We all know that your web site will live or die by the amount of traffic it receives. So it's natural to want to focus on search engine marketing. Artists are constantly asking us about "keywords", "search engine optimization", "improving rankings" and what art sites get the most "traffic."
We understand the temptation to focus on these things; however, sometimes we think people get focused on search engines to
avoid the hard work of
real marketing....the hard work of "getting down in the trenches" and getting to know your customers
personally. It would be nice to think that now we live in the 21st century, that artists could just put up a web site, focus on tweaking a few lines of html here and there, pick the right keywords, and sit back and sell art.
That idea is appealing to artists because most artists tend to be recluses. Even if your not a recluse you would still probably prefer being in your studio creating than engaging in a systematic marketing process to communicate with your prospects. We understand, you would rather be in your studio working than talking to people about your work, but the reality of marketing is that there are mainly two things that will drive people to get interested in your artwork: word-of-mouth referrals and advertising.
But what about all that traffic on the search engines? Don't you need to focus on that? Couldn't you "tap" into search engine traffic and not have to personally deal with your prospects?
Well, guess what factors drive more than 2/3 of online searches?
1. Word-of-mouth
2. Offline Advertising
We've been hitting this idea over and over, but now we have some data to back it up. This fact was recently proven in an August 2007 study by
iProspect which delved extensively into search engine users' motivations. The study concluded, that
Two-Thirds of the Online Search User Population is Driven to Search by Offline Channels.
Here are some of the other conclusions of the study:
Television and Word of Mouth Channels are Most Effective at Driving Search
Since, as an artist, we suspect you don't have the budget to engage in television advertising, the implication is clear -
your number one marketing strategy needs to be building word-of-mouth referrals. This can be accomplished in a number of ways - email campaigns, testimonials, asking for referrals, phone campaigns. In fact, art marketing guru Alyson Stanfield says that neglecting your in-house mailing list is "
THE Biggest Mistake" that artists make when it comes to marketing. Katherine Tyrrell, artist and writer of the "
Making a Mark" art blog says artists who "seem to do well" "build up a personal relationship with their buyers" and "get the names and addresses of buyers."
Company, Product and Service Names Most Commonly Used Keyword Types
This implies that the only keyword you need to put much attention on is your name. Since most people will find you through word-of-mouth and/or advertising, they will likely be looking for your name, which, for you, is your "product." If you paint in a highly-specialized niche, that would be a focus as well. Note: "Plein Air paintings" is NOT a highly specialized niche. "Impressionist Oil Paintings of prize-winning show dogs" is a niche.
39% of Searchers Influenced By Offline Channels Make a Purchase
This strongly implies that even if you manage to garner traffic from online strategies, your most targeted traffic will still come from offline channels - word-of-mouth and advertising.
Magazine/Newspaper Ads and Word of Mouth Most Effective at Generating a Purchase
This conclusion speaks volumes about the continuing popularity of art magazines and why art galleries continue to advertise in print magazines. (By the way galleries don't neglect their mailing lists or shy away from personal contact with their customers).
So what should artists focus on in their marketing?
Focus on developing personal relationships with people you know....particularly past buyers of your work. Nurture those people on a regular basis and explicitly ask them for referrals. If you have the budget and a proper targeted publication you might consider some offline advertising. And don't forget to engage an a systematic email campaign to communicate with and nurture your prospects.
Sincerely,
Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic
PS - We're not saying not to consider search engines and optimize for them, what we are saying is that with limited time and resources marketing should focus on the most targeted prospects where you stand to get the "most bang for your buck." For most artists that will begin with people you already know and your in-house mailing list. If you don't have an in-house mailing list, start one.
PPS - If you are neglecting your mailing list and don't advertise and are
still making a great living with your art simply by posting in online galleries and blogging that's great (and we'd love for you to write a guest article about what works for you), then consider this: how much
better would your sales be if you added these two offline channels that have been shown to drive 2/3 of online traffic?
Related Pages and Posts:
The iProspect Research Study:
http://www.iprospect.com/about/researchstudy_2007_offlinechannelinfluence.htm
Focuse the Lens: Email Marketing Program
http://clintwatson.net/blog/676/
Less is More by Clint Watson:
http://www.clintwatson.net/blog/1229
Advertising that Works by Clint Watson
http://www.clintwatson.net/blog/1070
How to Advertise in Art Magazines by Clint Watson
http://www.clintwatson.net/blog/1006
What if Google Went Away? by Clint Watson
http://www.clintwatson.net/blog/1258
Principles of no-exuses Art Marketing by Alyson Stafield
http://www.artbizblog.com/2007/05/principles_of_n.html
THE Biggest Mistake by Alyson Stanfield
http://www.artbizblog.com/2006/12/the_biggest_mis.html
What's the Lifetime Value of a Single Contact? by Clint Watson
http://www.clintwatson.net/blog/736
Will You be a Success if you Blog Your Paintings Daily? by Katherine Tyrrell
http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2006/09/will-you-be-success-if-you-blog-your.html
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