Are you thinking about selling art online or at craft shows?
Have you been selling your artwork for some time but find it difficult to find buyers?
Do you have an art marketing plan?
Most artists know they should write an art marketing plan for their business, but only a few have one written.
One of the main reasons people put this task off is because they do not know how to write a basic art marketing plan.
In this post, I am going to show you how to write a basic art marketing plan for your business so you can sell more art.
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How to Write a Basic Art Marketing Plan
Whether you are just starting to sell your art online, or you have been selling your art for some time, you will benefit from an art marketing plan.
Your basic art marketing plan will help you to follow through on your email newsletters, events, promoting new artwork, etc.
Your marketing plan will guide you towards your goals without becoming derailed by unproductive distractions.
You will be able to discover what strategies are working for you and which ones you can discard.
But how do you get started writing a marketing plan?
A helpful tip for writing a great marketing plan is to keep it simple.
A simple plan will allow you to adjust and build upon.
Below is an outline of what a basic art marketing plan should look like.
- Vision and Mission
- Goals
- Identify Your Ideal Customer
- Reaching Your Audience
- Brand Awareness
What Is Your Vision and Mission
You need to know where you would like to go before you can get there.
Before you get into your car, you know exactly where you would like to go.
The first time that you drove to a particular destination you might not have chosen the best route, but you got there.
The next time you travel to the same destination, you might decide to try an alternate route to see if you can save some time.
When you have a clear vision of what your business objectives are you will be able to try different strategies.
Assessing the outcome of the strategies you are implementing will allow you to know what will be the most productive plans for your business.
The vision and mission of your business are similar to you traveling in your car. Understanding what you would like to achieve will allow you to make the best decisions for your marketing plan.
Your vision might be to sell art online. This is a good vision but it could be more clear.
Selling 20 pieces of original art a year is a more clear vision. Now you have something to shoot for.
Your first plan might not get you to your destination. But you can learn from the outcome of your efforts. You will keep trying different plans until you reach your goals.
Successful artists are willing to try new plans and learn from them. You can not grow if you are not willing to try new ideas.
Do not be too concerned about your vision being “perfect.” You can always adjust it as your business grows. Your vision today might be completely different then you vision five years from now.
Related Post:
Artist Vision and Mission – Online Business
Goals
An art marketing plan cannot exist without a vision and goals.
Visions and goals work together in harmony.
The goals you write are derived from your vision.
Once you have your goals documented you can start to develop action plans that will help you to achieve your objectives.
It is important to know what you are trying to achieve before you can learn how to write a basic art marketing plan.
Related Resources:
How to Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook
Artist Goal Planners in Light Blue
Artist Goal Planners in Light Pink
Annual Art Business Review Workbook
Identify Your Ideal Customer
After you have your goals documented you will want to take time to learn who will be interested in purchasing the art you create.
These people are known as your target audience.
Not everyone will be interested in your artistic style and that is ok.
There are plenty of people who would love to have your artwork displayed all over their home.
You just have to find out who they are and how you can reach them.
Below are some basic questions you can answer to help you identify who your target audience is. The more specific you can be with your answers the better.
Ask these questions:
- Who would like your style of art you create?
- Who would like the colors you use?
- What subjects do you paint or draw?
- Where does your target audience live?
- Who can afford your art?
- What gender does your art attract?
- What age group does your art attract?
Related Post:
Simple Strategy For Finding Your Target Audience
Related Resource:
Developing a Niche Marketing Strategy Course
Reaching your Audience
Now that you know who your audience is and have a clear vision of what you will have to offer your audience, you need to find out where your target audience is so you can deliver your message.
Here are some places that you might want to consider:
- Are they subscribed to your email list, if not how can you encourage them to subscribe to your email list?
- What social media sites do they visit the most?
- Are they involved with any groups?
- What online content do they read online?
- What blogs or sites do they frequently visit?
- Why would they want to visit your site?
Many artists waste a lot of time marketing to the wrong people because they do not spend the time to identify who their target audience is and discover how they can reach them.
The truth is, not everyone will be interested in what you have to offer.
The other side of the coin is there are many people who are interested in what you have to offer and they are trying to find you as we speak.
You want to make it easy for your target audience to find you.
Use Multiple Mediums to Spread your Content
Never rely on one medium to share your content.
Repurposing your content on multiple mediums will ensure that you are reaching a higher percentage of your target audience.
Your target audience will get their content from different mediums.
Some people like to read, while other people get their content from videos.
I like to listen to podcasts while I am driving.
If you only provide your story on your blog, you are missing a large piece of the pie.
You can take the same story that you have written for your blog and make a video or MP3. It is easier to tell the same story on different mediums than it is to create a new story.
Conclusion:
- Have a clear vision
- Set Goals
- Know who your ideal customer is
- Learn how to reach your audience
- Share your story on multiple mediums
After you have accomplished your basic art marketing plan, having a clear vision of what you want, writing out goals, identifying your target audience and reaching your target audience you will be ready for more advanced art marketing plans.
Learning how to write a basic art marketing plan is really not that difficult to do.
The struggles most people have is just starting.
Once you get started you will find that everything will fall into place.
Popular Art Marketing And Sales Tutorials
Below are some of the most famous art marketing courses that will grow your online art business:
Most Popular – How to Make a Living Selling What You Make by Megan Auman
Most Popular – Build a Successful Creative Blog by April Bowles-Olin
How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft by Megan Auman
Pinterest Marketing for Makers & Designers by Megan Auman
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
Are you ready to start building an online presence?
Available on Amazon or Download your copy today.
The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams
The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are critical elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Get More Done in Less Time The Part-time Artist
Proven strategies that will help you to get more work done in less time so you can sell more art and earn more money.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
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