Strategies for Increasing Traffic or Gaining Email Addresses

1.  Give away a "freebie" in exchange for their email address
Perhaps a free ecalendar featuring your artwork.  A free report that you've written about your artwork technique for other artists.

2.  Get other people to drive traffic to your site.  
This is called "affiliates" in the non-art world.  It could be simply exchanging links, but more specifically, you want other site owners to promote your site to THEIR customers via email.  (See What about Promoting Other Artists Works).  You might consider offering other site owners a percentage of the sales to their customers (after all you would have to pay a gallery).

3.  Start and Use a Blog.
Blogs help build traffic and content over time.  Once those people get to your blog, make it easy for them to sign up for your email newsletter.

4.  Partner with people who reach customers you want.
Perhaps a wine dealer would like to offer his clients art and information about art and perhaps you would like to offer your clients some fine wine (and make a percentage of the sales).

5.  Create an ebook.
Ebooks are great, if you can write one, because they can get passed around and they can contain links back to your site.  You can also use them as "freebies" to encourage people to sign up for your list as discussed in number 1.

6.  Offline Marketing
Press releases can help get you media coverage, be sure to think about snail mail promotions to your customers periodically.  They are more expensive but more "special."  A campaign to send personal notes to your customers would also make them feel special.

7. Submit content-rich articles to article directories.

8.  Visit art-related online forums.  
When you have something relevant to say, say it.  Include a link to your web site in your signature.  Don't go crazy and do this daily, but do it periodically.

9.  Sign up for Robert Genn's Newsletter
Robert Genn has a twice-weekly newsletter called "The Painters Keys."  Besides finding it interesting, reply when a subject touches your heart and he may feature your reply with a link to your website.  If so, you'll reach a lot of other artists, but you'll also reach artists and other people who buy art (hey, I read it).