While most of my peers at college were focused on satisfying core academic requirements, I was starting a business and building a brand. My classes were concentrated on design, not business. Nevertheless, I quickly learned that promoting my business successfully is hard work, especially when I wanted to market myself in a way to get as broad exposure as possible.
I am an artist/designer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I have been making art for many years and have always been searching for new ways to reach out and get my work noticed. I have tried a wide variety of marketing strategies to get people to recognize my work, and the mediums I have used are not just for marketing myself as an artist, but have also been used by numerous brands, companies, and individuals.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to market oneself, and a strategy that has worked for me, is word-of-mouth. My parents show my art to their friends and coworkers. My teachers have passed along my work samples to their own connections and have displayed my work at their schools, local community colleges, and art museums in neighboring towns. My friends love to tell their other friends about my art. People in my life, who have watched me grow as an artist, continue to push me further by keeping me excited about what I am doing and making sure that I know that they are all proud of what I have accomplished so far.
The next, and most important, way I have marketed myself is through social media and within the online community. In this day and age, this strategy is critical to success for any person, brand, or company to get exposure for their product or service to as many people as possible. I made a Facebook page for my artwork. I established a Twitter account. I created a LinkedIn account to appeal to a professional segment of the market. I made a YouTube channel and a Pinterest page. Lastly, I made a personal website filled with a virtual portfolio of the different types of art I have created. I relied on my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest pages to promote the URL for my site.
Combined, this integrated marketing approach resulted in emails from people I didn’t know saying they had come across my website, loved my work, and forwarded the link to their friends and co-workers. Some even asked if I would be interested in working with them.
While the success of my business is modest, my personal experience suggests that the more social and online media platforms a business or brand is on (and the more they keep these sites updated), the better off they are going to be at getting their customer’s attention as well as gaining new customers. In addition to all of these social media outlets, your site and media content has to grab people’s attention and make them crave more of what you are doing. Eventually, I would hope that the followers or likes I gained on Twitter or Facebook would give people exposure to my art and in turn potentially convert them into customers.
I have also looked into how other people market themselves, such as artist Stephanie Jack. Stephanie is an artist, currently living in Madison, Wisconsin, who started her business as a college student at the University of Wisconsin. She uses similar marketing strategies that I have found to be effective. I interviewed Stephanie and asked her about social media and other ways she has found successful in marketing her business.
Amanda Tiberi (AT): What are the best methods or strategies that seem to work for you that you have used in order to market your art?
Stephanie Jack (SJ): To market your art, you need exposure. Many people may be looking to buy exactly what you are creating, but they need to know it exists to be able to buy it. Getting exposure can come through many different forms, from displaying art in local venues to marketing your art online. My art business started out simply with friends and family enjoying the art I had made for my own walls, making personalized requests for sizes and colors, and then expanding from there as their own family, friends, and coworkers saw my art and made orders.
AT: Do you use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to market your work, and if so, how?
SJ: Social media is a great way to market your art. I like using Facebook Pages since allows me to post new creations, shows, and events very quickly and easily. They also have great analytic features and ways to “boost” posts to get more exposure to new clients. I also use a personal website, StephJack.com, to showcase available pieces, list upcoming shows, and take custom orders. I will also be adding a secure online shopping cart feature for paintings and products to help customers order more easily.
AT: You have had your work on display in many galleries and shows already, but how did you begin doing that? Where would be a good place to advise other younger artists to start?
SJ: My first show out of college was at a coffee shop I worked at called Mars Cafe that was a hub for many artists, musicians, business start-ups, and community action groups. The passion there was so inspiring, and I had so many great discussions and encouragement through my co-workers and customers. Many local bands and artists would have shows there, and the waiting list was long. Then one month, an opening occurred when an artist cancelled, and I quickly jumped on the opportunity to use that month to show and sell my paintings and photography. On my reception night, it was so wonderful to see people enjoying my art and talking with them. Ever since, I have enjoyed doing shows, from local businesses to auctions to small house shows.
For young artists, I would recommend you make a list of venues you see that display local art. You will want to talk with the owners/managers, so ask to see them. If they are not available get their contact information and find out when they will be in. I would usually go in during “non-rush” times so that I could talk to the manager right away and show them my work – this is a lot easier than playing phone-tag! Have photos of your art to show them; this can be through a printed portfolio, or electronically through photos or website that you could show right from a tablet or phone. If you have a business card, you can leave it with them, but make sure you get their contact information to follow up with them.
Stephanie’s marketing strategies provided excellent perspective for me to consider in marketing myself as an artist. I am constantly updating each of my social media sites, especially my personal website, in hopes that people keep coming back to check on what is new and see that I am moving forward with my art and design. I have experienced the value of social media, beyond personal use to support commercial activities. Used effectively, social media can be a great resource in a professional manner to promote your name and brand to the business world.
Images: 1) Avocado Buddy, by Amanda Tiberi; 2) Karma, by Amanda Tiberi; 3) Paradise, by Stephanie Jack
Photos Courtesy of UW-Madison Archives
