What non-traditional methods do you use to market and sell your art?
What constitutes ‘non traditional’ nowadays. I supposed non traditional could be used to describe old fashioned advertising, e.g. fly posting, leaflets though doors, advertising in local papers and magazines, etc. I don’t do any of that. My methods are virtually all through use of the Internet, as described already.
What do you do differently than other artists to get your work out to those who want it?
I don’t think I do anything differently as such, at least if I do I can’t bring it to mind. I wish I did, then I would at least have an ‘edge’. I do as much as I can within the bounds of the environment I live in. I am a ‘stay at home Mother’ as well as an artist, so most of my profile raising is done from my studio in my home, and from my laptop. I suppose if I think about it, the only ‘edge’ I do have, is that I have very good web design skills which a lot of artists don’t have. I am expert in HTML, CSS and have a pretty good grasp of PHP and Javascript etc, I use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Corel Painter extensively and have a natural aptitude for applications and GUI’s. This has been very useful to me in that I have always been able to build my own websites, do my own graphics and have not had to rely on anyone else. There was a time when my focus was more towards web design and I did some freelance work in this field.
Do you have a community of followers/buyers?
Yes, I have a lovely group of followers and buyers who have found my work via Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, my Blog and my website. Most of them keep up with my work either through Facebook or my Blog, and some have subscribed to my shop (Art4Sale) newsletter. There are some people who have bought quite a lot of my art and could I suppose be described as ‘collectors’ of my work, for which I am profoundly grateful.
What methods do you use to maintain visibility so your buyers can find you?
I used the Internet mostly, e.g. my blog, Facebook, website, Twitter, Flickr, deviantART, Trunkt, Art forums and networks, Etsy, Misi, and my own online shop Art4Sale.
Do you have a process for guiding potential buyers through their buying process?
If someone is buying art from me, it’s from one or two venues, either privately, in which case it’s usually a commission piece, and that is pretty bog standard. Or, they are buying from my online shop, and that is very easy to negotiate, the steps to which are outlined throughout the buying process. At the moment I use Paypal as the principal payment method for my shop.
Do you have a way for buyers to visualize your work in different settings?
I quite often splice a piece of work into a frame graphically, so that people can see what the piece would look like framed. Sometimes I shoot a finished painting hanging on a wall within a living context so that someone can see how it would look ‘in situ’.
Web site | blog | shop | facebook | twitter | flickr | deviantart
