A few weeks ago I asked several readers from The Abundant Artist newsletter list to participate in a survey about this site. The results were interesting, and I’d like to share them with you.
Question 1. What kind of content would you like to see on TheAbundantArtist.com?
Question 2. What is the biggest obstacle to selling your art online?
There were a lot of questions around this question. That’s a good thing. Obviously a lot of artists are looking for low cost ways to sell their work. That’s great, because Internet marketing is pretty cheap for artists.
Let me also address those survey comments:
1. Performers can build their fan base online. Gathering email addresses and sending out a newsletter to your fans is a great way to build audience for your shows, as well as fundraising for projects. You’d be amazed at the opportunities that come up just by keeping in contact with your fans.
2. Too clinical. Not sure what this means, but the Internet definitely allows for a diverse range of marketing styles. Experiment and play around with your marketing style. You’ll probably find that the more open and fun you are, the better your fans respond.
3. Lack of marketing skills – good thing you ended up here! I’d be happy to help you develop some of those marketing skills. You can simply contact me, or just keep reading this here blog for more info.
4. Sorry there, respondant, but you are wrong. Artists will always need a Web site. FolioTwist is simply another Web site, albeit a well built one. They do a good job with content management. That said, I am always an advocate of artists owning their own space to sell.
Question 3. How do you sell your art?
It appears that most artists who are selling online are using third party sites. These online galleries are great for beginning artists who don’t have a lot of money or who are just getting established, but eventually most artists need to move to selling their work themselves. You can’t build a comprehensive brand strategy on someone else’s Web site!
Responses:
1. This is a common problem across most industries. It’s easy to set up a Web site, and designers & galleries will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to pay them a fee. You need an objective third party that can teach you how Internet marketing works.
4. The open studio is a great idea. I’d love to hear more about that – if you are reading this, please contact me!
Any thoughts, readers? What else would you like to see on TheAbundantArtist.com?
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