Whether painting, dance, "gigging", or writing, it takes good business sense to "get yourself out there" and see your product sell (as with any other product). Though it can be somewhat intimidating at first, just knowing a few simple things can really help.  This list is by no means all-inclusive, but hopefully, it can get you started.  Here we go:


The Philosophicals:  

1.    Know your goals, and what you’re willing to do to meet them. 
If it takes more than you anticipated to meet a certain goal, adjust to your comfort level.

2.    Know your market.  Who will want to buy your product? 
Find places where your buyers will gather and meet them there.

3.    Know your strengths, and weaknesses. If disdain book-keeping, get help with that.  If you’d rather
paint than market (or work on your website), get help with that. Maybe you can trade services.

The Practicals: 

1.    Create a high-quality product.  Whatever you work in, you will want to use
good tools and materials (not necessarily expensive, but good.)

2.    Look for outlets.  Consider time of year, cost of booths/consignments, etc.
Negotiate comfortable pricing for you and your outlets. 

3.    Price your product fairly.  For art products, galleries usually charge a 30-50% fee for selling your work. 
Price your work at enough to cover that fee, after all your costs.  –Even when selling from your home.  If you discount outside your outlets,
they may drop you, citing that they cannot compete with your prices.  Be consistent, and all will be happy.

4.    Present your product at its best.  Attractive framing and packaging can make the
difference in whether your product is sold or not.

5.    Determine allotted times to create, market, network, and office. Try & stick to it.

6.    Get a city and/or state taxpayer number, with which to "render to Caesar what is Caesar's" (sales tax) from your income. This number will also help you 
buy your materials without having to pay sales tax on them (if you paid sales tax when you buy, and then again when you sell, you're paying too much!)

7.    Set up a bookkeeping system, with forms like simple contracts, store inventories and invoices for billing
your customers. This way, you can keep track of your products with your vendors, and there
will never be a question as to how much is owed, etc.

8.    Set up a filing system, in both hardcopy and on your computer (Mine match.)
Here is a snapshot of my system:

Classes/workshops (that I’ve taken, or given)

Correspondence (letterhead template, mailing lists, newsletters, shipping, etc)

Donations (form template, database, and specific donations filed by year)

Exhibits (files of each exhibit and all its documents, filed by year)

Forms (contracts, gift certificates, inventories, bus. card, invoices, etc)

Galleries (inventories and show info filed by gallery)

Jobs (commissions filed by year)

Marketing (prospect lists and other ideas filed by year)

Memberships (group info filed by group)

Online (online outlets info filed by name -Art.com, Imagekind, etc.)

Portfolios (originals, prints, portraits, graphics)

Pricing (current price matrices for singular pieces, bulk, prints, etc)

Promotions (bio sheets, portfolio sheets, sales sheets)

Photo-reference (photos used to create new works, filed by subject)

Schedules (monthly & quarterly to do lists, based on when to produce, when to market, when to office, etc)

Websites (info on my website and related blogs, articles, etc)

9.    Set up promotional materials like logos, letterheads, business cards, websites, etc.  Carry your business cards wherever you go! 
Another invaluable tool:  a photo-portfolio.  Even a few pages can give a would-be customer a much better idea of what you do.

10.   Set up mailing lists for invitations, newsletters, etc.  Names for mailing lists are much to be coveted, whether for your best customers, your fellow artists, galleries and other outlets, etc.  I used to send newsletters via snail-mail.  Now it's email.  Quarterly.  This reminds customers that I'm still out there, particularly right before gift-giving seasons.

11.    Network everywhere you go.  Opportunities to talk about your product abound, if you are bold enough to bring it up.  Use every opportunity (social occasions, PTA meetings, sports venues, etc) to hand out your business card and SELL!





Ok.  Now, with these basics in-hand, many have also asked how to take things further into
marketing their art online.  Here are a few ideas that, again, I hope will help:

In this article, the first two segments are admittedly sketchy overviews on digital imaging and website creation,
but important to include because they truly are the basics.

This is followed by a more in-depth look at the fine art of website promotion, which is the true focus of this part of the piece. This will outline a few ideas that can help place your product on the map and bring the right people to your door, so that you can concentrate on what matters: CREATING!
 

