Interested in marketing digital art online? This month we’re doing a two-part series just for you! In Part 1, we’re covering a very important topic for all artists in this modern, digital age – Establishing an online presence to market your work.
You may think a social media presence isn’t important for your art. However, keep in mind that with the Internet, art sales are now global. Because of this, you need a portfolio of your work that can be accessed from anywhere. Also, keep in mind, that no one will know about your online portfolio unless you put some effort into marketing it. We’ll be discussing how to increase views to your online portfolio in Part 2.
Here are some basic steps to establish your digital art portfolio online:
Establish Your Artistic Style and Your Audience
Making art as a hobby is easy. However, to sell art, you need to establish a few things.
- What is your creative purpose?
- Is your goal to make art for charity, earn a few hundred dollars a month, or do you eventually want to become a full-time artist and live off your art sales?
- Do you want to stick to one subject that you’re passionate about, or work on commission?
- Would you want to work with one style and medium, or experiment with many?
After answering these questions, you can decide who your audience is. Before starting to market your digital online art, you need to know who you’re marketing to. To narrow down your audience, ask yourself some questions like these:
- Who would be attracted to my style of art (age, geographic location, hobbyists, etc.)?
- Where will people be installing my art (home, office, outdoors)?
- How much do these people want to spend on art?
These decisions will help you with the creation of your site and social media accounts, and later when you’re trying to reach specific types of people who might be interested in your art.
Write a Great Bio
Your biography or “About Me” is the first thing people will read after they discover your artwork. Make it great! The ideal bio is about 6 sentences long, with enough information that the reader gets to know you a little, but not so wordy that they stop reading. You could write your whole life story, but we’d recommend creating a shorter version for social media.
In case you’re unsure of what to write, have someone who knows you well write out a few interesting things about you. Start with what you do, and why you do it. Tell a story that connects you to your potential buyers. And make sure you end with a “Call to Action”, such as “If you like my work, visit my Facebook page (linked above) for regular updates!”. PLEASE PROOFREAD your bio if you want to look like a professional.
Here’s an article about effective business social media bios. Keep in mind that your bio will evolve along with your art. Don’t be afraid to rewrite it!
Take or Make a Creative Profile Photo
People want to connect with you face-to-face, even in our digital art online world. It’s important to have a photo of yourself that shows what you look like, but also shows a little bit of your personality.
We like the profile images below. You can tell what the artists look like, but it also shows off their digital art skills. Unique, and effective.
A professional headshot looks good as well. If you definitely don’t want a profile photo of yourself, we recommend an image that fits well into the Instagram circle and Facebook/Twitter square. Keep in mind that if you use an image of a model, the viewer will assume that it’s an image of you.
Start a Facebook Business Page
Even if your art is done mostly as a hobby, make a Facebook business page to showcase your art. Your portfolio should be exclusively your best work, demonstrating the full breadth of your abilities as an artist.
You’ll have to create a much shorter version of your bio to list on your social media accounts. Make sure your Facebook page clearly states what you do, and links to any other online portfolios and social media sites you update regularly. If you don’t already have one, get an email address that is either your name, or the name of your business and is exclusively used for your art business. Make sure it’s clearly listed on your Facebook and other sites, in case a client wants to contact you.
If you’re already using Facebook, here’s some information on how to customize your Facebook page.
Other great social media sites for marketing digital art online are Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. We’ll discuss these sites more in-depth in Part 2.
Get Reviews
Have someone review your work. It’s that simple – doesn’t matter if it’s a family member, close friend, or someone who found you online. Reviews lend credibility to your work, and they prove that your work is good enough that people want to purchase it.
When your artwork is printed and installed in a gallery or home, make sure you get a photo or video of it being displayed. This tells potential clients that other people have paid to display your artwork, and you have the quality of ArtisanHD printing to back up the quality of your work!
Marketing Digital Art Online
Although we do our best to market our artists and their work, don’t forget that the best marketer for your art is YOU! Marketing digital art online does take some effort, but the effort you put in helps your work get seen by more people. Get your social media channels established, and in Part 2 we’ll be introducing tips and tricks for effective social media marketing.
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