You may have the most fantastic Artist Website, but if no one knows about your website or can find your website, you cannot promote yourself and make a sale. The power of the internet is that your shop is open 24/7 and once you have set up the processes to drive visitors to your website, the sale can happen even when you are asleep.
How many visitors you drive to your website is dependent on the strategies you implement and how much you are willing indulge in lateral thinking. You should have a number of strategies running concurrently and although initially the traffic will be a trickle, it will soon grow into a steady flow.
Let us look at some traffic strategies to bring buyers and art enthusiasts to your website. These are a combination of off-line and on-line method.
In this article we will look at 6 Off-line Strategies.
1) Have Your Website Visible on All Your Communications and Marketing Materials.
Firstly, make sure that your business cards, receipts, emails, letterheads, flyers and whatever communication media you use should have your website address. Include your website address in packaging material.
2) Listings in Local Print Directories
There are a number of directories and advertising books like yellow pages. Ensure that have included your name, details and website URL in these directories. Join your local chambers of commerce and get your website listed in their business directory.
3) Advertise Your Website for Free in Local Newspapers and Magazines
Your local magazine and newspaper will always want to provide their readers with information on local events and happenings. What you could do is have a monthly open studio and have ads in the “Whats Happening” section with your website URL.
You could also portray yourself as a local art expert by giving art related advice or have your column about current events in the art world. The local newspapers and magazines would love this. Your column would no doubt have your website URL.
4) Writing to Galleries
Prepare a list of galleries that you would like to represent your works and send them an Invitation with your website link and ask them to review your works on your website. You could also prepare an on-line catalogue for the galleries to peruse.
5) Press Releases
Whenever you have an event, exhibition or other newsworthy material, prepare a press release and have it distributed. Your Press Release will have your website link and if the Press Release is printed, your website will get a lot of exposure.
6) Networking
Networking can be very powerful and extremely important for you as an artist. The buyers want to know the person behind the painting and therefore you have to get yourself out and about leaving your business card, portfolio where possible with your website address on it.
However do make sure that you choose the right events as you do not want to waste your time and make attending these events into simply a night out. Look out for local exhibitions, art related events, gallery openings etc.
Ensure that you immediately put the names collected into your database and start communicating with them.
I hope you have found this article useful. Please start implementing the strategies if you are not already doing so.
In my next article I will cover the Online Strategies that will bring hoards of traffic to your website.
Tags: artist website