You’re an artist, not a marketing genius. In fact, if it didn’t cut into your budget, you would probably just hire someone to handle all of your marketing and promotional needs. Especially on the world wide web, where getting noticed in a sea of creatives and crafters is already a daunting challenge. But it is still a must in the digital age, where the vast majority of people browse the web for several hours each day, often on a mobile device. And they are all potential followers, supporters, and buyers of your art. So where do you start? We are going to break down the essentials to online marketing so that you aren’t missing out on your largest audience.

Build an Awesome Online Portfolio

The first step is making sure you have a stellar website and online portfolio. It should be clean and fresh so that your art is the main focus and can stand on its own. Think of it as a digital gallery exhibition of your best work. You want your online portfolio to be carefully curated, with high-quality photography and a top-notch Artist Statement page. For help on writing an Artist Statement, take a look at our article with best practices.  This is a great place to have links to any professional social media profiles, and websites where people can buy your art. There are a myriad of “build it yourself” website services, such as Wix and Squarespace. Or, if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud Account, you can use their easy Behance portfolio builder. 

Social Media is Marketing Magic

Social media is a great way for you to not only put your work in front of as many people as possible, but it’s also a great way to tell your creative story.  In fact, many artists and creatives will document their process and methods as they are making and share it on social media to give followers an intimate look at what goes on in the studio. After all, making art is often the most exciting part of being an artist! With a smartphone, a phone tripod, and a little trial and error, you can me making time-lapsed videos in no time of your process from start to finish. Whatever you decide to post, do it consistently and often. There are a lot of great tools to help you build a content calendar and schedule social media posts in advance, such as Buffer, Hootsuite, and Latergram.

Blogging, Vlogging, and More

If you are a decent writer, you might consider hosting a blog on your website. Blogs are not only great ways to discuss your process and inspirations, but it’s also a fantastic way to showcase your love for other artists and trends that you’re following. Ultimately, blogs give your website a lot of content that can come up in search engines, making it easier for people to discover your work. If you do blog, make sure you have SEO descriptions and keywords for each article to help search engines like Google direct people who want to find your content find it faster. There are a lot of great resources to learn more about SEO, like Yoast SEO’s Basics Articles. If you aren’t great at writing, you can try Vlogging, where you essential post videos of you discussing various topics online. Whichever you choose to do, remember to do it often and consistently!

Online marketing has a lot of moving pieces and can at first glance appear like a challenge, but if you accomplish the basics one step at a time (while attempting to improve each as you learn), then you’ll be an online marketing wiz in no time!