularly use Pinterest successfully as a marketing tool for their art for a future article here on the blog. Interested? Leave a comment on this post, drop us a line via email, or get in touch via our Facebook page.
We hope to hear from you soon!
How can we help you today?
Posted by Amie Gillingham in Resources on September 15, 2011
A Little Help From My Friends by EBSQ Artist Julie Cady Ryan
EBSQ is putting together a series of how-tos, both videos and blog posts, to help our members get the most out of the EBSQ Art website as well as best-practices for marketing your work online. Is there something you’d like to know how to do better? A topic we haven’t explored yet?
What specific topics would YOU like to see us cover?
EBSQ introduces targeted advertising for artists & art-related businesses
Posted by Amie Gillingham in Site News on March 24, 2011
This month, EBSQ launched its first-ever advertising program. Our intent was to create advertising that augmented rather than detracted from the site experience, as well as a program that is a truly affordable way to reach both artists and art lovers alike.
Just this week, we launched Art of the Day sponsorships, with ad space available both for businesses as well as EBSQ members. And starting next week, we’ll be launching an exhibition sponsorship program that is truly unique: we’ll be giving serious real estate and newsletter time to businesses in exchange for these businesses offering a prize directly to the artists with no fees (hidden or otherwise) involved in the process.
So if your business is hoping to target the art market, might we recommend taking a look at what EBSQ has to offer?
Artist Guide: Art and Social Business
Posted by natasha in artistguide on May 11, 2009
“All lasting business is built on friendship.” – Alfred A. Montapert
- by Natasha Wescoat
What is great about Art and Social media is that they are complentary and beneficial to one another. It’s a symbiotic relationship. But there is much to understand about social media that we may fail to see. One of the things we are realizing as we take advantage of the benefits we see in Social Media, is that we have to “want” to be part of the conversations and to be genuinely interested in the people that are following us on social networks. We can’t use Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, etc as billboards. People who use social media do not respond to empty posts or random links.
Do they know you?
Do they want to know you?
Are you making the effort to make them WANT to know you?
Social Media is like an incubator. It’s a “social” tool. Not a adwords tool. Not a keyword tool.
Click here to read the rest of Art and Social Business . . .
5 How-tos for Artists
Posted by Amie Gillingham in artistguide, Business of Art on May 6, 2009
If you take a gander at the Learn section of EBSQ, you’ll find several years worth of how-to articles on specific art-related projects like Cigar Box Purses and Felt Making. But did you know we also have how-to articles that address the business of art as well? Here are five of our most popular how-to articles:
How to Write an Artist Statement
An artist’s statement is a short document written by the artist which provides a window into the artist’s world. It offers insight into a single piece or an entire body of work and by describing the artist’s creative process, philosophy, vision, and passion. It enlightens and engages while at the same time giving the audience – potential buyers, exhibition curators, critics, fellow artists, or casual browsers – the freedom to draw their own conclusions. An artist’s statement reads easily, is informative, and adds to the understanding of the artist. (read more)
Image is Everything: How to Photograph your Art
Probably the single most important thing you can do to sell your artwork is to post good photos on your auction listing. Many of the photos I see on eBay have glare from flashbulbs, focus problems or poor color. The method that has worked best for me, whether taking digital photos or film photos is to shoot artwork outdoors. You will find that outdoor light is the best, even on slightly overcast days, and you won’t risk a flash glare on your work. (read more)
The Importance of Online Presentation
The importance of pictures shown in your auction is vital puzzle in the outcome of the sale.
Most people like to feel like they are actually holding that piece of art. They want to see the texture, the size, the edges; they want to be able to investigate the piece like it was in their hands. This refers to the art on stretchers, but close up details still apply to cloth canvas artworks too, of course. (read more)
The Lighter Side of Pricing your Art
There are so many facets to consider about when creating a work of art, because this category and subject can get very detailed and is quite broad based on each individual and style of medium. Whether you sculpt, paint, sketch, weld, to the many mediums and styles of painting, colors, textures media etc., you can spend more time in trying to determine what the final masterpiece will be priced at that what it took to create it. (read more)
Artist Business Cards
A professional business card can be a useful marketing tool for artists, and well worth the investment if you are trying to get your name out there. So, do you have a business card? If not, then it’s time to get on the ball and do something about it. (read more)
What other business topics would YOU like to see us address in the future?
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
Artist Guide: Make A Private Collector’s Club Through Twitter
Posted by natasha in artistguide on February 23, 2009
by Natasha Wescoat
Twitter is one of the most influencial social media tools available to everyone, including artists as a way to connect with friends, fans, collectors, and business colleagues. If you don’t already know, it’s a microblogging tool where you can type what you are doing, reply to other Twitterers and send direct messages to others that are private.
It’s been used for everything from ranting and conversation to promotion and marketing. I could go on and on about the uses of Twitter, and will soon. But, I want to propose an idea on using Twitter that may not have been concieved yet.
PRIVATE TWITTER ACCOUNTS AS COLLECTOR CLUBS
Twitter allows you to protect your updates so that only the followers you want to come in can see them. Being that Twitter is excellent for making announcements, offering info and links, this would make an excellent place to hold your own private collector club/mailing list. Noone can see the updates if you didn’t approve them to follow you. And Twitter is FREE to use.
The possibilities are ENDLESS!
5 STEPS TO BUILDING A PRIVATE TWITTER ACCOUNT:
1. Create your private profile and go into settings. There will be a box option that says “Protect my updates”. You want that marked so that your tweets are NOT public.
2. Design the wallpaper and avatar to go onto the profile. You can either design your own or find a site online that offers designs for free or minimal fee.
3. Announce the private Twitter club on your mailing list, sites, blogs, social media profiles, etc.
4. Followers will start to show up on your profile, which you can approve by hand. It allows you to look up their profile. Have followers send you an email with their:
Twitter profile name, real name, and why they want to follow.
5. Decide if you’d like to monetize on the private group. You can offer them access for a fee, monthly subscription, or payments. You decide.
WHAT I WOULD OFFER IN MY PRIVATE TWITTER CLUB:
1. Exclusive offers and promos. Have a club only discount available to your followers.
2. Club exclusive art or prints. Offer something that only they can have. Maybe make it a special edition work that is created on a monthly, yearly, or seasonal basis.
3. Special private art sales. Only the club members are allowed the discounts and offers that you give them. They are your most loyal customers. They deserve the offers. And noone outside gets to do it.
4. Giveaways. Maybe you can giveaway a free print or special edition collectable to your club members within the group.
5. Exclusive news feed. Announcements about new art, shows, interviews, or other events are sent to them immediately, thanks to Twitter. Before the news is posted on your site or blog, they get to hear about it.
Making a club for your loyal following builds a reputation. You are building up your collectors, and they in turn will build you up. Grassroots media is where its at, and if there are ways you can offer something special to them, they will want to tell the world!
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Natasha Wescoat (natashawescoat.com) is a licensed artist and social media creative utilizing the web to promote and sell her art. Learn more about the artist at her official website or her blog, Natasha’s Art Candy (natashasartcandy.com)
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
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EBSQ is a creative space that provides art marketing tools and serves as a hub for the self rep and indie artist community. Join our artists, photographers, and crafters here at the place to see and be seen since 2000.
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