Writing content is important for the success of your art business.
Starting a blog is easy to do with this art blog checkoff list.
Follow this post step by step and you will have your art blog up in no time.
Art Blog Checkoff List
Before you can start a content marketing plan, you will need to have a blogging platform.
Below is a step by step art blog checkoff list to get you started.
- Find your Niche
- Choose a domain
- Decide on a blogging platform
- Brand your blog
- Write your first post
1 Find your niche
By now you have probably already determined your niche.
If you have not spent the time doing this yet, take the time to get this important step finished.
Without a clear vision of what your niche is, you will not be able to create a strategic marketing plan that will be productive.
What does a niche market mean?
A niche market is a small part of a larger market.
An example of a niche market for artists would be, “Horse Oil Paintings.”
Oil paintings would be the larger market and horse oil paintings are a smaller market of oil paintings.
It would easier for you to promote your art to people who have a passion for horses than it would be to focus on “oil paintings”.
Decide on what your specialty or niche is for your art business so you can develop a productive art marketing strategy.
For more information on niche marketing visit the posts below:
Find Your Niche – Increase Online Art Sales
How To Position Yourself As A Thought Leader In Your Niche
Niche Marketing Strategy For Artists
Developing a Niche Marketing Strategy Course
2 Choose A Domain Name
Before you can start writing articles and posting them, you will need a domain name.
A domain name is an address for people to find your content.
You will want to make sure that it is easy to remember and that it best fits your brand.
Think of your domain name as being your address in a phone book.
Your domain name will be the address that people will use to reach your artist blog or website.
Your readers will type your domain name in the search box and they will be redirected directly to your blog.
How to Choose a Perfect Artist Domain Name
As an artist, you want people to associate your artwork with your name.
Because you are branding yourself as an artist, this makes it easy for you to create the perfect domain name.
Most artists will use their first and last name or just their last name for a domain name.
If you have a common name such as “Smith,” you will want to do a search to see if that domain name is available.
Keep in mind that just using your name might not be the best domain name for you to use. You will want people to know that you are an artist.
You can be more specific by including your niche. An example of your art gallery would be “YOURNAMEFINEART.com. By adding fine art after your name in the domain you are telling people what type of site they are going to.
If it is a blog that you are creating, you might want to use “YOURNAMEARTBLOG.com,” for example.
By adding “blog” in the domain name, you will be telling your readers that they will be visiting a blog about your artwork. They will be able to find the latest information about you and your artwork.
Here are some questions that will help you decide on your domain name.
- Do you want to use your first and last name or just your last name?
- Do you want to use art, fine art, abstract art, etc.?
- Do you want to add your niche, such as portrait, oil painting, wildlife, etc.?
- Is the artist domain name you want to use available?
- Will your artist domain name be easy to remember?
- Does your artist’s domain name reflect your art business and or blog?
How To Check If A Domain Name Is Available
It is easy to find if a domain name is available.
You can go to HostGator and click on the link Domain.
You will be redirected to a page that will allow you to type in the name you wish and see if it is available or not.
At that point, you are also able to purchase the domain name if you want to.
For more information about choosing a domain name for your artist website visit How to Choose a Perfect Artist Domain Name.
3 Make A Decision On A Blogging Platform
A blogging platform is what your blog will run on.
You have the choice between hosting and self-hosting platforms.
If you want a free simple blog that you do not have a lot of control over, I recommend Blogger.
Blogger is user-friendly and has a limited amount of templates that you can choose from and is used by many artists.
I have used blogger in the past and changed it over to WordPress because I wanted more options so I could build my brand the way I envisioned. I will only use WordPress for my platforms from now on.
If you are building an art business with your blog, I highly recommend using WordPress for your platform.
You will need to purchase a domain name and a hosting service when you use WordPress.
I use and recommend HostGator to buy your domain and hosting. They offer great prices with excellent customer service. If you ever need assistance, they will be more than happy to help you fix the problem.
With HostGator, you can have your blog up in less than 15 minutes.
Another option many bloggers use is BlueHost.
4 Brand Your Blog
After you have your WordPress site up, it is time to brand your blog.
What does it mean to brand your art business?
Branding is a way to separate your art business from all the other artists selling art online and offline.
It is how your collectors recognize your business and are reflected in everything you do including, your artwork, your art blog, the look of your artist website, your customer service and so on.
You will be able to choose from thousands of WordPress themes to create the look and feel of your blog which makes it easy for you to stand out of the crowd.
What are themes for blogging platforms?
A theme is simply the design of your site.
Sites like Google Blogger or Tumbler provide different templates that you can choose. They are however limited.
WordPress is where serious bloggers go to start their blog.
Because so many people use WordPress, you will be able to find a template that will be perfect for your art brand.
You will even have the option to sell your work by using WordPress.
How do you decide what theme would be best for you?
With so many themes to pick from, choosing the best theme for your brand might feel overwhelming. To ease the pain, you will first want a clear vision of how you would like your blog to look.
What colors would you like your blog to be?
You will want the colors of your blog to complement the artwork that you are showcasing.
Some artists have all of these beautiful colors on their blog that takes away from their art.
Your art should be the focal point. Make sure that the colors that you decide to use compliment your work not to take away from it.
How would you like your homepage to look?
The homepage is the landing page for your blog. This is the first page that people will see when they go to your blog.
You will want to decide if you want a header with menu links, a slide show, or a gallery.
Whatever your mind can imagine you will be able to find a WordPress theme that will be perfect.
I suggest that you search for artist’s blogs and websites that are in your niche.
This research will help you decide what will be best for you.
Find at least 10 or 15 different sites and bookmark them.
Here is a blog I wrote to get you started, 4 Amazing Artist Websites You Should See.
When you have your list, go through them from front to back.
- Look at the colors that they use.
- Look at the font that they use.
- Take notice if they are using a sidebar. A sidebar is a section that links can be shown to highlight content.
- Look at the photos that they use. How large are the pictures?
- Do they allow customers to purchase their work on their site?
- What gateway are they using to sell their artwork?
Have a piece of paper handy and write down everything that you like about the sites and everything that you do not like about the sites.
Go through your notes and find the most common things that you like and don’t like. Write this down on a different piece of paper.
Once you have completed this task, you will have a good understanding of how you would like your blog to look.
5 Write Your First Post
Now is the time to build your business and share your content. Before you write different types of content, have a plan set up. A plan will help you to create a flow and make your blog easier to navigate for your readers.
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Conclusion:
Take your time and make sure that you complete everything from the art blog checkoff list. This is the foundation of your blog. Once you have it up and running, all you will have to do is write content that your audience will love.
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Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers by Megan Auman
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
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