Whether you're an established photographer or emerging, this guide will help you to know how to market yourself and your art. Before any sort of marketing begins, be sure to have a solid body of photographic work in your portfolio.
How To Market Your Art Photography
• Your Website: Get set up with a great website to feature your artwork and collections in order to compete in an impactful way in the art arena. Self-edit and choose only the best of your best photographs to display and be sure to write appropriate captions.
• Spend some time researching and getting familiar with each art organizations, galleries and/or curators. Visit their websites and decipher how your work might potentially fit stylistically with their roster of artists and clients. Don't contact people blindly. Know about who you're talking to as it makes a huge difference.
MAKING A CONNECTION | MARKETING YOUR WORK
• Social Media: Follow and or ‘friendʼ the art advisors on their social media channels by liking, commenting and sharing their postings. Be consistent with your network building but donʼt overdue it, be subtle and honest. Being engaged in your art community through social media has positive effects on potential buyers and art advisors.
• Develop your own Social Media Channels of Choice: Be consistent with your postings of your artwork; whether it be on Instagram, Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter, be sure to post quality visual content daily; one or two images/postings at the most per day with appropriate titles, tagging, quotes or other interesting credits and information. If content doesnʼt improve your brand as an artist donʼt dilute your offerings with images for the sake of an image. This isn't the time for thoughtless selfies or what you had for lunch. Include appropriate images from your personal and or working life every so often, for example, images from an art show or event you participated in. Develop an understanding of the culture of each social media channel, get engaged.
• Email Outreach: Send out quarterly personalized, ‘one at timeʼ emails from your personal or work email address. I do not recommend sending general email blasts, but instead tailor your emails to those on your email list. Include a clear headline. Keep your introductory copy short and to the point, be knowledgeable about what they do and who they are and how you might be a good fit. **Note, if you contact potential Art Advisors and your work doesnʼt match what they are currently buying or promoting style wise you can gently make a pitch as to why they could consider your work. This opportunity to communicate directly and clearly is why a generic mass email campaign will not be as effective in you marketing efforts.
Include a visual sample of your work in your email text and a link to your website along with your contact information in your signature. Be sensitive to the file size of your images in your email marketing outreach, it clogs email accounts if files are too big. I can tell you from experience that some recipients of emails get highly irritated if sent files are way too big.
• Direct Mail: Follow up with a strong, well produced printed piece; consider postcards, fine art prints, booklets or posters; send out quarterly with a single visual image or collection of images with each mailing, feature new work or a popular piece from your social media postings.
• Meetings: Make one follow up call to inquire if they had a chance to see your direct mail piece and or your email correspondence. Request a face-to-face meeting, the best and most important way to build relationships. Offer to take them to lunch or coffee if you have made a good connection. Consider bringing your printed portfolio or fine art prints along with an iPad presentation of your work. Bring additional ‘leave behindsʼ of your printed marketing materials.
• Events, Competitions and Art Shows: Attend art happenings and non-profit or other art events locally, nationally or globally. Participate in and or attend gallery and museum shows and openings. Sign up and enter noteworthy art competitions. Follow them all on social media.
• Network and support artists in your community and beyond: Oftentimes, it is other artists who open the important doors and make the great introductions.
• Keep making new artwork! Producing new work and getting it out there to the art advisors is key to maintaining and building a strong, energetic artistic brand identity and awareness.
Marketing really is not difficult tho' it is time consuming. Take the time necessary to market yourself as a photographer and your photography. Lack of marketing is the number one reason why so many photographers don't achieve their goals. Consistent marketing is key to your success in the world of photography.
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