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good afternoon everyone and thank you
for tuning in this is number two in the
series of ask the artist so in a vain
attempt to try and answer some of your
questions I've got quite a big one to
hopefully try an answer today so this
one comes from a Sylvia Fialka great
name via Instagram so thank you for your
question Sylvia is she right why is the
best way to promote your art well that's
a pretty big question because there's
just an almost endless amount of ways
that you can do that I've got ten ten
little gone rules if you like the things
I've proven and to be pretty successful
number one I think the most important
one certainly from my point of view
possibly is to have a website now let's
be honest if you exhibit with galleries
or you're not technically minded or you
know whether you're just happy just to
sell a few pieces here and there the
fact is if you're trying to reach people
that want to buy your work having a shop
window for it is incredibly important
now that shop window could be your
Facebook fan page nothing wrong with
that could be your Instagram account
could be your Etsy page will come onto
those networks in a minute but if your
name is John Smith then you've got John
Smith art calm and you say hi yeah no
problem
go and have a look at my website it's
very professional if you can send people
to a site that is yours secondly your
website has to be good there's honestly
I could probably spend the next two
weeks talking about about how to make a
website good and reachable for the
search engines and giving a good user
experience I'm sure if you've been on
two websites already you probably know
that if you're on your mobile or a
tablet or you're on a mobile network
somewhere rather than Wi-Fi that if it
doesn't load very quickly it's very
annoying lots of things like that so we
could go into that but that's definitely
for another another day another dollar
but that's the first win is having a
point you can send people
and that really should be a website okay
so that would be my first one but the
second probably would be to not ignore
social media now there's a great many
sites Pinterest Facebook Twitter
Instagram you know they're pretty much
the list goes on and I think most of us
have probably got an account with them
by now with one of these social media
networks which is fine
I currently speak from experience but
it's not a sales channel for me okay my
work is highly priced probably and you
know that kind of money you have to
consider what you're doing with it
rather than just splashing out you know
and buying something so I understand and
use social media really for for getting
the message out there but and for using
it for feedback as well because I think
that's quite important but as a sales
tool doesn't work for me
so I understand that and use it for
different reasons so social media is a
great way to get feedback that's why I'd
say and it will give you a barometer on
what's hot and what's not on that
subject and we might come across the Q
word again and the Q word is quality if
you're going to use Instagram and you're
going to use Twitter and Facebook cover
a whole broad range of subjects that
doesn't mean what you've had for your
lunch or picture of your cat that's for
another time another day this is about
you who you are your brand promoting
yourself and that really should be as
professional as you can make it with
high quality photos high quality copy
and content and involve people with what
you're doing so if you're painting or
you're sculpting one day show some
behind-the-scenes stuff maybe some macro
photos some close-ups some soft focus
shots that kind of thing but involve
everybody in the process as well as the
finished article you can take pretty
good quality photos with smartphones
these days but nothing beats an SLR
camera in my opinion anyway in a decent
lens and there are things that you might
want to invest in because you can get
the best reproduction for your work and
when it the quality of what you're
presenting
good your market will have a perception
that your art will follow suit if that
makes any sense so number two is social
media definitely ways to promote sorry
I'm just avoiding walking on paintings
as I told you so the next point point
three shopping platforms online shopping
platform so probably mentioned one or
two already Etsy fine art America what
else have we got sorry art there's one
I'm sure that will raise a few posters
with some people house or who's I'm not
quite sure how you pronounce it art
finder all these kind of places never
use only myself I used search he never
had anything happen once but I
understand you know there could be quite
a good way of getting exposure and if
you set your page up correctly and you
can direct people come onto your
Facebook page to those pages then you
stand a chance so although it's not for
me the feedback I've got from various
people is that um yeah some of these can
work but again they'll SAP your time and
energy if you want to keep them
up-to-date so make sure if you are going
to keep them up today but you do it
regularly and there's two buzz words I
use really with everything I do and
that's consistency and relentlessness so
those words will probably come up sort
of time and time again but be consistent
if you're going to use online shopping
platforms the next thing I'd say and
this moves on from your website if
you've set it up properly then set up a
newsletter once a month six weeks I'm