Preparing Digital Image Files

Digital files are fast replacing slides for exhibit submission and just about every other file exchange in the art marketplace.  If you are just beginning to use digital files, there are some simple ways of creating them that will save you valuable time in the future.  Remember that digital files can be used in numerous ways and for each use, you will need certain types and sizes of files, preferably organized in their own folders. 

Here is a quick overview what my image file structure looks like:

Avatars/ signatures for message boards  (jpg files, avg 20 megabytes or so, 72 dpi, 1x1”)

Emails & instant messages (jpg files, less than 100 MBs or so, low dpi, any size)

Websites (html files, thumbnails linking to larger files, varied dpi, varied sizes)

Weblogs & message boards (jpg files, size depends on upload site)

CD’s for juried exhibits (jpg, 4”/1200pixels, 300 dpi, less than 1 MB usual)

(All of these are set at RGB color mode, best viewed on computer monitors.)

Printing (jpg files, 3-1200 dpi, depending on size and clarity choices

(These are set at CMYK color mode, best viewed on printed paper.)

So, any given image (say “Mona Lisa” will show up in your hard drive file box in maybe six different folders under slightly different file names such as

monalisa_ original, monalisa_avatar, monalisa_prints, etc.

When shooting your files (or having someone shoot them for you) make sure they’re shot at settings that will serve all of your uses.  Keep your original shots to use later, so that you’re not working from second-or third generation changes.  (If you can, avoid losing detail by repeatedly compressing and decompressing a file, then saving it over and over.  Instead, make all possible changes before saving the final copy for each particular purpose.

Your files will then be a much higher quality.)

Photo editing programs like Photoshop are available, as well as online services. They can help you get the correct file sizes and resolutions for your tasks. 

For photo uploads that require your image to be on the internet in order to post, online photo services such as Photobucket or Flickr are good choices, and offer free memberships.  Simply upload your images to the site, then cut and paste your images into their destinations.

Creating Your Website

-It should be simple, clear, and easy to navigate.  It should make your images “pop” with color and clarity.  It should leave your prospective collectors wanting more (and ordering it!)  Here are some page priorities:

Home Page: 

First impressions:  Your best works!  An aesthetic motif.  A wide appeal.  Simplicity.

Bio/Resume Page:

Who you are and what you’re about.  Shows, galleries, special recognitions.

Image Pages: 

Separate by currently available, sold works, prints, etc.

Ordering Page: 

Details on how to acquire your artwork (contact info, shop carts, etc)

Contact Info:

Address, phone, and an email link

Articles, Weblog, Calendar, Guest Book

(My site has all of these on one page for ease in navigation.)

Here’s my website for just one example:  www.alpinearts.com

Your website is your art gallery online.  It is where your prospective collectors will view your work, get to know you, and decide whether you and your work are worth investing in.  Make it as impressive as you can.  It needn’t be flashy or expensive.  If you hire a webmaster, consider whether he/she is handy to get with and easily able to make changes and updates for you.  If you would like to maintain your own site but are not a webmaster, there are free and inexpensive code editors out there that (with a little courageous self-instruction and tech support) can get you started in putting up a simple site on your own even without knowing code.  These tools will translate the visual pages that you work with into the necessary code to launch your site onto the net and edit it at your leisure. (That can be a real plus, especially in the ever-changing world of fine art!) 

Getting Your Website Noticed

Ok, you’ve just finished the final proof of your brand spankin’ new website.  It works beautifully-every link goes somewhere, the navigation is great, and best of all, your artwork looks magnificent!  You’ll be getting orders left and right-if you can just get people to look at the site. It’s been said that your website is little more than a yellow-pages listing, which just sits there pretty, without marketing the site itself.  And it’s true!

Here are a few tips that will help you to make the most of your hard-earned money (or time) in creating your new fine art website. The execution of these tips will depend on the program that you are using, so that research will be left up to you.  Here are the tips, in checklist form:

__  SUBMIT
your homepage URL (your full website address) to the important Web search engines that robotically index the Web. Look for a link on the search engine for “Add Your URL.” In the US, well- used search engines are: Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL Search, and Ask.com. Some of these feed search content to the other main search engines and portal sites.   You needn’t pay anyone to do this for you.  It’s available enought to anyone.  Submitting to search engines is the first and best thing to do with your new website.  BUT FIRST:  Your goal in submitting your site:  when you type in your name or your site’s name into the searchbar, you want your site to come up first.  This doesn’t just happen by chance.  The next few tips will show you how.

