How to Promote Art at our Online Marketplace for Artists

Now that APM Showcase has a few artists onboard, I thought I would share with you some ways of promoting your artworks via this online marketplace. It is important to remember that no one will know your artwork is there unless you let them know. I am helping you in some aspects by featuring and promoting artists at Artpromotivate, but I can only do so much.

I often encourage artists to create a plan for themselves and set goals.

 

 

Rather than promoting your art randomly without any apparent purpose, establish yourself with a professional image. Get a professional website, work on building your list, and begin branding yourself. This sounds simple, but for someone who is not familiar with the web, it can be very daunting.

APM Showcase is only one small part of that equation. I give you some ways to promote the artworks you have at our online store, and attract buyers to your art listed there. All of these tips are effective no matter where your art is featured on the web.

 

Tips for Promoting Artworks With the Artpromotivate Showcase Online Marketplace

1. Social Networking
   
   Right at the bottom of every product and blog post are buttons for people to share your post at Twitter and Facebook, and via email. You can share your posts yourself with these buttons, but I recommend going a step further, especially if you belong to other social networks. 
   
   With Bufferapp, you can promote your posts at set intervals throughout the day via Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Using this method, you do not even have to be on your computer to share your artworks with others. I have a full post about Bufferapp and how to use it for art promotion: Bufferapp Social Sharing
   
   The Addthis plugin for your web browser will allow you to promote art with several selected social networks and bookmarking services. I recommend using this no more than once or twice a day (a few hours apart). Use it too often and you may appear to be spamming. I also have a full article about the Addthis service: How to Use Addthis
   
    
2. Share it with your Email List
   
   An email list and newsletter is essential if you hope to sell any amount of art on the internet. Think of it this way, if someone trusts you enough to give you their email, they must be really interested in what you have to say and the art you are creating. They are essentially saying they love your art and want to see more of it.
   
   The email list can be your most valuable asset. When you have a new show or event, contact these people first and send them an invite. Send your subscribers regular updates about your progress. I suggest including one or more of your unsold artworks and link it where it is displayed at your online store. This way, these collectors can instantly visit and buy it without hassle.
   
   
3. In your email signature
   
   The email sig is what appears right at the end of all outgoing emails and is a great place for including links and hyperlinked images. This is a great way of promoting your art business. Many times emails may be forwarded if it is interesting enough, and people who never heard of you may be reading it. Place your name, website, online store, email, and any other information you are comfortable with making public.
   
   I posted about email signatures and how to promote art with Gmail a while back, which Gmail users may find useful: Gmail Signatures 
   
   
4. On your website
   
   If you have a gallery of images on your artist website this would be a perfect opportunity for you to provide a way for collectors to buy your work. Link each image to the page where it can be purchased in the APM Marketplace. This way, visitors can click-through to where they can easily buy the artwork. Also, have a category in your top navigation that links directly to your web store.
   
    
5. On your artblog
   
   The APM online marketplace for artists is hosted on Meylah, which is part online store and part blogging platform. You can actually use Meylah as an artblog! But, if you have a blog separate from this, here are some ways you can promote your APM Showcase art there.
   
   Write posts about your artworks and your process for creating them. Include a large image of your creation and hyperlink this with the URL for the page where it appears at APM Showcase. Below the image, include a full description – title, medium, name, date and price. Right at the end, include the phrase Buy Now or Purchase. Hyperlink this phrase with the same URL you used for the image.

These are just 5 methods to begin promoting your online marketplace. I think this is where all artists who market art on the web should initially place their efforts. When you have mastered these, think about posting at artist forums, art groups, online classifieds (especially Facebook classified groups), and more.

I haven’t even mentioned anything about the offline world, which can be extremely effective as well. Include your online store URL on business cards, flyers, signs, bulletin boards, local television stations, newspapers, and more.

Needless to say, there are may free and cheap ways of advertising your APM Showcase artworks. It’s essential to remain focussed and place emphasis on places that are working best for you.

Do you have any questions about anything?

That’s all for now… take care and have a wonderful day!