pretty lacs on my mind doesn't go out
rich because about three times a year
because it's just I'm just up the time
but every potential visitor that you can
get to your website
convince them to sign up for your email
your email newsletter I should say that
way you've got some email addresses and
you've got people who are engaged
actively in your work so surely it makes
sense to update them on a regular basis
is what you're doing if they don't want
to subscribe any more they'll just
unsubscribe I'm sure we all get emails
every day of the week from things we've
subscribed to we have a quick look and
we delete it find a fairy
but at least reach your audience if
they're coming to you get them to sign
up for a newsletter or try and persuade
them this is a really good thing to do
and then give them updates every three
or four weeks again you've got to be
consistent with it I slapped myself on
the wrist for that and I'm pretty
inconsistent okay so another way is a
blog blogging blogging is a big topic I
could split down but basically even if
you don't you know it's necessarily want
to build you want self a website start
talking about what you're doing start
writing them in three to five to six
hundred word topics so free I'll give
you an example okay if you're a sculptor
and you might want to talk about the
tools that you're using or if you're
working in clay the kind of problems
that you have working in clay how you
first started using the material why you
enjoy using it tips and tricks for other
people using it just see what I mean you
can take one subject and
flower-arranging ballet-dancing and you
can write all kinds of stuff about 2.6
really isn't sort of a point as to I
don't know one pursuing your your
promotion for your art but it's the
buzzwords be relentless be consistent I
had a good friend tell me that very long
time ago just show up every day do
something every day even if you feel
terrible get to the coalface and go and
do something you know for me it's
driving to the studio and going to go
either paint or do something or sit and
think yeah but do something every day
that's a bit different or a bit better
than the day before so that's not really
a way to promote but it's a mindset to
mindset 7 I probably say would be to
engage your local community so if you've
got local fairs cafes restaurants
approach them all that sort of kind of
stuff can you get active with schools
can you write a blog post on that can
you get that onto your websites but that
one to your local social media and get
your local media to cover things whether
it be online or in print all that can be
done 8 I've kind of got down as
networking I don't do an awful lot of
that because my mother's not market kind
of really we're on that that I've
managed to find anyway and because of
the styles of houses that people have
around here but local business breakfast
meetings I'm still walking over this
painting I really adults moving local
business meetings you know these
breakfasts and brunches where you can
network with local businesses that's
always a good thing any kind of local
community groups that kind of stuff any
kind of exposure certainly locally helps
get your name out there nine really is
not one of my favorite ones and that's
the cold core I don't mean necessarily
picking up the telephone but it's
sending an email hey look at me I'm
really good I've got something that I
think you would really benefit from
these things tend to need quite a little
bit of preparation and a bit of thought
I don't really think you can just sort
of run into them and think I'm going to
sit down today and write to 20 random
hotel chains and see if I can sell them
some art that just does not happen you
need to do your research properly if
you're going to approach businesses
organizations or individuals find out
who it is you need to get in touch with
first that's the golden rule if for
argument's sake it's a restaurant chain
find out who's in charge of their
refurbishments or the procurement
managers that kind of thing - email
addresses the phone calls you need to
make really should be to establish that
kind of information but it can be done
I've done that before now and you know
sometimes it's successful sometimes not
but if it's on your list of things to do
do it don't find an excuse do it finally
point 10 again maybe save this for
another day
galleries okay I choose not to go with a
gallery for a whole host of reasons but
that's a personal thing and we can't
ignore the fact that gallery network is
still very strong whether it be online
or physical if you can find a good one
there fantastic brilliant but me
personally I don't go with them but
that's another way to help promote your
work and then the gallery will do that
for you there's obviously a percentage
of money that they take because they
have to stay in business but you know
there you go
there's probably another 15 or 20
different ways that you can promote your
work but in an effort to try and keep
this short as possible
he said running into 12 minutes I think
you know a minute and a half a point
hopefully just gives you some kind of
little insight into what you can do to
to maybe start and kick things off a
little bit anyway I hope you found that
enjoyable
feel free to tune in to some more videos
and if you've got a question that you'd
like to ask me drop me a line that info
at Suarez code at UK and I will do my
best to answer them alright I'm good day
see you on the next one
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