__OPTIMIZE
your website.  Very important:  before you submit your site to search engines, you want to make sure that your site is search engine-friendly, or that it has the elements in it that make it easy for search engines to find it and bring it up through other search results to the top of the search pages.  Many tricks are employed today in what is commonly called SEO, or search engine optimization.  A helpful tool in checking yourself is an analyzer, which will check your site for free (though they may charge to tell you how to fix your problems.)  Here is a good one.
And again, complete this step (and the following steps) BEFORE submitting your url.

__NAVIGATE WELL! 
Make Your Navigation System Search Engine Friendly. Some webmasters use frames, but frames can cause serious problems with search engines. Even if search engines can find your content pages, they could be missing the key navigation to help visitors get to the rest of your site. JavaScript and Flash navigation menusthat appear when you hover are great for humans, but search engines currently don’t read JavaScript and Flash.  The idea is that a search engine tool can go from one page to another of your site easily and find keywords that will bring your site up in the rankings.  Speaking of keywords:

__ USE A TITLE!
Write a Page Title. Write a descriptive title for each page of 5 to 8 words. Remove as many “filler” words from the title, such as “the,” “and,” etc. This page title will appear hyperlinked on the search engines when your page is found. Entice searchers to click on the title by making it a bit provocative. Place this at the top of the webpage between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags, in this format: <TITLE>New England Arts – Landscapes of John Smith</TITLE>. (Note:  It also shows on the blue bar at the top of your web browser!) Plan to use some descriptive keywords along with your business name on your home page. If you specialize in silver bullets and that’s what people will be searching for, don’t just use your company name “Acme Ammunition, Inc.” use “Silver and Platinum Bullets — Acme Ammunition, Inc.” The words people are most likely to search on should appear first in the title (called “keyword prominence”). Remember, this title is nearly your entire identity on the search engines. The more people see that interests them in the blue hyperlinked words on the search engine, the more likely they are to click on the link.

__USE DESCRIPTIONS!
 Write a Description and Keyword META Tag. The description should be a sentence or two describing the content of the webpage, using the main keywords and keyphrases on this page. If you include keywords that aren’t used on the webpage, you could hurt yourself. Place the Description META Tag at the top of the webpage, between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags, in this format: Some search engines include this description below your hyperlinked title.<META NAME=”DESCRIPTION” CONTENT=”Figure and still life art of Salt Lake City, Utah Artist Samantha Smith”>.Your maximum number of characters should be about 255; just be aware that only the first 60 or so are visible on Google, though more may be indexed.

__ USE KEYWORDS!
When a customer types in your name and your type of art (like landscapes) he/she is typing in keywords.  Search engines use keywords to find and rank sites.  Your objective is for your site to contain many keywords that your clientele will use in finding your site.  In your title, subject line, and body (particularly the index page) use keywords liberally (within good taste and reason.)  For an artist, these words may be your name, city, state, type of art, media, etc. -not forgetting to include the words art, artist, painter, sculptor, gallery, etc.
Develop several webpages on your site, each of which is focused on a different keyword or keyphrase. For example, instead of listing all your art on a single webpage, try developing a separate webpage for each. These pages will rank higher for their keywords since they contain targeted rather than general content.
More on keywords:
Make Sure Your Keywords Are in the First Paragraph of Your Body Text. Search engines expect that your first paragraph will contain the important keywords for the document — where most people write an introduction to the content of the page. You don’t want to just artificially stuff keywords here, however. More is not better. Google might expect a keyword density in the entire body text area of maybe 1.5% to 2% for a word that should rank high, so don’t overdo it. Other places you might consider including keywords would be in ALT tags and perhaps COMMENT tags, though few search engines give these much if any weight. Use Keywords in Hyperlinks. Search engines are looking for clues to the focus of your page. When they see words hyperlinked in your body text, they consider these potentially important, so hyperlink your important keywords and keyphrases. To emphasize it even more, the webpage you are linking to could have a page name with the keyword or keyphrase, such as art-prints.htm — another clue for the search engine.

