| Art marketing requires an entirely different marketing approach than other products. What works to market and sell a pair of shoes will be vastly different than what works to sell your artwork. For this reason, it's important that you learn your art marketing information from people who have sold art in the past and understand these differences.
I know how difficult it can be to figure out the best way to market and sell your art, while still focusing on creating new work. FASO makes it easy, though. We've built a one-of-a-kind platform that helps you sell more of your one-of-a-kind art. As part of your membership, you also get free access to our AMP (Art Marketing Playbook) which is a step-by-step guide for marketing and selling your art. Join today for free.
What are your questions about art marketing? I really would like to know! Hit reply and send them to us and we'll dip into the mail bag and try to address them in an upcoming issue! If you don't have any questions, just let us know what you think about today's article.
Enjoy, Clint Watson
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There is a dangerous myth about art marketing out in the world.
To explain the myth, you have to understand a concept we call the "Marketing Advice Firehose".
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| The Marketing Advice Firehose is the overwhelming deluge of advice artists receive about how to market their art.
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| It can be overwhelming to the point of being almost paralyzing. There are lots of well-meaning people with a marketing background, who are eager to advise artists on how to market and sell art. I applaud the fact they want to help artists, but it leads to a big problem.
The problem is what I call the "Marketing Guru Myth."
The myth goes something like this, "Marketing is marketing. And I know how to market shoes on Amazon/information products/software/medical devices. So I can do some good and teach artists how to market art!"
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| You can't market art like you market other products.
You can't market art like you market shoes on Amazon.
You can't market art like you market information products.
You can't market art like you market software.
And you can't market art like you market medical devices.
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| Art marketing is unique to, well, art. And, although it does share similarities to marketing other types of luxury goods, it is still unique. I say this as a former gallery owner whose gallery sold millions of dollars of art.
The Marketing Guru Myth leads to some dubious advice for artists.
For example, just think how many artists subject their brand new site visitors, who are eager simply to look at beautiful art, to invasive and in-your-face newsletter signup popups before the visitor has even seen one piece of art.
That's the exact opposite of how one should treat a valued customer who may be purchasing an expensive, discretionary luxury good. Why do people recommend artists do that?
Because the newsletter popup tactic works well when you sell information products. And that is what most marketing gurus sell. And unfortunately some of them are falling into the "Marketing Guru Myth" of thinking what works for information products will work for selling art.
Here's another pervasive myth: How many times have you been overwhelmed while a marketing expert tells you that you need to put time and effort into optimizing your sites for search engines in a process called "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO)?
SEO works great when you're selling Nike sneakers on an eCommerce platform. But putting much effort into SEO, with a few rare exceptions, is a waste of time for most artists.
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I've covered the "SEO Myth" extensively over the years and kind of become known as the "anti-SEO" guy. But that's because I know what activities work for marketing art and, for the most part, SEO isn't one of them.
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| "Some things do not make sense to push algorithmically, and some leads have very little value. I don't think SEO is a real solution for most live artists. SEO doesn't really get too many people talking about you." - SEO Guru, Aaron Wall |
| But, guess what SEO works really well for? Information Products. And many people recommending artists spend time on SEO are selling courses, videos and white papers to artists. So they naturally recommend what works for them. However, it's a myth. The Marketing Guru Myth.
So what DOES work in marketing art?
We will be sharing many ideas in upcoming articles. But if you've followed me for long, you know that it involves reaching out to existing fans and collectors. Building an email list. Sending an email update to your followers on a regular cadence. If you haven't started an email list and a basic newsletter. You need to. Right away.
Until then, please remember, Fortune Favors the BoldBrush.
Sincerely,
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| Clint Watson BoldBrush/FASO Founder & Art Fanatic
PS - Sign-up for your free FASO account and get free access to the AMP (Art Marketing Playbook) and join thousands of artists who are already using our platform to sell their art.
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