A little while ago, some one posted a question on The Crafts Report forum about how they could promote their new art site without spending money on advertising. There’s several things that you can do that cost little or nothing that can be more effective than advertising. So I decided to share what I wrote on the forum. Here goes:
1. Know what it is that you want to accomplish- that’s something you need to know before you even start developing your web site. Then everything you do after that will go towards reaching that goal.
2. Know your audience- If your goal is to sell artwork, then you need to attract art buyers. If your goal is to get into galleries, then you need to attract gallery owners. Once you know your audience, then you can put things on your web site that will attract them.
3. Start a blog- You need to make sure that whatever you’re writing in your blog is compelling enough to attract visitors and regular readers. Again, this goes back to items #1 & #2. If your goal is to sell artwork and you want to attract potential buyers, then you need to provide information on your blog that is attractive to potential art buyers. Also, be mindful that if you’re writing a blog, you have another audience that you should keep in mind…other blog owners. That’s the magic of blogs, if your blog is good enough, you’ll attract attention from other blog owners, who will in turn write about *your* blog, which in turn will entice their readers to look at *your* site.
4. Write articles- If you want to show what you know, one of the best things you can do is write articles about what you know. I’m talking about magazine articles, ezine articles, articles that you post on your web site. And in each article, have a small blurb about you and a link to your site.
5. Search engine optimization- It’s always a good idea to make sure that your site is as optimized as possible. If the main way your audience does research on art is through doing search engine searches, you may want to concentrate on that.
6. Start an email newsletter- If you write articles consider putting some exclusively for an email newsletter to be sent monthly or bi-monthly. Your newsletter can also contain special offers for artwork, news, and other things that promotes your web site. You can start gathering email addresses on your web site. Also, if you sell artwork, you can ask your customer if they want to be on your mailing list and gather their email addresses. Yes, you can have both a blog and an email newsletter at the same time. I have both on my web site, and they both have different purposes. The email newsletter as more promotional in nature, with discount offers, news, and information about upcoming events. The blog is more conversational in nature, where I post about how I create my designs, links to other things on the web, discussion about jewelry and design related news. Very few of my posts on my blog is promotional…that’s what my newsletter is for. Some of my customers just read the blog, others read just the newsletter, most read both.
7. Join art directories- There are a number of art directories out on the web for artists, for art galleries, etc. Many are free, some require you to pay a small fee. But compared to advertising, the fee may be worth it.
8. Participate in online communities- Start targeting message boards and forums where your target audience frequents and start participating. When you do so, concentrate on contributing to the conversation, resist the urge to spam the boards with blatant advertising…you’ll just make everyone mad. Show off your expertise, answer questions, and be sure that your profile is fully filled out. Once people start reading your posts, they’ll want to know more about you, which may lead to more traffic on your web site.
9. Public relations- Learn how to write a press release. Use it when you have something newsworthy about your site or yourself, say you won an award, or you sold a painting to someone famous. Send out a press release and target your local media and industry press. Create a press section on your web site and post all of your press releases there. Include an online media kit so reporters doing research can get it all from your web site.
10. Create a plan- Don’t run out and try all of these ideas at once. It’s better to pick one or two methods and concentrate on making them work than doing a whole slew of them badly. Write a plan by outlining your goal and your potential audience and pick a couple of methods to help carry them out. Some of the methods you pick will depend on your audience and your goals. Also remember to choose methods that play to your strengths. If you’re great at writing, then starting a blog and writing articles will play to that strength. If you’re good at researching and following trends, then search engine optimization is a good bet. If you like keeping in touch with the media, then the public relations route may be good for you.
11. Be patient- Building traffic and sales on your web site takes time. Even if you advertise, it takes time. Most web sites that are instant successes took years to get there. Give yourself time and keep at it.
