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- Art Marketing 101 -

A Few Things for the Artist to Think About

Do I want income from my art?

What do I mean by “income”? A few extra dollars to pay for supplies? Supplemental income to my “day job”? Annual income sufficient to provide necessities and some extras?
The answer is important, because all you do as a businessperson/artist is driven by your income goals. Once you determine your income goals – be realistic – then it is time to move on to the next step... what kind of investment in time and money do I need in order to realize the goal.
It is important to understand that you are not “locked-in” to your preliminary "income" answer above. As you progress through your strategic assessment you may discover that you can upgrade your expectations, or that you will have to consider the goal as more long-term and take incremental steps towards its attainment.

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Am I willing to think, work and invest in myself as a professional?

Professionals define goals, set interim objectives, and create a plan outlining time and money needed to implement the plan in order to assure a reasonable chance for success.
Professionals understand that the plan is merely a guideline (no matter how detailed). They also understand that as with any battle plan, it is only good until the first engagement; and are prepared to change tactics, or even implement a new strategy as circumstances change.

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What do I have to offer?

Marketable Art – are colors/subject-matter/composition/style suitable for commercial products?
Body of Work – do I have enough excellent artworks to support a commercial client?
Do I need an outside – objective – assessment before deciding to proceed?

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How do I think my art can be used?

What kind of market research have I done? Have I looked in toy stores, bed and bath shops, Pottery Barn, Hallmark Shops, etc. to see what art is used, how it is used. Is there a “niche” market that I know of that offers a better chance for my success (less competition)?
Would my art work well on greeting cards? Why is it different/better than 1,000 other artists who are successful in the GC market? Is my art interesting enough to appeal to a broad market as a puzzle? Are the colors/subject-matter appealing to the market demographic?

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Who will use the art?

OK, so I know what kind of products I want to target. But, who makes the products (not who sells them)? Hallmark has their own artist employees, so they are not a good prospect. I wonder who makes the prints I saw in Pottery Barn?

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Why should they want to use my art?

Pottery Barn has a lot of art, but seems like every time they release a catalog it features new art! So, maybe I have a chance. Are my subjects in keeping with what they have been selling? Does my style fit their market. Do I have insight as to what next year’s colors will be?

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How will I find potential clients?

Is this where I need help from a sales professional? Do I have the time to find the people who will buy/license my art?

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How will I contact potential clients?

I found a list of manufacturers of framed prints for the wholesale market. I guess that I can start calling them tomorrow. No, I’ll send an email instead. Better yet, I’ll just build a web site and wait for the orders to come rolling in!

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How do I tell them about my art?

I will print-up 10,000 full-color brochures and put them in the mail to everyont who could possibly sell to Pottery Barn. I’ll list all the art classes I've taken and tell them about all the galleries who have carried my art – that will really impress them! Or maybe I can include a dozen big images in an email – knock their socks off – no way they can pass-over my work! Oh, I forgot... they’re going to visit my web site, read my bio and just know that I am an experienced professional. I can’t wait for the 1st order.

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What do I do if they actually want to buy/license my art?

Ohmygosh! I just got a call from Artnframe Mfg, Inc. They want me to produce 10,000 gicle prints 12” x 14”! They need them at the end of next month and will pay me $10 each!
Hmmm... how do I know if this is a good deal. What if they change their mind after I’ve made the prints? How do I find the money to make all of those prints; are they going to pay an advance?

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How is my time best spent – should I hire business professionals?

You might get the impression from the hypothetical, that it takes a lot of thought and time to determine what will sell, to confirm that your art is marketable, to find a customer, and finally, to actually deliver on your promises. Your impression is absolutely correct! We help you think about what you want. We can give an objective and impartial review of your art and maybe point you in the direction of a likely market or two.

We can help you prepare a plan and give guidance on what type of marketing materials are best suited for your goal. For example, it takes a different set of marketing tools to find a good agent, than are needed to find a buyer for prints, or find a licensee for your copyright.

We can even help you by advising best practices for internet marketing; email marketing and web site design.

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