Marketing for Artists
Although many of you feel your art should speak for itself...
Marketing your creations whether they be tangible or musical is just as important as marketing a consumer product such as dog food or toothpaste.
Artists and musicians often have a hard time realizing that they NEED marketing in order for their talent to be discovered and recognized. The hard cold fact of the matter is that many of mediocure talents but superior marketing skills are more highly touted than those of incredible talent.
How do you overcome this hurdle?
First of all, remove all ties to ego and consider your art or music a "product". It must be packaged and presented in an enticing way so that your audience will want to pursue it.
A great website is a good place to start. If you are a musician, a professionally created photo of yourself that shows the emotion you put into your craft will work wonders as a home page attractor. A site that I did for a wonderful jazz singer can be seen at www.gaildobson.com The front page photo shows her intensity, and emotion. Another great site is that of my teacher and one of my best friends, www.johnworley.com . Emotion is the most important thing that an artist can put into his or her creations - and when your potential audience sees your emotion, your art becomes more appealing. Case in point - Mick Jagger and all the energy he STILL puts into a perfomance at his age.
Secondly, tangible evidence of your talent must be presented - but don't give away too much! You have to leave 'em hungry for more! On this same site, MP3 encoded music is presented of SOME of her tunes, but not all. The idea is to entice them to buy the CD. There is a very old saying that goes - if you can get the milk for free, why buy the cow?
For artists, pictures of your creations should be easily accessible - with clear instructions as to where your potential clients can go to buy or a clear link that they can click to purchase. These photos should be of professional quality! I see many artists who skimp on this, only to show dark or blurry photos that do not present their art in its best possible light.
Get to know local art or music groups in your area, and get link backs to your site. This involves making some phone calls, and getting to know the editors of local magazines or sites that could give you a great "plug". These "cold calls" are hard to do, but will pay many dividends in terms of public exposure.
If you have just created a great exhibit or released a CD, publish a press release and send it to all the major periodicals in your field. This release should focus on what makes you unique and different from other artists in your field, but otherwise be brief and to the point. It really helps also to include a quote from someone renowned in your field.
Networking is probably MORE important in any artistic field than it is in traditional business. Get to know your fellow artists and musicians, even if they support a different style or school of thought than where you are focused. Chances are they have contacts that can benefit you, or have some ideas that make sense. The right word to the right person at the right time has made many a stellar career!
Make use of the Internet in ways other than just putting up a website. Many sites allow you to fully showcase your art. Many musicians have www.Myspace.com sites, and a new networking site, www.panjea.com, was designed specifically for and by musicians. Be sure to link your pages on these sites back to your main website.
Last but not least, make sure you know the owners of major venues for your work. If you are a musician, make it a point to call local club owners and offer to audition. As an artist, look up local galleries and places to exhibit and call and introduce yourself.
Yes, none of this is comfortable - but remember why you chose to follow your life path in the first place. What you have created will not be appreciated by others unless you get their attention first!
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