In Build a Dynamic Web Presence, learn the importance of identifying an audience for your visual art business. Figuring out the component can be one of the most challenging pieces of your the marketing puzzle. Attend a new webinar, Finding an Audience for Your Visual Art, to learn more about how to do this for your business.
Halloween is over, and thoughts have turned to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
With news of shortages on the rise, holiday shoppers will reportedly get started earlier than usual this year. So make sure your artist website is ready. Here are some things you can do to make the most of the 2021 holiday shopping season smooth rather than chaotic.
Update your How to Purchase page. If you don’t have one, devote a page to holiday shopping providing information such as cutoff dates for sales. Alert your customers trying to receive their order on or before December 24th of important dates for that to happen. Make sure you keep in mind shipping carrier deadlines. December 15th is a pretty good bet if shipping within the US, but make sure you research your particular situation. You could format this page in a Frequently Asked Questions format.
Make sure all of your work is listed on your site and up to date. And, if you are using a shopping cart, make sure the buttons are working.
Consider offering gift cards, which can be done through providers such as Square, or you can create your own.
Your artist blog is a perfect place to promote your products and services this holiday season. Here are some examples of the kinds of posts you can share to help your readers and maximize holiday sales.
Share new work to stay top-of-mind as people are browsing the internet for gift ideas.
If applicable, highlight different price points that might accommodate different pricing levels.
If there is any way to draw upon seasonal elements, do it. For example, if you create functional pottery, show images in holiday settings. For jewelry artists, highlight your creations paired with festive outfits.
Don’t forget customary campaigns like Black Friday and Cyber Monday and write some blog posts around these themes.
Share pertinent shipping dates in a blog post.
If you have a large local or regional following – consider highlighting local events that your followers may be interested in attending.
Don’t forget a plan for thanks and seasons greetings. At Thanksgiving, post a blog thanking your customers, followers, and fans. You might even want to send cards or offer a small token of appreciation for larger clients, but even a blog post will do. Just do it. You can do the same for Christmas and the New Year.
For all of these ideas, prepare them in advance! You will likely be too busy to focus on them when the time comes for them to post.
Do you have an excellent idea for a holiday blog post? Share it by sending it to becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Artboard Studio on Unsplash
Thank you to the Great Lakes Pastel Society for having me present Build a Dynamic Web Presence virtually to a group of members this afternoon.
Great Lakes Pastel Society includes a couple of hundred members in a dozen states, and they welcome new members at any time throughout the year.
I recommend taking a look at their most recent exhibition; the 2021 GLPS Small Works member exhibition here:
The Great Lakes Pastel Society seeks to promote the use of pastels and increase the public awareness of creative pastel painting as a fine art medium. The Great Lakes Pastel Society was established to:
• Promote, encourage and foster creative painting with pastels.
• Promote and encourage pastel artists in their professional growth and success.
• Promote instructive activities and exhibit opportunities to benefit pastel.
• Promote fellowship of pastel artists.
• Promote public awareness of pastels.
If you’re interested in joining this group, you can find more about becoming a member here.
Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game has been talked about a lot lately. I didn’t watch, but I’ve read that it was a rating success. If you’ve attended Build a Dynamic Web Presence, you might remember my “field of dreams” slide. In the movie, Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella hears a voice whispering, “If you build it, he will come.” I like to play with that phrase a little in reference to your artist website, asking, “If you build it, will they come?”.
Yes, It can help you achieve your dream. But, you have to do something to get people to your site. Just building it and expecting it to do all the heavy lifting for you does not work.
However, by taking a consistent, proactive approach to communicating your message to a target audience, you will find that they do come!
My Build a Dynamic Web Presence presentation explains how you can set up a system to do this. I’m currently scheduling groups for 2022. And, if I presented to your art group this year, you can attend a make-up session on September 8, 2021. More information will follow, via your art group. Or, contact me for registration information.
To get in touch either to schedule me for a presentation or for more information about the make-up session, please contact me at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash
One of the things that artists think about when it comes to blogging is whether or not they are a “good enough” writer to add a blog to their website. So I like to stress during the Build a Dynamic Web Presence webinar how and why to overcome this fear.
Fear not! Writing a blog is not writing a dissertation or a paper for your English literature class. Yes, you want it to be free of error, but otherwise, be comfortable writing as you would speak. The goal is to converse authentically with your reader, so there is no need to be something you aren’t.
Some Encouragement for WritingIt gets easier over time.
If you make the blogging process a habit and commit to writing a little bit every day, rather than trying to do it all in one afternoon, the process will become effortless for you.
Writing helps your art business.
The bonus of writing a blog for your art business is that you WILL become a better writer. This will help you in other areas. It will get easier to articulate about your work. And, this comes in handy whether asked a question about your work in person or if you have to sit down and write or update an artist statement.
Homework
I like to give the following homework assignment when presenting to groups.
Over the next five days, write about one piece of art each day. Select the piece, set a time for a specific amount of time – fifteen minutes is a good increment – and write what comes to mind about the work. Do this for five different pieces for five days, and you could surprise yourself with the content you create and how it gets easier every day.
Want to share your homework with me? I’d love to read it. Send to becky@artisan-advantage.com.
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
