Selling art is hard work and you need to position yourself as a thought leader in your niche. You can separate yourself from all of the other artists selling artwork and crafts online by creating a brand for your art business people will be able to recognize and remember.
How To Position Yourself As A Thought Leader In Your Niche
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links on this post are affiliate links and will be clearly marked as so. I will earn a small commission when you purchase a product or service from an affiliate link at no extra cost to you which helps with the costs of operating Nevue Fine Art Marketing. I will only recommend products I have used, found helpful to my business and are companies I trust.
A thought leader is defined as one whose views on a subject are taken to be authoritative and influential.
Why is it so important for you to learn how to market yourself as a thought leader?
Blair Nicole explains what the benefits are for thought leadership positioning in a post she wrote for Social Media Today.
If you can establish yourself as an expert in your industry, potential clients and customers will inherently trust you more – and equally beneficial, bloggers and reporters will also respond to you more warmly if you’re seen as an industry leader.
Blair also goes into detail about why you should focus on creating content that will have you seen as a thought leader in your niche.
- Thought Leadership Feeds Publicity
- Thought Leadership Fuels Content
- Thought Leadership Builds Credibility And Trust
- Thought Leaders Give Freely
- Thought Leadership Isn’t For Everyone
To read more visit 5 Key Benefits and Considerations of Thought Leadership.
Understand Who Your Audience Is
In this post, I am going to talk about some effective ways to position yourself as a thought leader in your niche without spending a fortune on marketing.
The first step is to know your audience inside and out.
- What is the average age of your audience?
- What is the gender of your audience?
- Where does your audience live?
- What is their relationship status?
- What is their yearly income?
- Where do they hang out online?
- What are their hobbies
- What is their occupation?
- What do your customers want and need the most?
- What are the most important problems that they need to solve?
Related Resource:
Developing A Niche Marketing Video Course
People search online for entertainment, shopping and for solutions to problems they are trying to solve.
Once you know what your audience needs, offer it to them.
Take the time to learn about your audience so you know how to communicate with them.
For example, talking about hunting might not produce the best results if the majority of your audience is female and their average age is between 45-55.
Learning who your audience is will make it easier for you to write content they will enjoy.
Website
Your website is the nucleus of your online business. This is the place where your audience visit for information about you as an artist, information about your products, information about how to solve a problem that relates to your products such as how to clean a painting or best frames for a painting.
Your website must look professional and easy to navigate if you want to be seen as a thought leader. First impressions online count.
Below are some tips on how you can make your artist website look more professional from LinchPinSEO.
- Make navigation easy.
- Write first-rate copy.
- Use the proper fonts.
- Use big, high-quality images.
- Colors must be coordinated.
- Put in just one CTA.
- Make your site responsive.
The first step you should take is to look into purchasing a premium theme if you are using WordPress for your website platform.
I use and recommend StudioPress Themes for WordPress (affiliate link) to artists I coach one-on-one.
Features:
- Search Engine Optimized (SEO)
- Genesis Delivers Responsive Turnkey Designs
- Unlimited Support
- Unlimited Updates
- State-Of-The-Art Airtight Security
- Update Your Site Instantly
- Genesis Makes Site Customization Easy Without Sacrificing Speed
- Custom Widgets And Layout Options
- Developers, You Can Trust
Related Resources:
After you have built the perfect website that compliments your brand you will want to concentrate on writing content that will attract your target audience and have them wanting to come back for more on a regular basis.
The 28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists eBook was created to help you build an online audience quickly.
You will want to promote every piece of content you publish. Let people know that it is out there.
Pinterest is a great way to promote your artist blog posts.
Related Posts:
How to Start Selling Art on Pinterest
How I Sell My Art Online With Tailwind
How To Use Tailwind Tribes To Sell More Art
Lead Generation
Your email list will be the most valuable tool you will have to build your art business.
Use your site as a lead generation tool to build your email marketing list.
Your email list will allow you to communicate with your list on a regular basis, presenting your niche customers with information, products, and services that you offer.
Design an opt-in strategy so you can quickly build your list.
Related Posts:
4 Email Opt-in Plugins for WordPress
Best Places to Add an Email Opt-in on Your WordPress Blog
Sell Art Online – Call-to-Action Strategy that Generates Sales
Mailing List
To get people to sign up for a mailing list these days, you need to go beyond the free newsletter offer and instead offer compelling special report registrants can download that will be packed with information (and links to buy products) related to your niche.
Aim for a broad topic most people interested in your niche will be eager to read, and even to pass on to others via email or social networks.
I am often asked, When should I start sending newsletters to my list?
I tell everyone to start sending a newsletter one they have one person on the list.
Below are some posts to help you build a strong email marketing strategy that will have you seen as a thought leader:
Writing Email Tips That Sell Art | Selling Art Online Strategies That Work
How To Start Your Email List Today so You Can Sell More Art
Sell More Art Online by Growing Your Email List
Ultimate Email Marketing Guide for Selling Art Online
E-book
One of the best ways to give yourself instant expertise is to write a book and publish it on Amazon. It does not have to be an encyclopedia of everything you know about your niche. Many bestselling books are usually ones with How To somewhere in the title, offering real solutions to your readers.
Publish it as an e-book through the Kindle Digital Platform first. If there is enough demand, publish it in paperback as well.
Visit Amy Lynn Andrews post How To Write An eBook for detailed information about writing your first eBook.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy
Conclusion:
Becoming a thought leader in your niche is easy if you give your prospects what they want and need, and show you are in the know about all the top products and services available, not just your own.
How To Position Yourself As A Thought leader In Your Niche Overview:
- Website
- Lead Generation
- Mailing List
- e-Book
You might also be interested in:
Best Tips for Starting a New Art Website
Sell Your Paintings By Building Your Brand
Why Artists Selling Art Online Need A Social Media Marketing Strategy & How To Get Started
How I Sell My Art Online With Tailwind
How To Increase The Value Of Your Artwork | Selling Art Online Strategies
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