The Art of Selling and Marketing Your Art

Creativity is the art of transforming the intangible into a tangible form. In fact, that’s what artists do best! Working as a creative artist can be a good personal and financial option when you want to make your own work. The digital revolution has changed the landscape in many ways. It has made it possible for people to work full-time as creative artists.

As technological innovations occur, full-time creative work becomes easier and more accessible than ever before. This can be seen with technological advancements in today's world: mass production, cloud storage services, and social marketing platforms like Instagram have all contributed to this trend. Today, SoHa Arts Building shares some insights to help you market your work.

Using a PR Firm

But, since most creatives aren’t that great at selling their work or themselves, it sometimes makes good financial sense to hire a PR firm to do it for them. PR agencies are instrumental in building on marketing strategies and creating a solid online reputation. They can make a huge impact on the success of an artist and their work. You can find PR agencies through online job boards and vet companies based on reviews, rates, and ratings.

Content Marketing

 Creative industries are booming right now with the growing trend of content marketing. Mail Chimp defines content marketing as the development and distribution of relevant, useful content—blogs, newsletters, white papers, social media posts, emails, videos, and the like—to current and potential customers.

And artists need to focus on content marketing if they want to keep up with the times. Some good places for placing your content are in blogs and on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. YouTube videos are becoming more and more popular for artists to create content media. If you're a video editor (or you’re willing to learn), you can show off your skills by taking advantage of extensive stock video footage online. And best of all, the footage is royalty-free, so you can expand your client base without breaking the bank!

And with the growing popularity of podcasts, they are almost tailor-made for sharing content. It’s important to invest in some professional equipment to make your podcast and videos look professional, though. People are used to seeing quality-made ones now and will tune out those that look too amateurish.

Social Media Marketing

As an artist, it can be difficult to get your work noticed in a sea of other creatives all vying for attention. One way to cut through the noise and reach a wider audience is to market your art on social media. By sharing your work on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, you can connect with potential patrons who might be interested in purchasing your pieces. And what's more, you can also use hashtags and videos to further promote your work.

Galleries for Visual Artists

Find a gallery where your work would fit well and avoid exhibiting your work in "vanity" galleries that anyone can exhibit in for a steep price and a steep commission. Since there is no standard of quality in those, it might not attract the sort of art patrons you would likely purchase your work. Once you have found a legitimate gallery that you feel makes a good fit, find out what they require before they will exhibit your work.

Have your portfolio available digitally with some of your best work. Include a professional resume and anything else the gallery requires. Most galleries will post their needs on their website or just stop by and ask or call if they’re not local.

Marketing Your Self-Published Novel 

Once your novel has been edited and formatted for publishing, there are things you can do to market it yourself. Hopefully, you’ve got an eye-catching book cover. People really do judge a book by its cover, so make sure you hire a professional for this step. No matter how well you market afterward, your cover can make or break how well it will sell. Make sure the designer you hire has experience in your genre and ask to see their portfolio of work and their turnaround time.

Creating blogs, author websites, social media sites, and participating in related podcasts can be effective marketing strategies. And though it can be overwhelming at first, in-person lectures and book signings can eventually become an easier and even an enjoyable experience.

According to Ingram Spark, you can also promote your book using a pre-sale. Similar to building your email list, you give readers an incentive. Many successful authors offer freebies and exclusive content that are only available to those who pre-order. Generating demand for the book before the actual pub date helps you to build momentum and occasionally gain a "bestseller" badge in certain categories on Amazon.

Operate like a Business

As a working artist, it’s important to think of your art in business terms. An important way to do that is to set yourself up as a business. Forming a limited liability company can be beneficial because it offers you certain tax benefits and legal protections, and an online formation service can help you get set up. It’s best to check online reviews before deciding which formation service is the best fit for you, though.

As a creative artist, you need to do more than just create art to sell it and make a living out of it. In order to run a successful career, you also need to market your creative work as well as yourself and your skill set. You may also want to register as an LLC to gain tax advantages and protections. As times change, so must artists in order to stay relevant in the marketplace.

SoHa Arts Building provides loft-style studios, workshop spaces, offices, and commissary kitchens to makers, bakers, artists, business owners and residents of South Jersey. Call (856) 573-0238.


Article by: Emma Brown