__ USE INBOUND LINKS
Links to your site from other sites bring additional traffic. Also, since Google and other major search engines consider the number of incoming links to your website (”link popularity”) as an important factor in ranking, more links will help you rank higher in the search engines, too. Google has introduced a 10-point scale called PageRank (10 is the highest rank) to indicate the quantity and quality of incoming links. All links, however, are not created equal. Links from popular information hubs will help your site rank higher than those from lower traffic sites.  So submitting articles to well-read e-zines, even participating in popular message boards, where you can leave a link to your site, will not only promote your site to viewers, but also to search engines! Request Reciprocal Links. Find complementary websites (maybe other artists, local or otherwise) and request a reciprocal link to your site. Develop an out-of-the way page where you put links to other sites. Your best results will be from sites that get a similar amount of traffic to your site, and have something to gain from you.

__ BLOG!
Not only are your collectors interested in your life and what inspires you to create what you do, but those ever-precious keywords will appear, making your site even more appealing to “search spiders.”  In addition, if your content is very good, other sites will readily link to it, increasing your page rank. By the way, if you happen to blog on a third-party site, don’t forget to occasionally throw in a link to (and talk about) your site.

__ EMAIL
Ever heard of an E-zine?  It’s an emailed magazine or newsletter sent out at a certain time to promote your site and other events surrounding your art.  A monthly email such as this can keep your customers up to speed with your calendar, and will provide that purchase or two that you might not have had, had you not reminded your collectors that you were there!  A good schedule for the not-so-writing oriented painter is quarterly.  In each issue, you can show new pieces added to your site, new calendar events, and new affiliations, etc.  A “studio special” offered each issue is a popular feature, and a special issue right before gift-giving holidays is a nice supplement.  In your emails, be sure and include a nice signature with your website address and other important links.  If able, use images of new art as attachments, or better yet, in the body of the newsletter, with prices, etc.  (When everything’s up front, shopping is easier, and it can make or break your sale!)  E-zines, by the way, can be permanent websites published regularly-say, every six months.  Your newsletters can link to your e-zine, blog, etc. (which, then, of course, lead back to your website and your art!)  And now, last but definitely not least:

__HARDCOPY
Include your URL on business cards, letterheads, invitations, exhibit signage and any other hardcopy material leaving the studio. Make every opportunity for someone viewing your correspondence to also view your art.  Once checked off, these ideas should help you to drive more traffic to your website.  Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see your site ”rise to the top” immediately.  Submit again (especially if you’ve made significant edits) now and then and remember to keep things simple.  Your website is the single most important tool that you have-it is your online gallery space, 24-7.  Keep it fresh and user-friendly, and if you stay market-minded in its promotion, you are sure to lead many collectors straight to your “door!” 

Utilize Large Art Selling Websites

...and their search engine power.  Just a couple of names:  Art.com, and Imagekind.com.  Each site offers both free and paid memberships for placing your images online to be viewed by millions of possible art buyers each day worldwide.  The usual arrangement is that they use the right to print your images in various sizes for their customers, with you receiving a small royalty in exchange.  (Some sites even send you royalties on framing).  Another nice aspect of these resources is name recognition.  Let’s say a neighbor of yours decides to look for your work online.  She plugs your name and the word “art” into the search line.  If you are listed with Art.com, your name will much more likely show in the results on the first couple of pages in a phrase similar to “Kay Singleton Art at Art.com” which will give your name the appearance of a more widely-circulated artist than you may actually be.  And the turnaround time between joining one of these sites and seeing your name first in the results can be lightning fast-in my case, one site was less than one week!  Say your neighbor doesn’t see anything she wants on your Art.com page.  She is easily led to your website from there if you’ve been clever in using your url in your profiles, etc. 
(Note: Some sites are more supportive of artists using urls than others.)

Well, I hope that these ideas will be useful to you in connecting your work with possible collectors who would like it and buy it.  Creating website traffic can be as challenging as anything else that you create, but well worth the effort if you persevere.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email  me at alpineartist@aol.com or visit my articles pages or blog at www.alpinearts.com.  Happy internet marketing, and happy creating!