I want to thank the McMurray Art League for inviting me to present Building a Dynamic Web Presence during their member meeting via Zoom last week.
We discussed how visual artists can use blogging to strategically and systematically promote their work.
While I’d rather meet artists in person, I’m thankful that technology provides a way for these programs to continue.
Interested in having me present to your group? Please contact me at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
When setting up an art marketing system using blogging, there are undeniably some technical components that you must include.
Did you know they are some less tangible but equally important elements that are critical to your success? I like to boil them down to three key ingredients you should strive to include in your blogging efforts.
These three things impact how useful your artist blog will be in marketing your business.
Show up.
With a traditional artist website or even artist blogs, the prevailing thought is that all you have to do is create it, and it will bring you business. Many artists build websites with the expectation that people will either find you by you giving them the link in some form of marketing or through an internet search. The reality is that you need to offer people a compelling reason to visit your site, whether it is a traditional site or a blog. Now, a blog is going to entice them, even more, to view your work as the content is likely more exciting and dynamic. However, this is not all that you need. You need to show up with your blog in the places where your audience hangs out.
When I worked with my artist father, Robert Yonke, to develop inroads in the bluegrass music industry, I went out and found an interested audience and presented him to them. I didn’t wait for them to discover him. Showing up means you find and present yourself to an audience, rather than waiting for them to find you.
Make a connection.
The best way to connect with an audience is to find common ground. Strive to build relationships with people that have an interest in some level with your work. It could be that you’ve met them at a prior event. You may share a mutual hobby. They may be interested in learning more about something that you are doing.
Work to find an audience that naturally connects with your work. Use stories, thoughts, and images to grow the connection. Artist Cory Bonnet instantly makes a connection with people who have a love for his hometown of Pittsburgh, as he weaves his knowledge and love of the town’s heritage into his work.
Once you identify your connection with your audience, make sure that it shows up in your blogging.
Be authentic.
Your work is authentic to you because you have created it. Write and present yourself in an accurate manner on your blog. Post content that is true to your work and your vision. Write in an authentic voice. Rather than worrying about writing a literary masterpiece, write as if you have a one on one conversation with your reader. Your audience can sense whether you are authentic or not.
Read Mara Carlini’s Mara’s Mandalas Blog, and you instantly understand that each piece is unique and authentic.
Make sure that your blog has all three ingredients to give yourself the best chance of moving your business forward.
Would you like to create a dynamic blog for your art business in thirty days? Join my new program, 30 Days to a Dynamic Web Presence, starting October 1, 2020. We go into all three of these elements with specific actions that you can take to make sure your blog has them!
Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
I want to thank the East Suburban Artists League for inviting me to present during their member meeting via Zoom last week.
The topic was Building a Dynamic Web Presence. We discussed how visual artists can use blogging to strategically and systematically promote their work.
This was my first time presenting via Zoom. I thank the group for allowing me to do that!
While I’d rather meet artists in person, I’m thankful that technology provides a way for these meet-ups and presentations to continue.
Interested in having me present to your group? Please contact me at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Registration is now open for How to Use Blogging to Build Your Art Business. This webinar was previously named, Build a Dynamic Web Presence for Your Art Business.
Choose from one of two opportunities to attend this live webinar on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. This free presentation will explain how to use blogging to create an effective marketing system for your visual art. All participants will also receive a complimentary “How to set up your blog” guide. Reserve your spot at one of the sessions below:
Many creatives are feeling the pain of canceled exhibitions, festivals, and other opportunities due to Covid-19. It’s more important than ever to have a web presence. Opportunities still exist on the internet. The key is to prepare and position yourself to take advantage of them.
Some artists, however, find the task of creating and maintaining a website daunting. They don’t think they have enough technical know-how to build one. Then, once established, it can be a struggle to get visitors to the site.
My free webinar, Use Blogging to Build Your Visual Art Business, offers some answers to the following questions:
How to set up a vibrant web presence for your art business in an effective way without hiring a web designer?
How to keep your website up to date without a web designer?
How to reach an audience interested in buying your work with a blog?
Set up a Simple System to Drive Your Art Marketing Efforts
This presentation uses my personal experience and real-life examples to outline a system any visual artists can use. The information is relevant for many popular web platforms such as WordPress, Weebly, Squarespace, or FASO. Learn how to consistently share work with an audience across various marketing channels such as social media and email marketing using an easy to use blogging platform as the driver for your business.
My goal is for you to gain a new enthusiasm for building a web presence, whether you are starting from scratch or improving upon an existing website. I will offer tools and advice for starting and maintaining this system in a manageable way.
Art Groups
I will be presenting to various arts groups during the program segment of their monthly meetings over the next few months. If you’d like me to present to your art group, please contact me at becky@artisan-advantage.com. As a follow-up thank you, your group members will be offered a discount to my course “Build a Blog Based Marketing System for your Art Business in 30 Days”, launching October 1st.
Individual Artists
I will host two live presentations in September here at Artisan-Advantage, open to all visual artists. There is a size limit of 20 participants for my self-hosted events. The schedule will be released next week. If you would like priority notification for these free events, please sign up for my Create! Sell! Newsletter.
