image by Katie Tegtmeyer
Artists, what is your site about? Last night I did a Webinar where I reviewed several artist websites live in front of a streaming audience and a couple of things stood out very clearly. One of those was artists don’t know what their Web site is about.
Why do you have a website?
Stop and think about it for a second. Do you have a site just because everyone else said that you should? Do you have a site because your Mom thought it would be a good idea and Uncle Billy built it for you in about five minutes? Do you have a site because all the other cool kids have one? Do you have a site because some guy on the Internet told you that you need one (*ahem*).
How much thought did you put into your site?
Did you carefully plan out your site before buying it? Did you decide where each element was going to go? Did you decide where to put your newsletter opt-in box, where to put your social media buttons, how to configure your image galleries and shopping cart…or did you just slap it all together and say you were done? Did you just have some guy do it for you, hoping you could set it and forget it?
What is your site about, really?
Is your website about you, the artist? Is it about your artwork? Is it about your great aunt Sally? Is it about how you have struggled as an artist for so long and you hope that you’re finally getting things right?
Here’s a basic principle of selling: People buy from people that they know, like, and trust. It’s a sales axiom that rings as true now as it has since the dawn of time. Most art sales, especially original or large-format art, do not come from the first contact with the collector. Art buyers want to connect with the artists. They want to get to know them, feel the passion in their souls, and feel like they are special because they recognize that special artistic genius that’s inside of you.
They want to feel like they discovered you and got to know you. They want a relationship.
Is your website ready for a relationship?
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